Coconut Date Balls


If you are Jewish, then your grandmother probably put out a tray of dried fruit and nuts every holiday.

Most of the kids ignored this tray, except for me. I was a food pioneer long before Stacey Snacks!

There were always lots of figs, prunes, dried pineapple, apricots, chocolate covered nuts and these delicious date things called "date nut rolls".
A mixture of dates and nuts rolled in coconut and pressed w/ an almond in the center.


I loved them so much, I would get a stomach ache from eating so many.

I was thinking about them the other day, why don't I see them anymore?

Why not make a version of them and eat them with coffee and wine?
And that's what I did. (I had them w/ espresso and with red wine).

I would consider them a healthy snack. No added sugar, only the sweetness from the dates.

I used unsweetened coconut and whole almonds.

It's so easy, I will make them all the time.

A great little tidbit to serve w/ cheese and olives.


Here's how:

about 1 cup of pitted dates
about 1 cup of almonds with skins on them (roasted are fine)
1 cup of unsweetened coconut

Pulse the dates and nuts in a food processor until it forms a paste. I left my nuts on the crunchy side, so under-processed them just a bit.

You will have a sticky mess, so wet your hands with cold water.

Spread the coconut out in a pie pan, and roll the date nut paste into balls and then roll in the coconut.


I tried this a few times. I made a version w/ a thumbprint in the center and a piece of dark chocolate......I did it also w/ a piece of candied ginger in the center.

I liked all versions equally.....so you decide, but they are absolutely delicious just as balls.

:)

Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.


Enjoy.

Comments

Natalia said…
Yummy! I'm not Jewish but my grandmother used to make these at Christmas time & I loved them.

Happy Hanukkah Stacey!
Anonymous said…
Hi Stacey, longtime reader and lover of your blog, somehow I never comment! I wanted to add that some of the middle eastern stores in my area sell date nut paste so you don't even need a food processor to make these little nuggets of goodness! Might be worth looking for it, for people who live in areas with specialty grocery stores. I've seen it as like a prepackaged slab of ground dates, just perfect for this recipe. Thank you for all that you've posted through the years!
Jan Beaty said…
Thanks for posting these, Stacy! Not Jewish, but my mom made these when I was growing up. Thanks for the reminder of theses delish little bites, and for the nice remembrances of those days. ❤️
Foodiewife said…
I wa right there with you. Love them!
Janelle said…
Luckily I had these three ingredients and just whipped these together! They are delicious, and my 11 month old kept grabbing them to eat as I was rolling them!