I get it, no one in the West has ever heard of jaggery balls if they have never been to India or have Indian friends or a specific reason to research. They are power balls, so to speak, providing energy in the morning, evening or any time, really. I discovered them when my body needed extra support and energy and, not having the original ingredients available to make them, I created my personal variation, which goes like this without measurements because I change the amount I make and no baking is required. The 'dough' so to speak should just be sticky enough for the balls to be smooth and round and not to fall apart immediately:
Oats, ideally organic, fine oats work best
Brown, raw sugar. The original is Jaggery, a special kind of Indian sugar that I am unable to purchase, so I replaced it with what seemed closest.
Sesame seeds, organic is ideal here too
Cinnamon, more than just a dash.
Cocoa, a dash or more as a variation
Peanut butter, organic. I used the coarsely ground peanut butter, which is perfect and it adds the glue to form the balls
Agave, liquid syrup, organic as additional sweetener if necessary and wanted. I like it and it also has additional health benefits.
My personal addition, which makes it necessary to eat the balls really fast, which is not a problem at all if you know how good they are, is some organic whipping cream. Not much, just enough to make it more sticky.
There are more variations possible, depending on what you like them to taste like or feel you need. Today, I added brewers yeast flakes. Brewers yeast is rich in B vitamins and minerals, etc., providing additional minerals in this already nutrient and vitamin rich treat.
They are also super delicious with a small handful of chopped dates. You just take the dates and chop them into small pieces and put them into the mix.
Instead of the dates and if you prefer bitter chocolate, chocolate flakes can be a good extra. As the balls are not baked, flakes are the best and high cocoa content chocolate is too. You know what you like best, go with your gut here :-)
A dash of salt.
A number of additional spices is thinkable, nutmeg if you prefer, or maybe even a few drops vanilla or a little bit of vanilla bean. It's up to your taste buds and the items in your kitchen cabinet. There are no limits in variations, just make sure the jaggery or brown sugar is in there! That is the medicine!
To create the sticky dough, take a fork and crush and blend it all together until it looks and feels sticky enough for the balls to be formed by hand. You will learn how to do it in no time. In a worst case scenario, experiment more with the liquid and dry ingredients or eat with a spoon. Size can vary from half an inch to a 3/4 inch, or 2 to 3 cm.
Put them in the fridge to cool down a little for better coherence if you like or feel they would benefit from cooling and enjoy.
My jaggery balls variation has not much to do with the original, but they were the inspiration for my creation that I ate when my body, mind and spirit needed more energy and support. It turned out to be both really helpful and a delicious treat. Even my father likes them!
They are known in ayurvedic medicine with all the benefits jaggery comes with. It is not just sugar, the way we know it in the West. Jaggery is considered medicine taken in the correct form and amount.
To me, jaggery balls are a treat and nutrition! If you end up making your own variation, share your pictures and recipe if you like :-)
Enjoy!
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