Cashew & Cardamom Date Balls
These little energy bites are perfect for a mid afternoon pick-me-up. They taste great with a cup of coffee or tea and satisfy that sweet tooth craving that typically creeps up on me around 3pm. I love the warming flavor of cardamom and it pairs really well with the nutty cashews and sweet dates. I used to make energy balls all the time when we first started farming (almost 10 years ago!) and got out of the habit over the past few years. However, with this new batch I’m quickly reminded why I made these so often in the past. They’re a breeze to whip up and you can store them in the fridge for over a week or freeze them for a few months. They’re little flavor bombs and can pretty much stand in for dessert because they’re that good! I hope you all enjoy these as much as we do.
Pour a cup of coffee and dig in!
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Cashew & Cardamom Date Balls
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Serves: 20 balls
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates, about 8 large dates (if the dates seem old or dry soak them in hot water for 10 minutes to soften)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons almond milk (or dairy milk)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
Preparation
- Add the cashews, almond flour, dates, coconut oil, vanilla, cardamom and salt to the bowl of a food processor and process until a sticky dough forms (this can take a couple of minutes so be patient and scrape down the sides of the processor as needed). If the dough seems dry add 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk and continue to process until the dough holds together when pinched between your fingers. Taste for seasonings and add more cardamom or salt if need be.
- Pour the shredded coconut onto a plate and set aside.
- Using your hands, gently roll the dough into small balls. Roll each ball into the shredded coconut.
- Store the balls in the fridge for 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
*These don't hold up to room temperature for very long so make sure to keep them stored in the fridge or freezer and enjoy as needed
Is there any way I can accomplish this without owning a food processor ?
Unfortunately, I don’t think so. You need a high powered processor to chop the nuts and dried fruit into a fine consistency. I hope your neighbors or a good friend has a food processor so you can try this recipe!!
Made this yesterday and they are awesome. They are so creamy, and the flavor of cardamom is perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe!
So happy you loved these!! xo
These are really great. Lately I have been trying to make a different energy bite every week and these are definitely among my favourites. Thanks!
Can these be made with another kind of nuts?
You could try walnuts or pecans.
Love the flavor! My only challenge was that these were extremely oily (perhaps as a result of my Vitamix which couldn’t quite hack it). Andrea – do you find the dough to be dripping oil when forming into balls, or do I need to suck it up and buy a food processor?
Dang!! My dough was not dripping wet/oily (in fact mine was a bit more on the dry side which is why it’s optional to add a bit of milk to the batter). I’m not sure if the vitamix was the issue or not. Though I tend to have issues making energy bites in my Vitamxi so my food processor is my go-to tool for these. Before making the plunge maybe dry making them again with less oil? Though, if you do purchase a food processor I think you’ll love it! It’s better at making small batches of pestos and dressings than the Vitamix.
Can I use coconut flour or brown rice flour as alternatives or will this affect the taste/consistency?
I would not substitute with either of those flours because it will alter the consistency. I’d try using another nut based flour like cashew, hazelnut, or even walnut flours. You can grind your own too!!
I love making energy balls and these were AMAZING!! I used deglet dates (my local store has super squishy ones) and since I am without a food processor, I used a magic bullet for the cashews and a fork to squish my dates. Used vanilla bean paste instead of extract. Combined by hand and stuck them in the freezer. When I tried later, they tasted so much like cookie dough I ate them all, oops!!!! SO YUMMY!! Thanks Andrea have loved your recipes for a long time!!