DATE, PISTACHIO + ALMOND BALLS 2

I love dates.

I never used to.

I used to think they were GOOEY and WRINKLY and SHRIVELLED…. and I guess I still DO think that….. because THEY ARE……but these days I’m SO obsessed with the taste and texture that i don’t see the aforementioned features as a negative anymore!

These date balls will take you ZERO minutes to make (this is a lie, but you get my drift) and are such a tasty and (reasonablyyyyy) healthy snack to have on hand! This is also a great recipe for the kids to help out with as everyone can throw their hands in and get rolling together!

INGREDIENTS (to make 10 “just smaller than a golf ball” sized balls!)

1 and a half cups of fresh DATES, seeds removed, chopped

1/2 cup roasted ALMONDS, chopped (small, but not TOO small)

1/4 cup PISTACHIOS, chopped (small, but not TOO small)

50g BUTTER, unsalted

100g BROWN SUGAR

Desiccated COCONUT, for rolling

METHOD

1) Remove seeds from dates and chop until you reach paste consistency. (I remove the seeds from the dates and then stack them on top of each other. I chop a million times in every direction and all of a sudden all the dates kind of become “one big lump o’ date”. This is what you want.

2) Chop the almonds and pistachios. Small but not to sand consistency. You want to be able to bite a bit of nut here and there in the final ball.

3) In a pan on medium heat melt the butter and the sugar together, add dates and nuts and stir. (I do this with two forks, I find that makes it easier to combine all ingredients.) This should take about 3-4 minutes. Once done, remove from heat.

4) Scatter a generous amount of the coconut on a large plate. Using a teaspoon, take JUST smaller than a golfball size worth of mixture (like 3/4 of a golfball size, maybe a teaspoon and a half) and roll into a ball with your VERY CLEAN hands! Roll this ball directly into the coconut. Toss around for a while, back and forth, sprinkle the coconut on top. You want a decent amount of it to stick to the ball. The ball should be covered. Place on a sheet of baking paper and keep rolling balls until all mixture is used up.

5) Set in fridge and demolish as required. Yum!!!!