Everything But the Kitchen Sink Bliss Balls (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Need gluten free snack ideas? Craving some easy gluten free snack recipes? Whenever I'm asked about my favorite gluten free snack, "bliss balls" is usually the answer. Not only are bliss balls tasty, but you can also easily make bliss balls vegan, gluten free, paleo, nut-free or allergy-friendly.

So what's the secret to the most scrumptious raw bliss balls? There are hundreds of bliss ball recipes all over the Internet, but today I'm sharing my "base recipe" for gluten free bliss balls. If you follow these guidelines, you'll be ready to make any flavor of bliss balls you can dream of (or drool over!).

The Bliss Balls Recipe Base:

Regardless of what kind of bliss balls you're craving - from peanut butter bliss balls to chocolate bliss balls - I like to start with this base recipe:

• 10-12 dates soaked overnight and pureed in a high-speed blender or food processor 
• 2 TBSP coconut flour or other flour (more if the mixture seems too wet)
• 1/2 very ripe banana, mashed
• 1 TBSP nut butter (I prefer sunbutter but anything will work!)
• All the flavor additions of your choice (see list further down)

To start making your bliss balls, you need to get your dates soft and gooey. If your dates are a little hard, don't worry. Just fill a bowl with enough water to cover them, and soak the dates until tender. You can also save the date water to use in smoothies since it has a slightly sweet flavor from the dates! 

Then, mash your dates. Sometimes I use a high speed blender or food processor to purée my dates. If they're especially soft, though, you can get away with mashing them well with a fork. 

Next, add the other base ingredients for your vegan bliss balls, including the banana, nut butter and flour. Mix until well incorporated. You can also add a little water (even that date water!) or milk if your mixture seems a little too dry. This base recipe (plus the add-ins) usually makes around 20 small (around the size of a quarter) bliss balls. 

How to Make Your Perfect Bliss Balls

Now, for the fun part: upgrading your plain bliss balls with plenty of flavorings and gluten free goodies. What are some of my favorite bliss ball flavors? Well, I love adding:

• Spices and powders like cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, cacao, spirulina, maca, turmeric, acai, etc. 
• Extracts like vanilla, mint, almond, or the flavored stevia drops from Sweet Leaf Stevia (I especially like the pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha)
• Puffed rice cereal (or any other puffed rice) for crunch 
• Mashed berries for tartness (as seen with my Taste the Rainbow Bliss Balls); I've found that defrosted frozen berries work the best 
• Chocolate chips (I use dairy free chocolate chips from Enjoy Life Foods) or cacao nibs 
• Coconut flakes or shredded coconut (to make coconut bliss balls)
• Protein powder (I've enjoyed Aloha's vegan vanilla and chocolate protein powder) 
• Sweet potato (mashed) or pumpkin purée (will probably need to add more flour to balance out the added moisture) 

I enjoy making a variety of bliss ball flavors in each batch, so I keep my base recipe in one bowl and transfer a small portion of it to another bowl. Then, I'll add my choice of one flavor combo (like cacao powder + puffed rice + strawberries for chocolate bliss balls) to that small portion. Mix, roll and repeat the process with all the other flavor options you want to try! 

You can even try making a few of my rainbow bliss balls!

Sure, making several bliss ball recipes at one time takes longer than throwing everything into a food processor. However, I like relaxing with Netflix while I'm rolling...and the "variety box" of bliss balls is definitely worth it in the end! (Am I the only one who imagined a variety box of chocolates with that last sentence? I guess I know what bliss ball flavor I'm craving....) 

I'm really sharing this bliss balls recipe to give you a starting point for making your own gluten free protein bars or balls. You can mix and match flavors depending on your cravings, the fruits in season or even the ingredients on sale at your local grocery store. 

And, honestly, you really can't go wrong with bliss balls. If you add too much of one ingredient, you can always add more of other ingredients to balance it out. And the best part about making vegan bliss balls? There's no reason you can't taste-test the batter as you go! 

Storing Your Vegan Bliss Balls

Once you've made all your bliss balls, you have two options. If your bliss balls are a little on the wet side, you can place them on parchment paper and pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes or until they've hardened. Then, transfer to a reusable container. You can then store your bliss balls in the fridge for a week or so. 

However, I prefer to store my bliss balls in the freezer. This ensures they won't go bad - not to mention, cold bliss balls are the perfect summer snack! When you're ready to chow down, just take the bliss balls you want out of the freezer, let them thaw for a few minutes and devour.

Love this recipe? Show me by tweeting it! Just click here: "Need #glutenfree #snack ideas? These #vegan bliss balls are #allergyfriendly & easy to customize! via @collegeceliackc http://bit.ly/2sfzsBn"

Perhaps one of the hardest gluten free food to master is the gluten free snack. After all, you can't rely on just grabbing whatever goodies are in the office break room or at 7-11. However, the next time you're searching for more gluten free snack ideas, try to keep it simple and go with an easy gluten free snack recipe like these vegan bliss balls!

And, I promise, these gluten free snacks definitely match their name. Because what's more blissful than having snacks on-hand that are gluten free, loaded with healthy ingredients and made exactly how you like your bliss balls? 

*Also found at Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Made by You, What'd You Do This Weekend, Inspire Me Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Create Link Inspire, Healthy Living Party, Pretty Pintastic, Plant Based Potluck, Dare to Share*

What's your favorite snack? What kind of bliss balls would you make? Tell me in the comments!