Coconut Date Balls

Cooking for Kids

I decided to try to sneak as much unprocessed foods as I could into the kids diets lately. These little treats were a complete success!

The key to making these treats palatable to the youngsters was to use a food processor to chop the nuts and dates as fine as possible. My charges love cashews but not many other nuts. I used a variety of fresh, raw, unsalted nuts for more nutrition. I just threw in a handful of almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts in the food processor with the cashews since they will never notice what types of nuts are in the snack.

This dessert is not intended for toddlers. Although honey is natural it should not be served children before 12-months-old because honey can cause botulism in infants. Don’t make this treat for kids with nut allergies or sensitivities either. But for older kids who aren’t sensitive to the ingredients, it’s a yummy treat. Here’s what to do:

You Will Need:

1 cup dates, roughly chopped
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup. raw honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup ghee (use real butter if you don’t have ghee)
2 cups mixed nuts, chopped small
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
½ tsp. sea salt

What to Do:

1. Combine the eggs, ghee (or butter), raw honey, and dates in a medium saucepan placed over a medium heat. I recommend using a food processor to chop the dates to make them finer then when cutting by hand.
2. Bring everything to a boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure the eggs are cooked.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and add in the sea salt.
4. Mix in the chopped nuts and stir until well combined.
5. Roll the mixture into small balls. Roll each ball in the coconut flakes until well covered.
6. Refrigerate until firm.

References:
Recipe from PaleoLeap 
Photos by Stephanie Felzenberg