Sports candy - or otherwise known as 'fruit and nut balls'

Giggle and Hoot are a hit in our house. The other morning Hoot and Jimmy were talking about 'sports candy' aka bananas. I am not a lover of bananas at the best of times, let alone when snacks are needed in the car or  stroller - way too stinky and messy. But I thought the concept wasn't bad - make healthy things the desirable option!

A few weeks ago we went to North Queensland for a holiday and a number of the cafes stocked these yummy fruity and nutty balls - Bliss Balls. Zara thought they were delicious so yesterday afternoon we experimented! I haven't included any cacao in my version but I am sure some good quality dutch coco powder would add a nice depth to this tasty treat. The quantities below are very rough - simply change it as you want.

Here goes - Hegerty Sports Candy

You can skip the steps to toast the nuts if you want. But I am a firm believer that nuts taste much better once they have been lightly toasted - especially if you think they might not be super fresh.

1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pepita
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 good handfuls of juicy sultanas
2 good handfuls of dates
2 good handfuls of cranberries
desiccated coconut

1. Toast the almonds on the stove in a fry pan. You will need to swirl the pan constantly otherwise they will burn. It will only take a few minutes. (Otherwise you could toast in the oven at 180 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes - just watch them as they will cook really quickly).
2. Toast the pepita and sunflower seeds on the stove in a fry pan. As per step 1.
3. Once the toasted nuts have cooled put them in a food processor with the dried fruit.
4. Pulverize the nuts and dried fruit - adjust the consistency as required. It will need to be moist enough to roll. If it is too moist add some desiccated coconut. If it is to dry add more fruit.
5. Roll mixture into small balls - ideally about the size of a 5 cent piece.  
6. Roll the small balls in desiccated coconut.
7. Store in the fridge and enjoy!

The finished product!