Coconut Date Balls

Course: Snack

Keyword: coconut date balls, date balls, date balls recipe

Prep Time: 3

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 13

Servings: balls

Calories: 67kcal

Author: Maureen Abood

These special little sweets are simple to make, on the stove top with no baking, and the dates impart a luscious caramel flavor. And the bonus: they are deliciously gluten-free. We devour them at the holidays! Take care to cook the egg gently, over low heat, with the sugar and butter. Makes about three dozen one-inch bite-size balls.

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons salted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 cup pitted Medjool dates chopped
2 cups Rice Krispies or any crisp rice cereal
½ cup toasted walnuts chopped (optional)
1 cup unsweetened (desiccated) coconut

Instructions

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the sugar. Add the egg and combine, stirring until warmed through, about a minute.
Add the dates and increase the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick, 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the rice cereal and nuts, if using. Stir until the cereal is completely coated.
When the mixture is cool enough to handle but still very warm, shape heaping teaspoons of the mixture into cohesive balls, about 1-inch in size, between the palms of your hands.
Place the coconut in a small bowl or dish. Roll the balls immediately in coconut.
Cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Here are some fun ways to change up my coconut date balls recipe:

1. Make the coconut date balls nut-free by omitting the nut option.

1. Give them a more nutty flavor by adding a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter or almond butter when the egg is added.

1. You can substitute the coconut with toasted sesame seeds or chia seeds.

1. For extra flavor, add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. For warm spice flavor, add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or cardamom.

1. Substitute the butter with coconut oil in equal amounts.

1. Make chocolate date balls by adding ¼ cup cocoa powder when the egg is added to the recipe. Chocolate coconut date balls are a natural combo! Avoid adding chocolate chips to make chocolate coconut balls, because the texture will be too hard for the chewy texture of these.

1. Use toasted coconut for a deeper, toasty coconut flavor.

1. Make coconut date rolls shaping the date mixture in a log rather than the sweet balls, before rolling in coconut.

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