Dates and Nut Energy Balls / Date Choco Nut Balls

I recently saw this recipe Here and had bookmarked it. My DH has an obsession for dates and had got this huge container. He ate most of it and some of it was sitting in my pantry for a while. I used them with available nuts at home and made a healthy and delicious snack in no time.

These are perfect as breakfast balls, after school snack or as a perfect sweet treat after meals!

They will also be great for prasad after bhajans, or pot luck dinners.

Get Ready ( makes about 20 -22 small balls)

• 1 cup pitted and chopped dates ( used about 24 dates)
• 1 & 1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts ( I used Costco salted cashews and TJ's pistachios)
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder ( I used TJ's sipping chocolate)
• 2 Tbsp dry dessicated coconut 9 available in Indian stores)
• 1/2 tso Nescafe instant coffee\
• Ghee/ oil to grease your hands for rolling
• few drops of water as needed

I decided to add the coconut at the last minute and hence missing in the initial picture.

Go

1. Microwave the chopped dates for 30 secs, so it becomes soft.  Add this to the blender or food processor with cocoa powder and instant coffee. Blend till the dates are made into a finely coarse paste and the coco powder and coffee powder are well incorporated. I do not have a food process or and used my preethi mixie. It will come out like this. This paste is going to bind all the other ingredients and will be able to hold its shape as a ball.

2. Add the coarsely chopped nuts and coconut, sprinkle some water if needed. grease your (clean ) hands and mix the nuts into the date mixture. Again if you have a food processor, coarsely whizz the nuts. I used my knife to chop them.

3. Apply some ghee to your hands and roll them into balls of desired size.

Other variations:

Use any available nuts.

Adding some cardamom powder will be even better!

Enjoy and let me know how it turned out!