Chocolate Date Energy Balls

Eating just one of these healthy chocolate date energy balls satisfies my sweet tooth without added refined sugar. My recipe is a spinoff of an energy ball my daughter made for me when I was testing for my taekwondo black belt. —Barbara Estabrook, Appleton, Wisconsin

• 

  Total Time

  Prep: 20 min. + chilling
• 

  Makes

  1 dozen

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped
• 3 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries, chopped
• 1/4 cup deluxe mixed nuts, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
• 3 tablespoons sunflower kernels
• 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Place dates, chocolate and cherries in a food processor; process until finely chopped about 1 minute. Add nuts, coconut and sunflower kernels; process until blended. Add oil and vanilla; process until mixture comes together. Roll into 12 balls. Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  

Nutrition Facts

1 ball: 125 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 25mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 2g fiber), 2g protein.

Taste of Home Editors