date cocoa nut balls

 These are terrific.  Not too sweet, with lots of "superfoods" like nuts and dark cocoa and dates.  Also a good way to use up some old dates and nuts and nut butter that is too solid to combine by hand.  I needed a powerful snack for an upcoming intense day and these are so much better than any kind of packaged snack. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans (toasted)
  
• 1/2 cup pitted dates (about 7 to 8), cut into quarters
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• Scant 1/2 cup maple syrup (more like 1/3 c)
  
• 1/2 cup nut butter
  
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• I also added in some chunks of dark chocolate with blueberries at this point
  
• 1/2 cup whole almonds (toasted)
  

For topping/rolling the balls:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 Make the date balls: Place the walnuts and dates into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, and pulse several times until well combined. The pieces should look like a rough crumble.

Add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt and pulse until the mixture is smooth and thick; it will start to peel away from the edge of the bowl.

When this happens, stop the food processor; if it keeps whirring away, it may get stuck because these ingredients are, well, sticky! Keep a close eye on this, as it will come together quickly.

2 Add the almonds: Add the almonds and pulse a few times to incorporate them. You want them sort of irregularly sized, so that some pieces are still pretty crunchy and offer a variety of textures.

3 Roll the date balls: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Place the coconut in a small bowl and the cocoa powder in another bowl.

Scoop out the mixture, roll it into golf-ball shapes, and roll in the shredded coconut or the cocoa powder (or leave plain).  

4 Chill and store the date balls: Transfer the date balls to a baking sheet with wax paper and chill them for a few hours or overnight, if needed. Once they've firmed up, transfer to a plastic lidded container and keep in the fridge.