Coming from a household with an eclectic mix of British and Middle Eastern foods in the kitchen cupboards, I’m no newbie when it comes to dates. However, it’s taken me this long to process them into these little balls of peanutty joy – I just couldn’t get past a soft, ripe date as it is!
These energy balls are like a cross-over between trail mix and Reese’s Cups. And if you don’t like peanut butter, there’s always almond butter (or cashew, or pumpkin-seed… the list goes on). I would recommend snacking on these when the 4pm hunger pangs set in at work, or as a mid-morning boost. Either way, try not to eat them too far into the night, as dates have a tendency to stick in your teeth, and you shouldn’t brush for at least an hour after eating fruit to avoid acid erosion.
Peanut butter balls recipe
Makes roughly 22
200g almonds
400g dates
4 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp chia seeds
- In a food processor, crush the almonds until all chopped up
- Pit the dates, and add into the bowl along with the cacao powder, nut butter, oil, and seeds
- Start to process, but add a drop of water to ease it in
- When the mixture has turned into a big lump, roll into balls
- As an added extra, roll in cacao powder – it adds a bittersweet element to the treat!
