Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Rice Balls (DF, GF)

 These have the taste of chocolate, crunch from the rice cereal and peanuts with chewiness from the dates.  What a great combination !  

My dad and aunt REALLY liked these.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 cups puffed brown rice cereal (no sugar, just brown puffed rice)
3/4 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut  (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup raw peanuts, chopped or whole
1 cup peanut butter (no sugar)

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2 and 1/3 cups chopped dates
4 to 6 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk or water (depending on how dry your dates are)

Directions:
Blend dates and almond milk in blender until smooth.  I keep some date chunks left - it gives the balls a chewier texture.

Then combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Form into balls and put in freezer to firm up.  Each day these balls tend to get more flavorful.  I actually stored them in the freezer.  

I've started using the  Farberware Cookie Scoop for forming the snack balls, instead of using my hands.  It is not as messy and the balls are a more uniform size.

My favorite food processor is the KitchenAid  7-Cup Food Processor. 

For blenders, I use both the  Vitamix Blender and Ninja Master Prep Professional Blender

Estimated Nutritional Value per ball based on 50 balls:  Calories  73, Total Fat 4.4g, Cholesterol 0mg,  Sodium 26mg, Carbs 7.6g, Fiber 1.4g, Sugars 5.2g, Protein 2g

I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so you can do what he wants.  God raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, because of the blood of his death.  His blood began the eternal agreement that God made with his people.  I pray that God will do in us what pleases him, through Jesus Christ, and to him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.
Hebrews 13:20 (NCV)