I’ll admit upfront, I’m a“Date Ball” convert. Love em.
Before changing over though, the thought of eating a Date made my face contort and my shoulders hunch. Dates! Ugh! Those are dried, sticky and overly sweet fruit with a gooey texture that moms try and give their kids to get their kilojoule intake up, right? I know this because I was one of those moms. Date Balls at least look a lot better than dates themselves, mostly because of the sprinkling of coconut. But still, Dates or Date Balls were never on my list of top treats. Nah uh.
And by the way, just to mention this right now, I recommend never calling them Date Balls in front of your kids. They will not eat them. They will reach far back into the primal part of their brain and retrieve ancient child knowledge that Dates equate to Peas which equates to complete AVERSION. Trust me.
Call them any of the following:
coconut balls
chocolate ball (even though there is no chocolate it kinda looks like it)
biscuit balls
sugar balls
So just to reiterate, for your own mental sanity, avoid the name “Date Balls”.
As of 4 weeks ago however, I am proud and delighted to say that I became a Date Ball convert. As in, now I think they are amazing!What was I thinking avoiding these delicious treats all that time??!!!
My conversion to Date Ball heaven was really very simple. The teachers were selling them at my sons school in order raise funds for the playgroup class and well, who can resist a school fundraiser, so I bought a few, knowing full well I’d give them all away to a date-loving friend.
That however did not happen.
What did happen though, was that I TASTED one! But why did I do that?
Like I mentioned above, it’s a very simple reason.
I was hungry.
I was in the car, waiting to pick my younger son up and I thought, well why not?!
I definitely considered it self-development of the category “trying new things”.Go me!
I’m not sure if my hunger made them taste EXTRA good, because hunger can do that to you, you know, but nonetheless, they were good. The next week I bought some more and the following week I thought it would be fun to try and make them on my own.So, I searched for a recipe on the internet, changed it up, added Cinnamon, less sugar, different biscuits, added Vanilla and simplified the method.
The result? THESE coconut-coated, melt-in-your-mouth, DATE BALLS. As you can see I couldn’t stop photographing them.
And eating them – I needed the perfect, cross-section bite of course.
To my complete surprise and not to sound like I am boasting or anything but I thought my Date Balls tasted even better than the ones from school. Although, I will totally keep buying those ones too because the funds help the school and I love the school, but, but, but, these ones are gooooooood too. Basically I am trying to say that you will LOVE this recipe.
It is also a perfect recipe to make with kids – they can help roll the date balls and coat them in coconut. The recipe also comes together quickly (although the mixture should cool before rolling into balls) so it’s perfect for short attention spans.
I discovered by accident that keeping them in the fridge, is the best way to keep them. They taste best cold, especially when you pair them with a cup of tea. Mmmmm.
P.S Make sure to store them in an airtight container.
Looking for more recipes to make with your kids? You can try these too: (SOOOOO Amazing!) as well as my favourite Coconut Ice recipe.
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Delicious Date Balls
Author:Louise
Prep Time:40 minutes
Total Time:40 minutes
Yield:20 Date Balls 1x
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Description
The best date ball recipe ever. The mixture comes together quickly and easily and makes about 20 balls. Completely moreish, they are the ultimate companion to a cup of hot tea!
Ingredients
125g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/8 tsp cinnamon
250g dates, chopped
1 egg, whisked
1 pack Tennis Biscuits (Marie Biscuits will work too), crushed into small pieces
100g coconut (+- 1 cup) for rolling
Instructions
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the vanilla essence, cinnamon and the dates and heat for 3-4 minutes until dates are gooey and soft.
Take the mixture off the stove and transfer to a large mixing bowl
Add the whisked egg and mix well until the mixture looks emulsified.
Now add the biscuits and coat well with the mixture.
Place in the fridge to cool for 20 minutes or so and then roll into medium-sized balls.
Roll in coconut and store in an airtight container, in the fridge.
Enjoy with a cup of tea!
Notes
Notes:
If you can’t find fresh dates, you can always use the depitted packaged dates – I think they come conveniently in a pack of 250g.
If too sticky, add a little oil, and chill for 30mins before rolling. Roll into balls, toss in your favorite coating (I recommend a little of each) and enjoy!
Date rolls are a natural product, great for snacking or as an appetizer. Using only simple, whole ingredients, we offer both Almond Covered Date Coconut Rolls and a pure Date Coconut Roll. These superfood bites are a natural source of fiber, energy and antioxidants.
2) Pour the water over the dates and microwave on high for 1 minute. 3) Remove and mash with a fork. Repeat step 2 until you get a caramel-like ooey, gooey, yummy paste! 4) Of course, using a food processor to smooth it out even more is a bonus… but not absolutely necessary!
Dates are a healthy fruit to include in your diet. They are high in several nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, all of which may provide health benefits ranging from improved digestion to a reduced risk of disease.
Sticky date pudding will last for up to five days in the fridge, or one month in the freezer. To reheat individual serves, simply cook for 30-seconds in the microwave or add to a 160°C oven for 10 minutes.
Dates contain significant amounts of fiber and potassium. The Potassium and other minerals in dates help to cleanse the liver. In addition, dates will help remove heavy metals and toxins from the body. One of the requirements for people with fatty liver is weight loss because Weight loss help to reduce liver fat.
By weight, Medjool dates contain 50% more potassium than bananas. This essential mineral helps control heart rate, breathing, and muscular function. This benefit is particularly important because potassium deficiency is common as less than 2% of Americans meet the daily recommended value.
Dates taste lovely when paired with cured meats and cheeses, making them a popular addition to charcuterie boards. The fruits are also used in many plant-based recipes. Lastly, the fruits pair well with many assorted spices, especially cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Both dates and almonds are high in calcium, calories, dietary fiber and potassium. Almond has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate. Almond is an excellent source of Vitamin E, iron and protein. Date has signficantly less saturated fat than almond.
So if you're planning on adding dates to your snacktime routine, consider capping your intake to just three dates, or about 200 calories' worth, at a time, says Gans.
There are 798 calories in 12 Medjool Dates. * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Soak the dates in warm water for 2 hours, then drain, discarding the water. In your nutribullet cup, pulse 1 cup of oats to a coarse powder and set aside. Pulse soaked dates, peanut butter, water, and vanilla extract.Blend until completely smooth.
If your dates are exceptionally dry or if you don't have a high powered blender, soaking them for 30 minutes to an hour in warm water before blending can make things much easier on your blender and lead to a smoother finished product.
You can use raisins as a replacement for dates in recipe
However, they are often quite expensive, which often sends people looking for a replacement for dates in recipe. Specifically, they are looking for a medjool dates substitute. That's why you see a lot of raisin paste recipes these days…
To prevent the chopped dates from sticking together, you can lightly coat them in flour. This helps to absorb excess moisture and prevents clumping. Make sure to shake off any excess flour before using the chopped dates in your baking recipe.
Dates are naturally sticky because of their high sugar content, but when they look and feel slimy, you don't need to take a second guess in placing them in the compost bin.
do not throw away your rock hard dates. you can bring them back to life and make them perfect and soft. just like the day that you bought them. just pour boiling hot water on top and wait 10min.
Dates should be kept in an air-tight container and can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated up to 6 months, and frozen for up to 1 year. If purchasing dates in bulk meets your personal needs, you may opt to refrigerate or freeze any excess dates.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time:
Yield:
