These bliss balls are quite rich but perfect for when you need a chocolate hit. I tend to eat them in the morning with my breakfast smoothie. Out of all the the things I have tried to make whilst experimenting with vegan baking these are the best. I think it's because they are not trying to imitate something so you don't have any preconceived ideas about what they should taste like. I really like them and I hope you do to!

INGREDIENTS

6 mejdool dates
3tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup of nuts
1-2 tbsp coco powder

METHOD

1. Remove the caps and pits from the dates and tear into smaller segments. Add the dates, 1/4 cup of oats and the maple syrup to the food processor blend on a high speed until smooth. It may form a ball but just squish the ball down and carry on blending.
2. You can use any nuts you like for these balls i used cashews due to the fact they don't have an overpowering flavour but feel free to experiment and use whatever you have in your cupboards. Add the nuts and the coco powder to the food processor and blend until well combined and the mixture is relatively smooth, you will still have small pieces of nuts. Taste the mixture and see if you want to add more coco powder to make the mixture more chocolatey or maple syrup to make it sweeter.
3. Now take a tsp of the mixture and roll it into balls in your hands and then roll in the remaining oats to coat them. Continue doing this until there is no mixture left.
4. Put in an airtight container they balls should dry out a little bit and get firmer.

enjoy!

For any avid A Beautiful Mess readers you will know who Emma Chapman is. For those of you who don't she is one half of the sister team that runs an american lifestyle blog called a beautiful mess. I interviewed her in 2013 for my old blog but I feel like her advice and sentiments are still very much appropriate for this blog. Without further ado here is my interview.

 What is your favourite thing about blogging?

That we get to give it away! We love developing and selling products, but our favourite is when we get to give it all away and share it with everyone! Blogging is pretty much just that, you get to give content away for free. :)

How do you stay inspired?

I try to do creative and engaging things that have nothing to do with my job to help me stay inspired. I try to keep up with hobbies that I don't blog about (like reading novels!) or I try to keep a project or two going that I don't plan to show anyone. That way, I feel free to experiment and just have fun and if it turns out bad it doesn't matter. You gotta give yourself freedom to fail.

How do you stop procrastination when your work for yourself?

Make to-do lists and do them. Sounds simple, and really I guess it is. But I try to make a to-do list everyday and just work toward marking everything off the list. It keeps me on track and feeling accomplished everyday.

What’s it like working with your sister?

We love it! Neither of us would be where we are today without each other. Elsie is my business partner soul mate. 

What is the best thing you have learnt in the creative business world?

Remember to keep things professional. Even if someone hurts your feelings always keep your language and actions professional. And then the second thing I would say is to repeat your successes. If you have a big winner find a way to do something similar. Finding ways to let your customers respond and then taking their feedback into consideration when developing projects is great.

What is your favourite recipe of all time?       Baked macaroni. I LOVE it. :)

When did you learn to cook?

My mom, cookbooks and the internet. I haven't taken any cooking classes (although I would love to some day) so I've learned everything I know from experimenting and the advice of others.

Do you have any tips for writing recipes/exploring in the kitchen?

I think exploring in the kitchen is the best thing that anyone wanting to learn can to. I also think that's the best attitude! That exploring is the key word, just try to it out and see what you like. 

What is your best blogging tip for a small blogger?

Keep going, enjoy it and take the best photos you can!

I hope you enjoyed this old interview I did with Emma Chapman! All the photos on this post are from A Beautiful Mess.

This is my prom dress from last June. Admittedly I did not make the actual dress but i did make the toiles (mock ups). I decided to make my dress as there was nothing in the shops that was very me and my mum had made my older sister's prom dress.
The bodice is B5814 pattern and the skirt is McCalls 5588 a vintage Pauline Trigère pattern. Pauline Trigère designed the costumes for breakfast at tiffanies. The jewellery was late 50s early 60s and the fabric was back wool crepe.