Small, easily-consumed pastries in the form of balls are a popular choice for exquisite appetisers and desserts at dinner gatherings. They are beautiful to look at on a dessert table and quickly disappear since guests can eat them with their hands. The coconut coating on these date balls makes them an all-time favourite. Even if you don’t like coconut, they are a terrific summertime snack since you can decorate them anyway you choose.
Coconut date balls tips
To bind and provide texture, try using Tennis or Marie Biscuits. Tennis Biscuits, on the other hand, have a more distinctive flavour since they are more buttery and include a hint of coconut. The dates may be chopped as finely as you want, or you can throw them in a food processor and give them a quick whirl. There must be some preservation of texture. Another delicious twist on this snack is to add some chocolate powder to the batter and sprinkle some almonds on top.
When you want to feel warm inside without overheating in the South African sun, cool sweets are the way to go. Indulge in one of these coconut date balls this weekend!
Coconut date balls recipe
Course: Dessert, Treats
Cuisine: Global
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Resting time: 20
Servings: 20
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
-
125g butter
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¼ cup sugar
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1 tsp vanilla essence
-
¼ tsp cinnamon
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250g dates, chopped
-
1 egg, whisked
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1 packet biscuits (Tennis or Marie biscuits work best), crushed
-
100g coconut, for rolling
Method
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the vanilla essence, cinnamon and the dates and heat for five minutes until the dates are soft.
- Take the mixture off the stove and transfer to a large mixing bowl
- Add the whisked egg and mix well.
- Add the biscuits and coat well with the mixture.
- Put the mixture in the fridge to cool for 20 minutes and then roll into medium-sized balls.
- Roll in coconut and store in an airtight container, in the fridge.
Notes
- Make a big batch and store these in the fridge, or even the freezer for a few weeks.
- P.S. If you don’t feel like the effort of rolling the mixture into balls, you make bars instead. Simply press the mixture into a baking tray and allow to cool.