It’s a bit of a misnomer-they don’t actually have an chocolate in them; just cocoa. In fact, there’s nothing bad in them at all, which is why they are sooo good. Because not only do they take around 5 minutes to make from start to finish, but you’d swear they were chocolatey and very naughty.

Use your own judgement with the amount of dates- different brands are drier or more moist, so this is just a guide. You want the texture to be so that the mixture sticks when you press it together or roll in a ball.

These are great for kids lunchboxes-I actually created them (although I’m sure they’ve been done before) for my now 12yr old who was complaining he never had anything ‘nice’ (ie.junky) in his lunch. These were my compromise. And for grownups-great with a coffee.

PECAN CHOCOLATE DATE BALLS

• 100g pecans (use the Australian ones; they are heaps fresher than the Californian imports)
• 250g dates
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Blend everything in a food processor for about a minute or until it’s evenly chopped up. Take small handfuls and squeeze. If you try to roll without first squeezing the mixture together it will just crumble. Then gently roll in the palm of your hand into small balls.

You can roll in more cocoa for grownups or coconut but I like them just as is.

 

Enjoy