I’ve recently been offering these little gems at my garden yoga classes and they’ve gone down a treat! So I thought I’d share the recipe, which is from one of my favourite cook books, East by West by Jasmine Hemsley. She describes her book as “simple recipes for the ultimate mind-body balance!” and explains how “even the process of turning the mixture into even-sized balls and coating them in desiccated coconut is like a little meditation in itself”. I couldn’t agree more!

Ladoo is a ball shaped Indian sweet that is often eaten as a starter before lunch. Having said that, I like to eat them anytime I need a pick me up, usually around four o’clock in the afternoon! The lime, coconut and mint have a wonderful cooling effect when served straight from the fridge, ideal for balmy summer days. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 200g ground almonds
  • 140g desiccated coconut
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • zest of 2 limes
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 80g coconut oil, melted


Method

  1. Mix the ground almonds, 60g of the desiccated coconut, the maple syrup, lime zest, vanilla extract, peppermint extract and coconut oil in a food processor, until chunky but evenly mixed.
  2. Taste the mixture and add a drop more of the peppermint extract if needed, then blitz again.
  3. Divide the mixture in to 24 small bite-size pieces.
  4. Roll each one in to a ball with the palms of your hands.
  5. Spread out the remaining desiccated coconut and roll each Ladoo in it until completely covered.
  6. Refrigerate for around 1 hour, until firm.

Store somewhere cool or in the fridge for up to a week if you can make them last that long!