Chocolate Date Balls
Lately, everywhere I turn, I see recipes for these raw date balls. Let’s be honest, I have probably shied away from making them because of their name. Something about telling people they are eating a ball of anything just doesn’t sound appetizing.
That being said, I made a date ball.
Honestly, it was pretty damn good. They have a lot going for them. They are easy to make, gluten free, have no fat and no refined sugar. My 3 year old easily consumed five of them as we were rolling them out together. (He’s an excellent multi-tasker.) It’s a great snack for him because he would never normally eat a date as a snack. Something about the texture bothers him. These balls are such a perfect snack for any age that I’m doing this recipe with my 3 year old son’s class this week. I hope you all enjoy this easy, no-bake snack (aka BALL).
Let me know how you like the balls.
Chocolate Date Balls
Ingredients:
1 cup blanched almonds (any almonds with no skin- if you don’t have then just use regular raw almonds)
1 ½ cups pitted Medjool Dates
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 teaspoons of water
Directions:
Take your dates and cut them open to ensure there are no pits inside. If your dates aren’t very soft then soak them in hot water for ten minutes. Strain the water.
Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process the almonds for 5 seconds in the machine. Add the dates, cocoa powder, coconut and vanilla to the bowl of the processor and run the machine until the mixture looks like gravel or dirt. (Doesn’t this sound yummy?)
With the processor running, stream in the first two teaspoons of water. You want the mixture to come together and form a sticky ball. Open the bowl and touch it to see if it holds together when you mush some between your fingers. If it is still crumbly add another teaspoon or so to get the right consistency. Scoop tablespoon size balls, and roll them into truffle looking bites - almost like making a meatball. Store them in the fridge for a week or the in freezer for a month. But let’s be honest – they won’t last a day.
