Date and Coconut Balls

And now for a little mid-week "healthy-ness."

Sometimes you buy a bunch of dates and have to find something to do with them.

And then sometimes you’re having a lovely buffet lunch on holiday and find an unexpectedly delicious date and coconut ball, and it all becomes clear.

I’m not usually a big fan of dates, but those little "energy balls" were a revelation and I decided to make my own. There’s about 95 calories per ball so about the same as a mini Milky Bar. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but they are choices for different days.

I can say that in their favour, they’re easy to make (blitz in the food processor), last 2 weeks in the fridge and are great as a snack on the go when you don't want something overly sweet or chocolatey. Oh, and they ARE gluten and dairy free if that’s your game.

(makes 20 balls)

Ingredients

• 100g walnuts
• 14 medjool dates, deseeded
• 50g dessicated coconut, with extra for rolling
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• Sprinkle of salt
• 1-2 tbsp water

Method

Whiz the walnuts in a food processor until coarsely ground.

Chop the dates up small and throw them into the food processor, with the rest of the ingredients except the water.

Blitz until you get a coarse mixture. Then add a tbsp. of water and grind again, until you have a dough that comes together easily but is not sticky. You might need a little more water.

Roll about a tbsp. of the mixture into a ball, then roll it in a little more coconut.

Put into an airtight container and refrigerate.

Keeps about 2 weeks!