Childhood101

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Lunch Box Snack Idea: Date & Coconut Balls

Since we started making our non-dairy, date chocolate mousse, I have been meaning to experiment with using dates and prunes to make a little sweet treat for the girls. Heading back to school has provided the perfect incentive to get onto it and these Date & Coconut Balls get the snack time tick of approval from both the almost-6 year old and the 20 month old – plus they both loved helping to make them.

Date & Coconut Balls Recipe

You will need:

  • 1 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped (I substitute a few dates for prunes for a little extra sweetness)
  • 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons cacao or cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil

To make:

  1. Place all of the ingredients into your food processor or (as I do) into the bowl attachment on your hand blender.
  2. Blend until all ingredients are well chopped and combined.
  3. Form into small balls and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Ann says

    The comment about substituting some dates for prunes made me wonder whether there are supposed to be prunes in the recipe.

  2. Virginia says

    Yum, we made these today and they are already long gone! They were great for my super fussy eater who loved them. Such a yummy AND healthy snack. I'll be making these again for the lunch boxes.

  3. Jess says

    Hi Christie Thanks for the recipe. We made these at school with my Kindy class. Instead rolling them into balls, we just scooped some loose mix into patty pans and called it "Gruffalo crumble". It was a huge hit!

  4. kylie hill says

    hi, i am wondering if one could change the dates for other dried fruit such as apricots? for different texture and taste but would still have the sweetness. thanks.

  5. lisa says

    I want to print these recipes for my own recipe book but some don't have a option to do so.

  6. saman says

    Hi!! I just made them. Gosh are they brilliant or are they brilliant. Actually you are :) amazing!! I didnt have coconut oil so had to use clear veg oil. And didnt have cacao so used the processed kind. But if the family likes it, I will invest in buying some cacao powder. I was wondering, if we could use strawberry jam instead of the oil ( to add more sweetness)? Im not sure how the dates would go with strawberries. Still thanks for an amazing recpie which works for our allergies! !

  7. Sue says

    Hi Christie Great recipe! Do you know how I can just Pin the recipe? Already follow you on Pinterest but want to sometimes pin to my Healthy snack board? Thanks for your help Sue

  8. Amanda says

    I think I'll sneak these into the lunchbox snacks. Thanks for all the great lunchbox inspiration.

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