I am blessed to be the mother to two amazing little girls named Maddie and Lexie but cooking for children can often be difficult because they are the toughest critics and come with their own sets of likes and dislikes when it comes to food.
One day over the summer I looked in my pantry and found some ingredients and decided to combine them to develop a healthy sweet snack that had a kick of protein and would help tame Maddie and Lexie’s sugar fix. I created the almond cocoa date energy balls and let me just say that they didn’t last. It seems like almost every day the girls and my husband ask me to make more energy balls – everything in moderation I tell them.
Today, I decided to share this recipe on a live segment with two reporters, Kandolite Flores and Kezhal Dashti, from KFOX- TV in my beautiful hometown of El Paso. Part of the idea for the live segment was to show viewers how quick and easy it is to make healthy yummy foods right at home. I asked the reporters to make my recipe and told them what I tell all my readers- always taste the food and adjust the spices to suit your taste buds. When they tasted the recipe, they decided to add a bit more cocoa because they are chocolate lovers and let’s just say that their energy balls were a success and were very yummy! So, I hope you enjoy making this quick and easy recipe and feel free to add different spices to suit your tastes bud.
Buen Provecho!
Almond Cocoa Date Energy Balls
Printable Version
Yield: 16 Energy Balls Total Time: 5 Minutes
Ingredients:
-1 Cup of Almonds
-1 Cup of Unsweetened Shredded
Coconut
-1 ½ Cup of Pitted Dates
-1 ½ Tablespoon of Unsweetened
Cocoa Powder
-1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
-1/2 Teaspoon of Cardamom
-1/2 Teaspoon of Star Anise
-1/4 Cup of Water
Equipment Needed:
-Blender or Food Processor
-Measuring Cup
-Measuring Spoons
-Large Glass Bowl/Glass Jar for Storing
-Parchment Paper
Prep & Directions
-Get a measuring cup and measure 1 cup of almonds and pour into the food
processor/blender
-Get the measuring cup and measure 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut and
pour into the food processor/blender
-Get the measuring cup and measure 1 ½ cups of pitted dates and pour into the food
processor/blender
-Get your measuring spoons and measure 1 ½ tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
and pour into the food processor/blender
-Get your measuring spoons and measure ½ teaspoons of cinnamon and pour into
the food processor/blender
-Get your measuring spoons and measure ½ teaspoons of cardamom and pour into
the food processor/blender
-Get your measuring spoons and measure ½ teaspoons of star anise and pour into
the food processor/blender
-Then cover your food processor or blender and turn it on the low setting and then set
to high gradually until all ingredients are mixed and stop
-Then get a measuring cup and measure ¼ cup of water and pour into the food
processor/blender
-Then cover your food processor/blender and turn it on the low setting and then set
to high gradually until all ingredients are mixed and stop
-Get a sheet of parchment paper and put the mixture from the food
processor/blender onto the sheet
-Gently get a small handful of the mixture and roll into a ball on the palm of your hand
and continue this process until the mixture is finished (the balls can be made small,
medium, or large depending on your taste)
***** Adjust spices to suit your taste buds but add minimal amounts gradually. ******