christmas rumballs

it is no secret that i love christmas food.

i love pudding, christmas cake, fruit mince pies, gingerbread, rumballs... 

oh how i love rumballs! it just wouldn't be christmas without them.

i have been trying to avoid sugar for a while now, not completely, i still quite like a bit of raw honey and i do love maple syrup but i have eliminated processed sugar from our diets for most of this year. so i had been wondering how i was going to enjoy some of the foods i love at christmas without the usual sugar content.

our pudding has no sugar (i just left it out of the recipe and i am sure it will taste just fine with the fruit giving it the sweetness). the fruit mince pies recipe i use has no sugar in the filling and only a small amount of honey in the pastry. i used a fantastic gingerbread recipe from here (yes a small amount of sugar but nothing like the amount in the recipe i used last year). 

and so how to make delicious rumballs without sugar (condensed milk). i have adapted natalie's lovely coconut butter ball recipe and given it a seasonal twist. it is truly so good that i wanted to share it.

ingredients

200g coconut oil

200g butter

200g raisins

6 dates

rum

250g coconut or a bit more (depending on consistency)

2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder

slosh a good splash of rum over the raisins, just enough to coat them nicely, leave to soak for a few hours.

place dates and raisins in a food processor and blitz a few times

add coconut oil, butter, coconut and cacao and process until mixed thoroughly

at this point i put the mix into the fridge to firm up (depends on the weather)

then roll into small balls and roll them in extra coconut 

place in glass jars to firm up again

best stored in the fridge if its warm

enjoy

merry christmas!