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These gooey, chewy date balls are healthy snacks that boost energy levels at their best. And it tastes so delicious that even the kids cannot resist these bite-sized snacks. You need just 5 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make it.
My son calls them chocolate date balls because they taste so chocolaty and are one of the best options for a bite-size energy snack. These balls have always been one of my favorite snacks at home.
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Why make these?
- Energy Snack: Dates boost energy and these energy balls are one of the best things to level up your energy game after a tiring day of work.
- Easy to make: The homemade coconut date balls recipe is very quick and quite nutritious. Even your little ones can give you a hand while rolling the balls.
- It has a long shelf life. It is sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
- Rich in Iron: People who have iron deficiency are advised to add dates to their diet which will improve their hemoglobin level. Check more benefits of dates at Organic Facts.
- Kid-friendly: The cocoa in these date balls makes them taste like a chocolatey snack for children which they love having every day.
If you like healthy snacks you'd love my date roll, oreo ball, and coconut balls.
Ingredients
To make these scrumptious date balls you just need five nutritious ingredients which will charge up your energy.
- Dates: It is healthy and packed with nutrients. In this recipe, you will need soft dates, that are not too mushy dates. They should be moist enough to be used in the dough so you can roll them easily into balls. If you have hard and dry dates in hand simple, simply soak them in water for 10 minutes. The final texture of date balls will depend on the texture of the dates.
- Almonds: Almonds are packed with fiber and minerals. Here you will need raw almonds that have higher nutrients compared to roasted or salted almonds.
- Coconut: Everyone loves that sweet taste of desiccated coconut that comes in every bite. This ingredient adds some sweetness to the ball and the coating, in the end, makes it look attractive to the eyes. You can substitute with shredded coconut. Do not use fresh coconut as it has a lower shelf life.
- Cocoa Powder: It gives a chocolaty flavor to the date balls and adds a chocolaty color which makes it more delicious than ever. Use raw cocoa for the best taste or any quality dark cocoa.
- Salt: A pinch of salt is added to enhance the taste of all ingredients. Skip if using salted butter.
- Butter: Melted butter helps to bind the dough of coconut date balls which helps you to roll out the balls easily.
How to make it?
If you are a workaholic then adding these little date balls will save your day by just having one bite of it.
First of all, you need to separate all the date seeds from the dates. Pro tip: Try to use soft moist dates which will produce a better snack ball.
- Then crush the almonds in a food processor until crumbly. Set aside.
- Take butter in a pan and melt on low heat and mix in desiccated coconut.
- Now, add the de-seeded dates, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix well with the spatula the date will soften.
- The mixture won't get mixed and but the heat from the pan will melt dates making it easy to mix with hands later. Keep turning the ingredient and mashing the date as much as possible with a spatula. So we will cook these dates for just 2-3 minutes until you see the dates soften and are warmed well.
- Mix crushed almonds with the cooked mixture.
- Let the mixture cool enough to handle then mix well with your hand to have an even and soft dough.
- Scoop out a teaspoon full of dough in your hands and roll it to make a smooth small ball. (Do not get tempted, keep rolling without eating!)
- Rolling in coconut is optional but it helps to keep the balls from sticking. Store in an airtight jar at room temperature. Store in the fridge if stored for more than 5 days.
Experts Tips
- Hard dates: If you have hard madjool dates then soak them in the hot water for ten minutes for easy rolling. You can also process them in the processor to make the dough.
- Soft dates: If your dates are mushy and soft then add extra desiccated coconut to have a better quality paste for making date balls.
- Hard dough: If the dough seems hard after cooling then add 1 teaspoon of hot water and knead again to bring it together, add 1 more teaspoon for soft balls.
How to serve?
I recommended that you serve these date balls at room temperature because they get slightly firm when served chilled from the refrigerator.
You can refrigerate these balls in an airtight container for a month. You can also keep coconut date balls outside for a week or more in a cool place in an air-tight jar.
Variations
These date balls are highly versitile. Add these ingredient by switching these for almonds and coconut to balance the recipe. Add whichever of these are in hand and makes these balls more appetising for your palate. Use taste test as your best guide to adjust recipe before rolling.
- Seeds: For date energy balls, you can add some seeds like chia, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
- Oats: Some like to switch coconut with rolled oats for more filling and energetic balls. But I feel they undermine the flavor.
- Nuts: Other than almonds, if you are a lover of nuts then add a mix of nuts like cashew, pecan, walnuts and pistachio for more nutrient packed snack. You can also roll balls in nuts powder instead of desiccated coconut.
- Dried Fruits: Adding raisins or sultana, dried cranberries and cherries will make your date nuts ball tangy and yum.
- Flavors: Vanilla, pumpkin spices, and cardamom are also suggested to be added to this dish. If chocolate is you calling throw in some chocolate chips too.
- Protien: To make these balls high in protien you can add some peanut butter and maple syrup as well.
FAQ
Soak the dates in water for ten minutes before mixing them with other ingredients. You also process the soaked date in the chopper.
If your date mixture is mushy, add extra desiccated coconut that will soak the moisture making a firm dough for easy rolling.
Yes, you can add other nuts like peanut, cashew, pecan, or walnuts. You may use a mix of nuts for a better taste and increased nutrients.
Hungry for more snacks. Check these!
If you try the coconut date balls recipe, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.
📖 Recipe
Date Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (450 g) dates, deseeded, preferably medjools
- ¾ cup almonds , sub with shredded coconut
- ⅓ cup desiccated or shredded coconut
- 4 tablespoon cocoa powder
- A pinch of pink salt
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Crush the almonds finely.
- Take butter in a pan and melt on low heat and mix in desiccated coconut.
- Now, add the de-seeded dates, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix well with the spatula the date will soften. Cook for a total for 3-4 minutes to until date are warm.
- Next, mix crushed almonds with the cooked mixture. Let the mixture cool enough to handle then mix well with your hand to have an even and soft dough.
- Scoop out a teaspoon full of dough in your hands and roll it to make a smooth small ball.
- Rolling in the date and nut balls in coconut. Protip: You can roll it in crushed nut, or seeds or cocoa powder too.
Ruqaiya says
Hey mariam, Eid mubarak...
I tried these balls and uff they tasted amazing.. i used those hard kharaks to make these so i soaked them overnight and then i cooked it in the same water for 2 hours and then cooked them more in milk until the milke dries up completely and u r left with very soft kharaks... I blend them in the chopper... Then followed ur recipe... The texture was amazing.. they were melting in my mouth.. exactly what i wanted them to be like... Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe... Lots of love
Mariam Sodawater says
Hi Ruqiaya, thanks for sharing detailed feedback. So you tried kharak balls with this recipe. Quite impressive. Must be yum!
Esmé Slabbert says
I love dateballs. Going to try this one as well.
Aiysha says
Does using shredded coconut effect the texture of the date coconut balls?
Mariam Sodawater says
It will be chewy, but it should be ok because the date balls do not have a melt-in-the-mouth texture anyway. So the shredded coconut won't spoil the texture.
Aiysha Khan says
Thank you!
Tried the recipe and got such a happy reaction from my family.
Mariam Sodawater says
I really appreciate your coming back and sharing feedback with star rating. It will definitely help other users. I'm so glad your family liked it. 😀