Serves: 15
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces dried, pitted dates
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/16 teaspoon allspice
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/16 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, optional for rolling
Instructions:
Make sure to wash your hands well for this delicious, hands-on recipe!
- Place all ingredients in a food processor, sprinkling the spices evenly around the processor bowl.
- Process the date mixture until it reaches your desired consistency (from a bit chunky and chewy to silky-smooth), scraping the bowl once or twice if needed. Note that dried dates vary a bit in how moist they are – if you are having difficulty processing your dates because they’re extra-dry, you can add just one or two drops of water to help loosen the mixture. Be very careful not to add too much water, though!
- With very slightly dampened hands (to prevent sticking), roll the date mixture into 1-inch balls and lay balls on parchment or wax paper to dry.
- If you are rolling the date balls in the optional pecan coating, coat each ball immediately after you’ve shaped it, while it’s still a bit sticky and damp. Press pecans into date balls lightly to help them adhere. If you are having trouble getting the pecans to stick to the date balls, or you forgot to add the pecan coating immediately, you can help the pecans to stick by again slightly dampening your hands and rolling the date balls around to dampen them just a little.
