Crunchy Apricot & Coconut Nut-Free Balls

Apricot & coconut nut free treat ball
If you are looking for an allergy friendly treat, these Crunchy Apricot & Coconut Balls fit the bill. Pop them on a stick to make them look extra fancy for a party, or just add them to a lunch box as a healthy sweet everyday treat. They freeze really well so you can make a big batch, pop one or two into a lunch box, they will defrost by morning tea time.

A little while ago I had to make some treats for Emma to take to school on her birthday. Her school doesn’t have a nut-free policy but there are several kids with different allergies in her class so I’m pretty careful with what I send to school. Cupcakes were out of the question as all treats have to meet the following criteria: Nut-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free. It was a tricky one and I came up with a few recipes that fit the bill. I’ll share them in the coming weeks, they all fit the nut/egg/gluten/dairy free criteria (although not all of them are as healthy as today’s recipe) – Crunchy Apricot & Coconut Balls.

 

Healthy apricot and coconut lunchbox treat

Crunchy Apricot & Coconut Nut-Free Balls

Yield: 24
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

If you are looking for an allergy friendly treat, these Crunchy Apricot & Coconut Balls fit the bill. Pop them on a stick to make them look extra fancy, or add them to a lunch box as a healthy sweet treat. They freeze really well so you can make a big batch and add one to a lunch box every day, they will defrost by morning tea time.

Ingredients

  • FOR BALLS
  • 2 cups (400g) Turkish Style Dried Apricots
  • 1/2 cup (35g) Moist Coconut Flakes
  • 1 cup (40g) Puffed Rice (Rice Bubbles/Rice Krispies)
  • 1 tbsp (level) Soft Icing Sugar
  • FOR COATING
  • 1/2 cup Soft Icing Sugar
  • 4 tbsp warm water
  • 1/2 cup Puffed Rice
  • 24 cake pop sticks (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, add all ingredients (excluding those reserved for coating) and process to a rough paste stage.
  2. The mixture should still have some texture but stick to itself and hold a ball shape.
  3. Moisten hands and roll into 24 walnut sized balls.
  4. Add cake pop sticks at this stage if desired.
  5. Refrigerate until firm.
  6. To make icing - In a small bowl, add one tablespoon of warm water at a time to icing sugar mixture until desired runny consistency is reached.
  7. Dip apricot balls in icing mixture and then dip (or roll) in puffed rice.
  8. Refrigerate till icing is firm.
  9. Freezes well.

Notes

All My Poppet recipes use Australian standard 250ml cup measurements unless otherwise specified.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 108mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 0gSugar: 24gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information is an estimate only and may vary depending on ingredients used.

Healthy apricot and coconut lunchbox treat

Crispy Allergy friendly apricot lunchbox treat

3 Comments

  • Annie says:

    Considering how much sugar each contains, between the apricots, sweetened coconut, and powdered sugar, these can hardly be considered healthy.

    • Cintia @ My Poppet says:

      I do consider these as a treat as an alternative to sweets, but in saying that I’ve calculated the amount of sugar in each ball 5.6g and most of it comes from the apricots (5.1g). The coconut is sugar free and only about 0.5g comes from the sugar. Each ball has the sugar equivalent (and contains) 3 dried apricots.

  • Belle says:

    My kids love apricots, this recipe is great as it’s easy for them to eat and gets some rice & coconut into them as well. I haven’t done the icing part yet but they are delicious without it. A nice snack to add to the list. Cooking for kids with allergies (dairy, eggs, nuts, and gluten!!!) can be tough but this recipe is a winner (provided you use gluten free rice puffs). Thank you

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