Date and Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls

I've been making these delicious chocolate balls for many years! They are vegan (but open to extensions), require only four ingredients, and take 15 minutes to prepare. For me it's been a way to diversify my sweet tooth intake with something healthy(-ish) and easy to make.

There are a lot of ways to change this recipe up, from using whichever nuts and add-ons you have in the pantry to using the paste as a filling with puff pastry and ricotta cheese. Depicted here are balls made with chocolate chips and raw cashews.

(quantities are for about 24 chocolate balls)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pitted dates
• 1/2 lb peanut butter (I use natural p.b. from the supermarket bulk section)
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 4-8 tsp cocoa powder (more peanut flavor -> more chocolate flavor)

Add-on ideas:

• 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed cashews/almonds
• 1/2 cup graham crackers
• 1/2 cup coconut chips
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 cup salty sunflower seeds
• 2-3 tbsp cookie butter (speculoos)
• 1-2 tbsp dry elderberries

Tools:

• Food processor
• Freezer
• Plastic or glass containers with lids

Put dates, peanut butter, coconut oil and cocoa powder in food processor. Start on low and increase speed, aiming to have a uniform paste. If the mix balls up you can flatten it with a spoon and keep going. Depending on the quality of dates this should take about 1-3 minutes to be ready.

Add the chocolate chips, nuts, graham crackers etc. and mix for another minute.

Using your hands form balls and place them in a container. Make sure to keep them spaced apart. It's also possible to use cookie paper to line the container, though the oil from the peanuts and coconut would keep it from sticking.

Put the containers in the freezer for at least an hour. Eat frozen, preferably at 2:00am, standing in front of the freezer with a guilty look on your face.