Poppy Seed Balls With Just 4 Ingredients

Well, thanks a lot, Purim (the Jewish holiday famous for costumes and cookies).

The number of hamantaschen (triangle-shaped filled cookies) I ate?

Don't ask.

But I have a confession.

I hope you're sitting down. I love poppy seeds.

There. I said it.

Poppy seed hamantaschen or cake? Absolutely my thing.

Maybe it's a taste you grow into, like sparkling water. Who knows?

Besides the flavor and texture that I can't get enough of, I love what these little black seeds bring to the table nutritionally.

Let's talk nutrition:

Poppy seeds are a wonderful source of calcium.

100 g (3.5 oz) of poppy seeds contains 1,500 mg of calcium—15 times the amount in the same weight of milk.

How's this for impressive: one tablespoon of poppy seeds has as much calcium as a cup of milk.

Along with all that calcium, poppy seeds also pack plenty of calories, thanks to their high fat content.

How many calories?

100 g (3.5 oz) of poppy seeds contains 500 calories and 40 g of fat.

Poppy seeds are also high in fiber and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and potassium.

If that's not a superfood, I don't know what is.

Try adding a tablespoon of poppy seeds to your morning oatmeal or protein shake in place of tahini or peanut butter.

You can also add them to sweet or savory baked goods for a boost of calcium and quality fats.

And here's an idea—remember, you heard it here first: poppy seed tahini!!!

A Little About the Recipe

Honestly, this recipe couldn't be much easier.

I used half a cup of poppy seeds, finely ground in a spice grinder.

If you don't have one, go get yourself one. Or, if your blender can grind poppy seeds – you're in luck.

To bring the mixture together, I used a cup of plain tahini made from hulled sesame seeds—*not* whole, unhulled sesame seeds.

Whole-sesame tahini is a little bitter, and combined with poppy seeds, it can make the mixture too bitter to enjoy.

I sweetened it with 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar for its deep, slightly nutty flavor. You can use whatever sweetener you like.

Nutrition Information From Noam Bachar (an Israeli nutritionist and fitness coach):

One ball, from a batch of 20 weighing 10 g (0.35 oz) each, contains:

40 calories

1 g protein

3 g carbohydrates

3 g fat

29 mg calcium

Poppy Seed Balls

Prep Time 5 minutes

Yield 20 balls

Calories 40 kcal

Ingredients

• 60 g (2.1 oz) poppy seeds 1/2 cup
• 50 g (1.8 oz) plain hulled-sesame tahini 1/2 cup
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• shredded coconut, for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 splash lemon juice
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Grind the poppy seeds thoroughly in a spice grinder until they form a sticky paste. 

   

2. Mix in all the remaining ingredients except the coconut until evenly combined and sticky. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

3. After 1 hour, use your hands to roll the mixture into small balls weighing 9–10 g (about 1/3 oz) each.

4. Roll in coconut and dig in!