Energy Date Balls

When in need of a quick, nourishing, tasty snack, Energy Date Balls get the job done! We first made these in our farm kitchen for our 2021 Christmas Pop-Ups, and they’ve been a hit ever since then. CSA Member Beth Earnshaw (and our cook at the time), shared one of her favorite recipes with us, and that was our starting point.

The dates provide natural sugar, the nuts provide protein, and the coconut oil helps bind the Energy Date Balls together. You will need a food processor to make these efficiently. (In theory, you could use a chef’s knife and a cutting board for a very fine mince, but you’ll have to be prepared for a bit of work!)

One time this past summer, we ran out of walnuts, so we did what all good cooks do, right? Improvise! We traded half the walnuts for pecans, and we decided we liked the flavor even better with the 50/50 walnut/pecan ratio. This has been one of my most-asked-for recipes, so I’m sharing it here, but remember–if you’re short on one ingredient, try something similar and you might create something even better!

Yield: 24 Energy Date Balls

Photo by Anne Kingma Photography

Print Recipe

Energy Date Balls

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Course: Snack

Servings: 24 people

Equipment

• 1 food processor

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts 3.8 oz
• 1 cups pecans 3.8 oz
• 1 cups shredded unsweetened coconut 4 oz
• 2 cups pitted dates 12 oz
• 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 oz
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Using food processor fitted with S blade, process mixture (in batches if needed). Form into 1 ounce balls. Refrigerate.