Louise Hagler’s Blog

Treats in the Raw

December 28, 2009

Maneuvering the holidays without refined sugar is a challenge, to say the least, but not impossible. Raw sweet treats rule here. And it is not too late—there are still parties coming up! During this holiday season, I decided to break with tradition and not make cookies, but experiment with raw, natural ingredients for the goodies for gifts, parties, and family get-togethers.

One of my favorite holiday foods are cranberries, but they usually come loaded with refined sugar in the form of sauce, breads, or cookies. Naturally sweet medjool dates sweeten these treats and nuts help to firm them up. I tried several different versions, including adding raw apple, pomegranate seeds, and unsweetened coconut. They tend to be soft, but can still be served as finger food for gentle fingers.

Raw Cranberry Treats

Yield: 30-one inch balls

• 2 cups raw cranberries, fresh or frozen (1/2 pound)
• 8 pitted medjool dates (4 ounces pitted)
• 1 cup raw walnuts or pecans (4 ounces)
• 2 teaspoons powdered organic orange peel or 1 tablespoon fresh zest
• pinch of salt

Process all ingredients in a food processor until coarsely ground, then chill for an hour or so until it firms up a bit to roll into balls. A little grapeseed oil on the hands will keep them from sticking to the hands while rolling. Try rolling some in unsweetened dry coconut shreds for variety. These will keep in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days, if they last that long.

For an awesome raw cranberry sauce, replace the nuts with a small peeled orange and/or apple and process.

Filed under: Raw Treats

Tags: cranberries, Fruit, holiday, raw food, vegan