RAW HEMP BITES

It's over 100 degrees today and humid here in So Cal. I'm so glad to be doing these raw cookies today because I sure don't want to turn on the oven, stove or use a griddle in this heat. It's salads, these cookies and water today. Keeping with this raw cookie mood I'm in, I'm doing another one using hemp hearts. They are a superfood ! I ♥ hemp seeds...they are soft and oh so good. Even my twelve year old daughter will grab a bowl and eat them by the fingersful. They were fantastic...this was a nice mellow flavored cookie compared to my last, Chocolate, Pistachio, Oatmeal Cookie which is a bit more intensely flavored and chunky . These tasted well on their own and also paired superbly with all the different coatings making for lots of fun flavor variations. It's a good basic recipe. I can't say that I have a favorite coating, they were all very good but if I had to chose one I think the cacao was it.

 Hemp seeds are a great source of omega 3 & 6 and are a high quality complete protein. Four tablespoons, or 1/4 cup, of hemp seeds contain 11 grams of protein, and they're also a good source of fiber at 2.5 grams per quarter cup. This is great for vegans especially, adding hemp seeds to your lifestyle will ensure your packing in some goodness here and there. They also contain high concentrations of vitamins and minerals such as iron, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid, and many other micro-nutrients that your body needs. Sprinkle them on salads, quinoa dishes or almost any main dish, cereals, use in cookies, breads, smoothies, or eaten as is. I always keep the bag I'm using in the fridge. Here is a great article on hemp seeds if your interested on learning just how good they are,
'Hemp Seeds: The Most Nutritionally Complete Food Source In The World'.

Here's the last paragraph in part 2 of the above article...

'Plants have created the perfect container to safely store the EFAs and protect them from light and oxygen damage. It is the seed. And as long as we get our essential fatty acids by eating whole seeds the lifeforce within us is charged with vitality. Hemp Seeds contain the perfect balance of the essential fatty acids required by the human body. Hemp seed oil is indeed the oil of life.'

Get your healthy, happy hempy on!

So without further ado, let's make some hemp cookies...

RAW HEMP BITES

Ingredients

• 1 cup oats, rolled or quick (I used GF)
• 1/2 cup hemp hearts
• 6 dates, pitted and chopped
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (agave is fine too)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup water, as needed

Place all ingredients in food processor, except for the water, and blend until combined. Use the water one tablespoon at time if needed if mixture isn't clumping up. I used about 1 tablespoon, use at your discretion. Don't worry if it's seems a little too sticky, it will become a bit stiffer once refrigerated. And if it's a little sticky it will help when you roll the balls in a coating. If the mixture is too wet, try adding a pinch or two of oats. The dryer they are the more they will be a stiffer but chewy cookie, the moister they are they will be more like cookie dough...both ways are good. :)

Next, roll bits of dough into one inch balls. If dough seems too sticky to roll, refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes before rolling. I got 11 out of this batch, plus the little taste testing I was doing. You should expect about 12 balls. You can roll them in a variety of ingredients. I rolled some in hemp seeds, coconut, cinnamon and cacao powder. I wanted to experiment with different coatings. If rolling in powders be sure to gently lift and drop your coated balls a few times an inch or two above a hard surface to let any excess powder fall off.

Store in the refrigerator and eat within a couple weeks or so, or you can also freeze them and they will last even longer.

Notes: 

Don't worry about getting all the ingredients exact. If you add/subtract something they will still be great. You almost always can't go wrong with these.

These are great for special occasions and can be made well in advance to keep life a little simpler.

I always seem to add oats to my raw cookie bites. I use oats to cut down on the fat content. Feel free to adjust the oats using less and replacing the unused portion with hemp seeds.

Enjoy!