Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (Keto, Paleo, Vegan)

Blissful nutty and chewy bites flavored with vanilla and hints of maple and coconut. No gluten/grains, dairy, or sugar! (options for Keto, Paleo & Vegan)
Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

What is this bliss?

Bliss balls are the perfect little bite to have ANY time:
  • a companion to your coffee
  • a breakfast on the go
  • a post-workout refueling
  • an afternoon pick-me-up
  • an after-dinner treat
  • ALL DAY BLISS 🙂

With plenty of fiber and healthy fats, these delicious bliss balls keep you satisfied and feelin’ BLISSFUL. They make me happy with each sweet little bite!

But that’s not all.. you can also bake them into COOKIES! See below for all the deets.

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

The Blissful Ingredients

Just 5 main ingredients you can feel good about:

  • Almonds for a neutral and nutty flavor and texture base
  • Flaxseed for a boost of fiber
  • Maple Syrup sweetened with monkfruit for a delicious sugar-free treat
  • “Butter” aka buttery coconut oil for dairy-free healthy fats and amazing flavor
  • Coconut shreds which make these taste sorta like oatmeal cookies – YUM

I always add these for complexity and intensity of flavor

  • High quality vanilla extract (get some REAL good stuff)
  • Healthy salt – pink Himalayan! (once you try it you’ll NEVER buy cheap bleached salt again)

These are wholesome ingredients you can feel “blissful” about putting in your body and your taste buds feel total BLISS when you take a bite!

I concocted this particular combination of ingredients for the flavor profile I was going for, but YES, you can sub different nuts and seeds, different sweeteners and different oils if that’s your jam.

Here Comes the Sub

Yes, there are a million ways you can customize these balls to your preference. Just keep in mind the flavor will change slightly with each swap. But definitely make them you own 🙂

You can use ANY nut or seed you like in place of almonds and coconut.

Don’t have monkfruit maple syrup? You can use “real” maple syrup instead.

If you’re keto, you can use monkfruit granules + about 2 Tbs water. Plus maple extract if you like!

To replace buttery flavor coconut oil, the ideal sub is another solid oil for the same consistency, but here are some other options:

  • Regular virgin or refined coconut oil
  • Palm oil
  • Butter
  • Coconut butter (aka manna)
  • Nut butter (maybe! with a few tweaks)

Remember, you can always add a little more dry ingredients if your dough is too sticky, or more syrup/water/oil if it’s too crumbly. Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

The Easy Method

Pulse pulse pulse, 1 2 3. That’s about it!

These were SO quick and easy to make.

Once you add in all the ingredients, the actual blending only takes SECONDS.

YEP, seconds thanks to my trusty food processor. It does all the work for me at the push of a button. I’M OBSESSED.

And after you make the dough, you get to EAT the dough. It’s ready with NO WAITING. Woohoo!

Snack Attack

Chewy, nutty, happy bites. With a medley of complementary flavors, there’s so much to love about these bliss balls.

So satisfying. And with just over ONE carb each, you can totally enjoy these on a low-carb/keto diet.

They make a great snack, breakfast or dessert. It’s up to you!

If you’re into bliss balls – and I know you are – be sure to check out my Pecan Sandy Bliss Balls and 5-Minute Cinnamon Sugar Donut Holes! 2 of my all time favorites!

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Cookie Transformation

My original plan was to make this dough into breakfast cookies, but once I tasted the raw dough, I was SO in love with the taste that I couldn’t keep from sharing.

But I found out that you CAN bake these into cookies with just a couple of slight modifications to the dough.

  1. Add a little dry sweetener (since baking dissipates some of the sweetness)
  2. Add some delish toppings (to amplify the flavor)

See, wasn’t that easy?

I’ve been having 2 cookies for breakfast and a bliss ball post-workout most days.

AND… this is classified information, but I have a new ice cream flavor in development that has THESE cookies crumbled in it! Oh.my.word. 

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Size Matters

I’ve always liked making my cookies small — a standard 1 Tbs 2″cookie. Maybe because psychologically I like being “allowed” to eat more than one, haha.

But when I asked my Insta followers what size cookies they prefer, the overwhelming response was the bigger 4″ size.

So I tested both. And ate both 🙂 so.. many.. cookies, haha.

Maybe it was my impatience to dig in to this mega cookie before it had cooled enough, but it wasn’t as “sturdy” as my standard cookies.

So if you wanna make ’em big, here’s my advice:

  • Let them cool first (I know it’s hard to wait!)
  • And handle with care! They’re more fragile.
  • or just make ’em petite! 🙂
    Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Cookies for Breakfast

Can you really eat cookies for breakfast? I call these breakfast cookies for several reasons:

  1. Because they’re not as sweet and rich as conventional cookies. They’re lightly sweetened
  2. They have a hearty texture–  similar to an oatmeal cookie.  A little chewy, a little soft inside. Nice and filling.
  3. They’re made with wholesome ingredients so they’re totally acceptable to eat for breakfast! 😀

Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, soy-free, the list goes on!

Full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and super low in sugar. That’s my kind of breakfast. (See the macros at the bottom of the post for the stats)

ps I definitely recommend some mini dark chocolate chips on top! A little chocolate for breakfast is always a good idea 😉

pps Want more healthy breakfast sweets? Check out my collection of keto breakfast recipes including sugar-free donuts, scones and more!Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Are you ready for some vanilla bliss? And cookies for breakfast?? Yes and YES.

Click below to save this on Pinterest:

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies

Nutty, chewy bliss balls flavored with vanilla, maple and coconut (or hearty breakfast cookies) -- sugar-free! A wholesome treat you can feel good about.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Servings: 10 balls
Author: Emily

Ingredients

Bliss Balls

Additional ingredients for cookies:

  • 2-4 tsp dry sweetener - monkfruit or coconut sugar
  • 2-4 Tbs toppings - dark chocolate chips, seeds, dried fruit, etc

Instructions

To make the bliss balls:

  • Add all ingredients together in a food processor
    Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com
  • Pulse a few times until the nuts are ground and the mixture sticks together. (Leave coarse for a crunchy texture, blend longer for a smoother texture) 
    If too wet, add a little more flax,. If too dry, add a splash of syrup.
    Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com
  •  Use a cookie scoop to form balls. 
    Roll smooth using your hands. Enjoy!
    Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

For the cookies:

  • Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • Make the dough as directed above, and add 2-4 tsp monkfruit granules, depending on how sweet you want them. 
  • Use a standard size cookie scoop to form 2" cookies. Flatten cookies with a spaulta (they will not spread) 
    Vanilla Nut Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com
  • Top with dark chocolate chips or your favorite crunchy/sweet topping, such as pepitas, coconut, dried fruit, or cinnamon "sugar" (using monkfruit or coconut sugar). 
  • Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the edges are firm and slightly golden. 
    Allow to cool slightly before removing. Enjoy!
    Vanilla Nut Breakfast Cookies (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

Notes

Balls and cookies stays fresh at room temp for about 3 days in an airtight container. Refrigerate 1-2 weeks, or freeze tightly wrapped for 2 months.
Nutrition Facts
Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls & Breakfast Cookies
Amount per Serving
Calories
104
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
9
g
14
%
Carbohydrates
 
4.5
g
2
%
Fiber
 
2.4
g
10
%
Sugar Alcohol
 
0.8
g
Net Carbs
 
1.3
g
Protein
 
2.6
g
5
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Tag @emily.likes.food #prettypies!

Disclosure: As an affiliate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you). 

Products and Ingredients in this Recipe:

Vanilla Nut Bliss Balls Ingredients (keto, paleo, vegan) PrettyPies.com

 

Dry roasted unsalted almonds from Aldi

Buttery Coconut Oil from Thrive Market  (Similar product available on Amazon)
Lakanto Maple Flavored Syrup is available from:

Shredded Coconut from Thrive Market  or Amazon

Pink Salt

Mexican Vanilla

Food processor 

Macros for 1 ball (using monkfruit):

Cal 104
Fat 9
Total Carb 4.5
Fiber 2.4
Sugar Alcohol .8
Net Carbs 1.3
Protein 2.6
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to tag me on Instagram @emily.likes.food #prettypies so I can see 🙂

13 Comments

  • Beki Sciacca

    Hi, these sound great! My question: can I make this recipe if I don’t have a food processor? How would I go about it? (I do have a decent blender, although kind of small, as well as an immersion blender. ) Thanks for your help!

    • Emily

      Thanks! Yes a blender should work too. I would just blend it for about 10 seconds and check if the almonds are ground enough. Alternatively, you can sub almond flour, which gives a smooth texture like cookie dough balls!

    • Emily

      After thinking some more, I would just blend/pulse the almonds by themself for a few seconds to grind them, then add the rest of the ingredients. Hope that helps 🙂

    • Emily

      Yes, you can use a powdered sweetener like coconut sugar, monkfruit or swerve. I would try 2 Tbs and adjust to taste. Also add about 2 Tbs of water to help it hold together 🙂

  • Ashley

    Hi Emily,
    I just stumbled upon this recipe and I just wanted to say not only do the balls/cookies look amazing, but your photos are beautiful!!!
    I will definitely have to try these 🙂

    • Emily

      It’s roughly the same amount. If your dough is too wet, add a little more flour. Or too dry, more liquid 🙂 it’s flexible.

  • Sara Rigsby

    5 stars
    Right now I’m making my second batch. My kids were thrilled to have cookies for breakfast. I didn’t need to add extra sweetener to the cookies. They were sweet enough with the maple syrup.

  • Jennifer Anderson

    Love your recipes, and just made your purple sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. Yum! I had a question about the vanilla you recommend. I’m having a hard time finding information on the ingredients. Is there no alcohol and sugar in it? Thanks!

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