Homemade Date Energy Balls
Energy balls are almost an iconic snack, and it doesn’t surprise me at all. They are easy to make, tasty, and healthy. They are great to have around workout time, but also as an alternative to highly processed sweets. They can be prepared in many different ways using your favourite ingredients. Check out my idea for today.
Preparation
I soaked the dried dates in boiling water and set them aside for about 20 minutes. I ground gluten-free oatmeal into flour and blended it with the drained dates. Next I added coconut flour and chopped nuts to the mixture. I mixed it up and shaped it into balls. Then I refrigerated them for about 2 hours. Simple, isn’t it?
Grind the oats yourself, and how fine
Grinding the flakes rather than buying oat flour is what lets you choose the texture. Run the blender for ten seconds and you get a coarse meal that leaves the balls with some bite; run it to a fine powder and they come out smooth and dense, closer to a truffle.
A blender with a narrow jug or a spice grinder does this better than a food processor, where the flakes fly up the sides and stay whole. Grind them before the dates go in, because oats will not break down once there is anything sticky in the bowl.
Coconut flour absorbs far more than it looks
This is the ingredient that catches people out. Coconut flour takes up several times its own weight in liquid, which is why the recipe uses a fraction of a spoon rather than a cup, and why it goes in after the dates rather than with the oats.
Add it at the end, mix, then wait a minute before deciding whether the mixture is too wet. It keeps absorbing after you stop stirring, so a mixture that looks slightly sticky when you put the spoon down is usually right, and one that looks right immediately will be dry by the time you roll it.
Chop the nuts, do not blend them
The cashews go in chopped rather than into the blender with everything else, and that is deliberate. Blended nuts release their oil and disappear into the mass, so you get a richer paste but nothing to bite on. Chopped by hand they stay as pieces, which is the contrast that makes the ball interesting.
Any nut works in their place. Almonds and hazelnuts are firmer and hold up better than cashews, and toasting them for a few minutes first makes a noticeable difference to the finished taste.
The two hours in the fridge, and keeping
Chilling is not just about firming the balls up. The oat and coconut flours keep drawing moisture out of the date paste while they sit, so a ball that felt slightly too soft when you rolled it will be right after two hours, and one that felt right will be firm.
They keep a week in a closed container in the fridge and three months in the freezer. For a version with plant protein and tahini, there is a recipe for post-workout protein balls on the blog, and if you would rather have snacks like these planned into the week along with your training, that is what the Diet & Training by Ann app does.
No-bake date energy balls
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the dried dates in boiling water and set them aside for about 20 minutes, then drain them.
- Grind the gluten-free oatmeal into flour before anything sticky goes into the bowl.
- Blend the ground oats with the drained dates.
- Add the coconut flour and the chopped cashews, mix, and wait a minute before judging the consistency.
- Shape into balls and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Yes, though grinding the flakes yourself is what lets you choose the texture. Ten seconds in a blender gives a coarse meal that leaves some bite, while grinding to a fine powder gives a smooth, dense ball closer to a truffle.
Because it absorbs several times its own weight in liquid. That is also why it goes in after the dates rather than with the oats, and why you should wait a minute after mixing before deciding the consistency: it keeps absorbing once you stop stirring.
Usually not. A mixture that looks slightly sticky when you put the spoon down is about right, because the flours keep drawing moisture from the dates. One that feels right immediately will be dry by the time you finish rolling.
No. Blended nuts release their oil and disappear into the mass, so you lose the contrast they are there for. Chop them by hand. Almonds and hazelnuts are firmer than cashews and hold up even better, especially toasted first.
A week in a closed container in the fridge and three months in the freezer. The two hours of chilling matter for texture too, not only firmness, since the flours keep taking up moisture from the date paste while they sit. Snacks like these come planned into the week alongside your training in the Diet & Training by Ann app.
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