Bites. Balls. Truffles. Bliss balls. Date balls. Energy balls. Little spheres of snacking. Little orbs of awesome. I never know what to name recipes like this. Bites are really for teeth. Truffles are really for chocolate. I once called them Cake Un-Pops, but that takes too much explaining. Balls is the most accurate description, but not very appetizing. I usually opt for bites, but today bliss balls just felt better because they are lemon bliss.
I love these little hard-to-name nibbles, because they are fast, throw-it-all-in-a-food-processor easy, only require 5 (maybe 6) ingredients, and are completely fruit sweetened!
Let’s talk about millet for a minute.
– It’s a tiny little gluten-free grain seed
– It’s easy to digest
– It’s alkaline in the body
– The texture is similar to quinoa, but I find the taste to be much more mild
– It delivers 6 grams of protein per cup
– It’s yellow, perfect for lemon related things!
That last one is the main reason we’re using it in this recipe. Turning yesterday’s leftover whole grains into today’s sweet snacks since…well…now!
Prep Time:
Yield:
Print
PinIngredients
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (about 12)
- 1 cup cooked millet
- 1 cup oat flour
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Optional: 2 tbsps coconut milk powder
Instructions
- Combine everything except the coconut milk powder in a food processor.
- Process until it clumps together.
- Roll into 12 balls.
- Roll each in the coconut milk powder (or shredded coconut).
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm. Keep in the fridge.
No no, you got the name wrong! It’s Bliss ORBS 😉
Hahahahaha! I love that you shared some millet love <3 Lemony and bright, like a little mini sweet sun in your hand to say farewell to the fleeting summer light :/ But all the more reason to make these stat!!!
As soon as you rename yours to Mint Chocolate Sunflower Orbs I’ll rename mine 😉 Oh and I think you’re a poet! Seriously the sun metaphor and rhyming bright and light…it’s all so beautiful <3 And a little sad with the fleeting part 🙁 Well except the last sentence, that's just truth no poetry about it! xoxoxo
Bahahahha! I didn’t even realize the rhyme! …..I’m going to make you a poem and post it on your facebook later today…watch out.
A poem just for me!?! I can’t wait!
I lied…I’ll post it later this week on instagram…I have a good plan 😉
The suspense…!!!
I’ve had millet in my cupboard for a ridiculously long time and have only used it once. These balls are a perfect reason for me to dig it out again! Love the less traditional take on a bliss ball. I need these little balls in my life!!
Gimme all dem balls.
(sometimes i swear i am a 12 year old boy – giggling to myself about that last sentence)
Hahahahaha 😀 Well if you are a 12 year old boy than I am too, because you cracked me up! And I was sitting in class when I read it so I had to try to hide it! I’m notorious for having all these unusual grains in the cabinet somewhere and then just eating rice and potatoes all the time anyways…so yeah this millet had been in there a while too. But I think sweet applications will help me use them up faster 😉
These look lovely and like such a cheerful snack 🙂 Love the yellow!! I need to start cooking/baking with millet more – I haven’t tried it yet but have heard such good things!
They do look cheerful, that is the cutest description! 🙂 You should definitely try millet! I bet your One Pot Quinoa Lasagna would be pretty awesome with millet too!
Love these! I love lemon anything and I love that you used millet in there!! Fabulous! I have everything to make these and am definitely going to be trying them!! Side note: I had no idea that coconut milk powder was a thing!!
Thanks Jenn! Oh and the coconut milk powder, you can thank Audrey (unconventionalbaker.com) for that one she turned me on to it. It’s a great alternative to that dusting of powdered sugar, I’ve never actually made it into milk though 😀 haha And they have it at Whole Foods, so not too hard to get!
Awesome! I will look next time I’m there!
So Pretty! And, yeah, I won’t be showing this to Lydia because she will want me to make them “Right NOW” ;)(thankfully, she is in school)! That girl loves millet, and it’s a bit of an understatement to say way both LOVE lemon. I will definitely be making these! YUM!
Kids tend to be a little impatient with everything, but especially sweet snacks 🙂 haha That’s so awesome that she already loves millet though, you are raising them to be so healthy! When I was that age I didn’t even know what millet was. You’ll have to surprise her with them sometime! Thank you Carrie <3
What a great idea, Natalie! 🙂 I love millet porridge for breakfast, so I’m sure I’d love them as well. And they look amazing!! I will definitely have to try them!
★★★★★
I’ve actually never tried millet porridge, we need to switch and both expand our millet repertoire 🙂 haha Thank you Sina!
These little beauties are swoon worthy! We enjoy millet, but so far I haven’t tried it in bliss balls. Looks great though and coconut milk powder? Didn’t know about that one, but I want some now that I do.
Thanks Melissa! I love putting all sorts of different grains in my sweet things, I have a few sweet treats with quinoa in the making too 🙂 And coconut milk powder is a great mimic for that powdered sugar dusting/coating! Audrey from UnconventionalBaker.com told me about it! I know you can find it at Whole Foods, but I don’t think you have one of those over there do you? (I don’t either, but I always stop at the one in Tallahassee when I drive through.) But you can always order it online 🙂
I love “little orbs of awesome”!! Haha so cute! These look so delicious! I love lemon desserts so much and adding millet is an amazing idea. I have never tried it on it’s own, what does it taste like? I love how healthy these are and I swear that coconut milk idea just blows my mind! Beautiful closeups too ?
I think little orbs of awesome will catch on don’t you?? haha 😉 Millet is kinda hard to describe, the best word I can think of is nutty (even though I know that is totally overused when describing whole grains). It tastes whole grain-y. The texture is a lot like quinoa, but the flavor is more mild and neutral. The coconut milk powder idea is awesome, love Audrey for that idea! Although as I took forever styling and photographing it did start to absorb a little 😀 haha
Citrusy treats rule! These are so creative but so simple and straightforward at the same time! Love the recipe <3 I've never used coconut milk powder before but I'm excited to try it 🙂
★★★★★
They really do! Citrusy treats and chocolate treats, what more do we need?! Well and peanut butter treats…okay it’s hard to choose, but lemon is one of the best 😀 This is my first time with the coconut milk too, and you barely taste it but it looks pretty!
Whoah, that millet was totally unexpected. And totally awesome! Love it. And I love that you rolled these in coconut milk — that stuff is magic 😀
I too get confused on what to name these kinds of treats. I actually have about 6 recipes on my to-share list — they’re all nameless atm, so lots of name picking ahead. I love bites. And bliss balls. I think bliss balls sound just right for these lemony guys though <3
I’m so glad you introduced me to the coconut milk powder idea! It’s the perfect bliss ball coating, looks just like powdered sugar I think 🙂
I struggle with naming stuff a lot! Sometimes the name just comes easy, but other times it gets too long or clunky or it just doesn’t flow…it’s a tough job 😉 haha
I am absolutely in love with these cute little lemon bites! I love anything lemony and the lemon zest on the bliss balls is just gorgeous. Lovely presentation and a wonderful & creative idea.
Thanks Bianca! I almost did the coconut sprinkles not the outside, but I wanted more of the snowy powdered sugar look 🙂 And I love anything lemony too!
Wow!! These lemon balls look perfect Natalie 😀 I’ve never tried millet, feel like I’m missing out 😛 need to get my hands on some!
Thanks Nadia! Millet is definitely a little grain worth trying: texture a lot like quinoa, taste is hard to describe…whole grainy and good! And millet paired with dates and lemon zesty-ness, that is something you definitely need to get in on 🙂
WHY DID THESE NOT GET SENT TO MY INBOX!? I’ve been missing out on this deliciousness for too long! Pinning now!!
I don’t know!!! Now I’m second guessing whether the email went out or not :/ Dang Mailchimp…oh well! But I’m glad you found them anyways! Oh and btw I have procured the zucchini 😉
I have been a vegan for 31/2 years and could so have used all these websites back then! Anyway, there is a great website for Whole Grains Council that lists all different kinds of grains with recipes. That’s where I learned about millet and quinoa and spelt, etc. Check it out! And btw, I will be trying these tomorrow as I have millet in my cupboard. Thanks for the great recipe – can’t wait to taste them.
I know, blogs are a lifesaver being vegan in a very non-vegan world! That website is fantastic, I refer to it a lot there is so much information and recipes! I’m so happy you have millet on hand, I hope you love them as much as I do 🙂 Thanks Barbara!
I am looking forward to trying these. Currently, I use millet as a corn bread substitute, which we love.
I get coconut cream powder at my local oriental grocery store. I also pickup millet, tapioca flour, and several other speciality items there and I pay a lot less than at my supermarket. Not every oriental grocery store has these and prices varied among the stores I checked out.
Oriental stores are intimidating at first but there are such good finds to be had there, I love shopping at them too! I’ve never seen coconut milk powder or tapioca there, I will have to look next time I go. So much cheaper than a natural food store I’m sure! Thanks for the tip. And millet reminds me a lot of cornmeal too, let me know if you try this recipe 🙂
Hey Natalie! As usual I have a question… So I just cooked my millet after soaking it for 24 hours.. I may have over cooked it because it’s kinda mushy and conjealed together. Should this affect the final outcome?
Nope, shouldn’t matter at all! If anything it could help actually 😀
I just made these, and wow Natalie, you really knocked it out of the ballpark with this recipe! I am in love! These are little pops of chewy citrusy goodness! The proportions of lemon zest and juice are perfect too. I’m not gonna lie, I was hesitant to try this one, but I am so so glad I did because I love all things lemon. These will be so versatile, great for a little healthy snack, a party, even something I feel great about feeding to my baby. The only thing I did differently is roll them in unsweetened shredded coconut instead of the powder. I also rolled them small, about the size of a gum ball. They’re really pretty! Thanks for another thoughtful, inventive, yummy, nourishing recipe Natalie!
Yayyyyy! As always I love getting your feedback, especially on this one since they are a little more unusual. Yes yes pops of chewy citrusy goodness, I love that. And making them small is a really good idea so they are truly bite sized not that messy 2-ish bite thing. I’m a total lemon fanatic too, I’m glad you gave them a shot! I think it is fantastic that you are diving headfirst into all this healthy eating and snacking, your little girl is going to be so lucky growing up surrounded by these types of things! Oh and I’m working not the PB chocolate recipe right now, I think it will be good 🙂
P.S. 5 stars!
Couldn’t find millet around my house so I used couscous instead. And.. They turned out delicious!
P.s. I would like to have your cooking skills 😉 great recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so happy the couscous worked! I love finding a way not to have to run to the store…I want snacks and I want them now! lol 😀 Thanks Layra <3
I couldn’t find millet to cook, but found Quinoa flour (I know it’s way off) and was wondering if you think the recipe would work with that.
It will totally work! You could use all oat flour even if you wanted to, but the quinoa flour would be great too. I would suggest starting with 1 cup oat flour and only 1/2 cup quinoa flour and just adding as you need till it sticks together. You might not need the full cup of quinoa flour since flour is much drier than a cooked grain like millet.
These looked sooo cute – they taste nice, but I had to add a TON of extra water and lemon juice to the food processor so they’d form something I could roll into balls. Once that was sorted though, they tasted lovely and bright.
Hmmm that’s strange, I haven’t every had anyone else say that. It probably had something to do with the type or batch of dates, every pack can be so different. I’m glad you kept adding until they worked though! Thanks Cindy 🙂
has anyone tried freezing these?
No I have not, but I think they should be fine 🙂
Looks like I can finally use the millet in our cupboard?
But one question
How long can I keep them in the fridge? 🙂
It tends to be one of those things that hangs around a while in my pantry too hahaha! But yes, a delicious way to use some of it up. They will last at least a week or so, much past that they may start to dry out 🙂
Can you use Steel cut oats for the recipe?
Hi Nancy! Do you mean steal cut oats in place of the millet or steel cut outs to make the oat flour? I think it will work either way actually–ground into flour or cooked and used in place of the millet.
Natilie do you think I could sub cooked red lentils for the cooked millet?
There was another recipe I made quite awhile ago that was made into balls using cooked red lentils & oat flour. Just wondering…. as I really love the taste of lemon & would like to try your recipe. Thanks
Hmm that is such an interesting idea. I think it would work texturally, but not sure about flavor. Personally I’ve never tried legumes in a dessert so idk if I’d like the taste or not. You will just have to try it out and see!
Thanks Natalie.
If I do, I will let you know.
Red lentils, when cooked, have a somewhat neutral taste. And lemon is quite pronounced …so I’m thinking it wouldn’t affect the taste profile. What it might affect is the overall texture, as red lentils can be somewhat dryish (is that a word?) when cooked.
What could I use in place of the oat flour? Hubby can’t have oats.
Try buckwheat or quinoa flour!
Thanks for the fast reply! I will try one of those!