Chocolate Date Balls

These simple cocoa date balls are perfect for a quick homemade snack or dessert. They’re as easy as can be, easy to customize and though healthy, taste like a rich and decadent brownie!

Never used tahini in desserts before? It’s so yummy! Try it in these salted caramel tahini cups, tahini hemp seed bars and tahini date cookies as well.

Ingredient Notes

• Tahini : Use any store-bought or homemade tahini. Good quality tahini should be smooth, easy to drizzle (not too thick) and have an earthy flavour that’s not overly bitter.
• Cocao: Raw cacao powder or regular cocoa powder both work great here.
• Dates: Use any variety as long as they’re soft and moist. If you only have dry dates, we’ll go over soaking below so you can use them in this recipe, though for best results, I’d recommend using gooey dates rather than soaked dates.
• Extras: To enhance the flavour, try a pinch of good salt and dash of vanilla. Cinnamon would be yummy too!

Variations & Additions

• Coat in Chocolate: To make these into fancy chocolate truffles, try coat them in or drizzle them with melted chocolate
• Chocolate Orange Bites: Add up to 1 tbsp orange zest for a citrus twist.
• Add Nuts: You can add up to 3/4 cup crushed walnuts, pecans, almonds, pecans or cashews. Add them to the food processor first to break them down into small bits.
• Add Seeds: For extra nutrition and texture, try adding up to 1/2 cup hemp seeds.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate: For peanut butter chocolate dates balls, use peanut butter instead of tahini. Almond butter works too or you could use sunflower seed butter for another nut-free option.
• Chocolate Mint Bites: Add a few drops of peppermint extract for chocolate peppermint bites. These would be perfect for the holidays or an edible gift.
• Spices: Try up to 1 tsp cinnamon and/or a pinch of ginger or nutmeg. You can also add a pinch of cayenne to add a subtle kick!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Blend Dough

Add the dates, cocoa powder and tahini to a food processor and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can press together between your fingers. If you’re adding any extras, mix those in now as well.

If the mixture forms into one big ball in the food processor, that’s perfect!

Quick Tip: You shouldn’t have a problem rolling the dough into balls but if it seems too crumbly to roll, add 1 tsp of warm water and process again. Check to see if you can press it together and if not, repeat. You shouldn’t need more than 1 tbsp of water.

Step 2: Roll into Balls

Use your hands to roll the dough into balls. Any size works but used about 1 heaping tablespoon per ball and got 15 balls out of the recipe.

If you like, you can roll each ball in cocoa powder, shredded coconut, cookie crumbs or crushed nuts for an extra touch.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

1. Dough too Dry: You shouldn’t have a problem rolling the dough into balls but if it seems too crumbly to roll, add 1 tbsp of warm water and process again. Check to see if you can press it together and if not, repeat. You shouldn’t need more than 1 tbsp of water.
2. Dough too Wet: If you soaked the dates before use, you may need extra cocoa powder to balance the added moisture.
3. Chill the Dough: If the mixture feels to sticky to shape into balls, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling to make it easier to work with.