No-Bake Chocolate Quinoa Date Balls With Nuts, The Perfect Summer Treat!

After Passover I had quite a few dates and almonds that really needed to be used up, and I remembered the chocolate almond date balls recipe from years past. I made this as a dessert for husband and myself when there were no guests for shabbat, and he just loved the balls, as they can pass as sugar laden not so great for you something or other! A big phew as I really don’t want to bake things that I personally don’t want to eat! That said, I realized that truly one does not need so much sugar (even natural from dried fruit) and that the balls could be enhanced by adding other things. So I started adding quick oats and some coconut, with good results, and then a lightbulb moment happened a few weeks ago…..what about adding quinoa? So I gave it a try, and kept adding more and more quinoa, until I was able to really reduce the proportions of dates and nuts, so that it is also a whole grain treat!

The great thing about these chocolate quinoa date balls is that you can experiment with adding all kinds of things, and making a variety of coatings as well, such as chopped pistachios, cocoa powder, something colorful for a special occasion, got it? And, these would also be great to make when on the road, or renting a summer cottage, especially for folks like us who might rent a place where the oven isn’t usable for kashrus reasons, so no-bake is the answer! Honestly I just made these last night with no appliances whatsoever, so you can too! Enjoy, and maybe now is the time to start thinking about training your family’s taste buds to go for the healthier choices? ( Or at the least maybe just keep them for yourself to pull out when everyone else is eating the junk?)

You’ll Need:

• 1 cup ground almonds/walnuts or a mix
• 1 cup whole dates
• 2 cups quinoa, I used white quinoa
• 2 tablespoons coco powder
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut for rolling
• a tablespoon of water, or slightly more

This quantity makes roughly 15 large balls

How To:

1. Place all the items in a food processor, or if you are like me use pre-ground almonds/walnuts and very soft dates, chop the dates, add some water and mix with your hands.
2. Roll into 3cm balls (or smaller) and then roll in coconut. Keep in freezer, they don’t freeze rock solid and can be enjoyed right away. Enjoy!

Notes:

• The quantities stated in my recipe results in date balls that are sweet, but not overly sweet, so do taste the results and if you need more sweetness, add a few more dates.
• Before my lightbulb moment of using quinoa, I added about 1/2 cup rolled oats to cut the sweetness and benefit from a whole grain.
• If you want to make these as protein balls, you can add peanut butter
• For nut free balls just replace the cup of nuts with something else! Like what you may ask? Coconut? I’ll keep you posted, will have to give that some thought.
• Basically, as long as the balls hold together from the sticky dates, you can add a variety of things, including ground flax, hemp or chia for your healthy omega 3 dose, but too much would likely throw off the yummy taste, so proceed with caution! (Or make some for yourself only?)

Enjoy this healthy treat, and be sure to have the recipe on hand, they make great gifts for your health conscious friends and family!

Related posts:

Chocolate Almond Date Balls Are No Bake And Healthy As Can Be! How To Sprout Mung Beans And Use Them In A Colorful Salad!