These simple, no-bake bliss balls look and taste like real Christmas Puddings... but, are much healthier. A sprinkling of festive spices and generous handfuls of Christmas fruits give you a tiny bite size taste of a traditional Christmas.

REMEMBER: always ask permission from a grown-up before baking

What you need:

• ½ a cup of dates

• ¼ cup of Christmas Fruit Mix

• ½ cup of cranberries

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• 2 tsp ground mix spice

• 2  tsp cinnamon

• ½ cup rolled oats

• Zest and juice of half an orange

• 2 tsp Golden Syrup – optional treat

Make the Pudding:

1. Soak the dates in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften them.

2. Measure and add all your pudding ingredients into a food processor.

3. Pulse the ingredients and occasionally stop to scrape the mix off the sides of the bowl

4. When the mix starts to stick together in balls it’s ready to be rolled into mini puddings!

5. Scoop up generous sized teaspoons of the mix and roll into a ball.
   If the mix is too sticky, add more oats.
   If the mix is too dry, add a little more water.

6. Place the balls on a plate (or in a container) and pop them in the freezer for about 10 minutes so that they start to set.
   Note: you can skip this, but it stops them from being to soft while you decorate them!

   Idea: You could also roll your balls in cocoa powder to make them darker and less sticky to touch

Decorate your mini puddings:

There are lots of different ways that you could decorate your bliss balls, but these ideas will make them look like mini puddings…

1. Sprinkle desiccated coconut on top of the puddings, to look like a light dusting of icing or snow.

2. If you want well proportioned berries, get an adult to help you to cut a dried cranberry into smaller pieces and squash them into shape

3. Push a “berry” into the top of each pudding and arrange arrange pumpkin seeds either side of the berry to look like holly leaves.

4. Cover your mini puddings and and keep them in the fridge for at least an hour

Alternative Toppings:

• Chocolate (this would be even better with a little cocoa in the pudding mix).

• If you are eating these with friends and family at home, add a little blob of natural or Greek yoghurt to the top of your pudding.

• Vegan cashew icing.

This recipe gives you a great base to start your own recipes with. Combine your favourite Christmas flavours and let us know what you created!

Merry Making Mini Christmas Pudding Creators!

Did you give it a go?

Send us a photo of your mini christmas pudding and you might find your baking featured in a future issue of Upstart magazine… AND win a prize!