Happy New Year!
How is everyone? Did you enjoy your holidays? Is your house put back together yet? I have to admit that while our tree is down, there are still some Christmas reminders in various rooms that will be addressed by the end of the weekend!
Our post holiday time was pretty quiet this year which was nice after being away for Thanksgiving. I managed to see a few movies (Little Women with my girls and Knives Out with the hubs) and read a few books (Normal People, Red at the Bone and for book group, The Uncommon Reader which was short and funny). My husband and I played some paddle together (hooray!) and started a couple of shows with our favorite being Fleabag. Oh, and if you are a history fan, I really enjoyed the Netflix series (only one season!) named The Last Czars about the Romanov family. It was part miniseries, part documentary with professors from universities around the world providing commentary. What have you been reading/watching/doing? I’d love to hear!
I know since it’s January, most people, myself included, are focusing on healthy habits from the kitchen table to the yoga studio or gym. My personal goals are to eat well, exercise consistently and try to get some quality sleep. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some of the meals I have prepared so far, none of which are particularly complicated but all of which focus on whole foods, lots of vegetables and mostly lean proteins. I’m minimizing a few food groups in my cooking as an experiment to see where it takes me and my creativity.
And although sweets and snacking tend to be discouraged during these wellness reset months, I have been enjoying this “almost healthy” recipe so will be sharing it with you today. Coconut Date Balls are a recipe I found here over the holiday break and since I had all the ingredients on hand in my kitchen, I whipped them up in a snap. Yummy. My bridge friends agreed 🙂
They say that dates are nature’s candy so what I love about this recipe is that you can enjoy a sweet treat without any refined sugar. Medjool dates are mixed in the food processor with unsweetened coconut flakes and some toasted slivered almonds. A touch of water is added to insure the mixture holds together, after which it is formed into little rounds and topped with an additional slivered almond. That’s it. How easy and clean, right? They are best kept in the fridge where they firm up, waiting for you to enjoy one with an afternoon cup of tea. If you love dates and coconut, you are going to love this recipe…
I’ve cut the recipe in half because I thought that 12 Coconut Date Balls was enough for most people, but you should feel free to double the recipe if you’d like. These measure about 1 1/4 inch wide and 3/4 inch deep. You can make them even smaller if you want for a larger yield…
I couldn’t decide if the balls looked good on the black surface so I shot them on a white plate as well. It’s still not easy for me to photograph brown food…
I couldn’t leave well enough alone and wanted to see if the recipe would work with some dried apricots I also had on hand. While they held together nicely and were tasty, they weren’t as delicious as those made with the sweet dates. But they will be consumed don’t worry…
I hope you make these and treat yourself from time to time!
Here we go 2020! Until next time…
A sweet treat with just three ingredients and no refined sugar. Recipe makes roughly 12 balls and can be easily doubled. You can also make the balls smaller to get a higher yield.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound pitted Medjool dates (about 16)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted plus a few extra for topping the balls (see note)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until a paste is formed. If mixture seems too dry, add just a little splash of water and blend again to bring it together.
- Roll heaping tablespoons of the paste and then form into a disc, like a burger patty. Mine are 1 1/4 inch wide and 3/4 inch deep. Top with a slivered almond. I use a 3/4 ounce cookie scoop which is about 1 1/2 Tablespoons for each treat.
- Chill coconut date balls in fridge.
Tips from The Kitchen Scout
To toast nuts, spread on a cookie sheet and place in a 300 degree oven for roughly 10 minutes. Shake the pan half way through the cooking time. Once you start to smell them, they are usually finished but keep a close eye as they can burn easily.
One Year Ago: Turkey Meatball Casserole
Two Years Ago: Roasted Broccoli and Parmesan Soup
Three Years Ago: Turkey Meaball and Kale Soup
Four Years Ago: Farro, Citrus and Arugula Salad
Five Years Ago: Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce
Six Years Ago: Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Made these for Garden Club today and people loved them! I made them in a leaf shape since we had a speaker from Little Leaf Farm and our theme for the snacks was leaves! Easy to make and so delicious – thanks for another great recipe.
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Oh wow! I would have loved to see those, Rachel! I’m glad they were loved. xo
Looking forward to making these today, I needed a healthy sweet treat! Thanks!
I hope you enjoy them, Sarah!
Hi Val, You guys are doing exactly what we are this month, diet, exercise, Netflix…. Hunker down for Winter. I cooked the Slow-Cooker Chicken Masala last month, it was UNBELIEVABLE. Thank you. Can’t wait to try the coconut date balls. Hope to see you guys soon. Peter T.
That’s so awesome, Peter! I’m glad you enjoyed it!