Boozy Date Balls with Frangelico Liqueur
Snack Attack Tuesday #4!
Ever since I can remember I have been eating these little almond date balls minus the booze. My friend AJ and I would devour an entire container of these little nuggets except the store bought ones were alcohol free and skimpy on the almonds.
I love the combo of these date balls because eating dates by itself is a healthy snack but they are packed with high amounts of natural sugars which can sometimes spike the blood sugar level. Adding a little healthy fat and/or protein can balance out the natural sugars and curb the appetite. It can also provide a spurt of energy when you need to get your butt to the gym.
There are so many variations of date balls. You can minus out the booze, add all sorts of nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. The creation of date balls are endless.
So that being said, I wanted to start off with a simple recipe packed with almonds, a hint of liqueur and dusted with a little shredded coconut. It’s simple and satisfying. Later down the road I will introduce other versions with different fillings but for now lets talk boozy date balls.
I promise these little nuggets have just a hint of Frangelico liqueur. Frangelico is a hazelnut and herb-flavored liqueur and goes perfect with the date almond combo.
Gather your ingredients.
Medjool dates, almonds, frangelica liquor and shredded coconut for the topping. You will also need a food processor. I have yet to try in a blender but something tells me you would also be able to use. Maybe in smaller quantity. If you do decide to try in a blender please let me know and share your experience.
Okay, first add your cup of almonds in the food processor and pulse away until you reach a desired texture like shown below in the photo. Remove almonds and place to the side.
Next add your pitted dates and frangelica liquor or any other booze you may want to try. Rum or bourbon would be a great choice. Pulse away.
Combine the date mixture with the almonds and mix by hand or with the food processor. Now that you have your mixture take a ice cream scooper or a tablespoon and scoop. Form into a ball.
Roll into the shredded coconut or leave as is. You may want to chop the shredded coconut into smaller pieces.
I did a combo of the two… some with coconut and some without.
Easy right?!?!? You can eat right away or store in a the fridge in an air tight container.
Date balls are great to keep in your rotation of snacks. They are packed with all kinds of goodness. A nice dense snack that is satisfying and will curb the sweet tooth.
Enjoy!
Boozy Date Balls
2015-02-09 18:27:54
Date balls are packed with almonds, hint of frangelico liqueur and dusted with shredded coconut. A healthy and a satisfying snack.
- 1 cup almonds
- 16 dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup frangelico liqueur
- Shredded coconut for topping
- In a food processor with an “S” blade, pulse the almonds until course. Remove and place to the side.
- Add dates and frangelico to the food processor, pulse until the dates are broken down.
- Add the chopped almonds to the date mixture and blend until evenly combined.
- Scoop the mixture with a tablespoon or an ice cream scooper, roll between your hands to form small balls.
- Roll date balls in the shredded coconut or not.
- Store the date balls in an air tight container in the fridge.
- Recipe yields about 26-28 date balls.
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