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:

Place all of the ingredients into your food processor or (as I do) into the bowl attachment on your hand blender.
Blend until all ingredients are well chopped and combined.
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 more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

Ann says

February 1, 2014 at 5:23 AM

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

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- Christie Burnett says
  
  February 10, 2014 at 9:03 PM
  
  You can use either, Ann. We like to use dates but as I mentioned prunes are naturally sweeter so it can be nice to add some.
  
  Reply
Virginia says

February 15, 2014 at 5:19 PM

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.

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- Christie Burnett says
  
  February 16, 2014 at 5:39 PM
  
  So glad they were a hit with your family, Virginia, thank you so much for letting me know.
  
  Reply
Jess says

June 27, 2014 at 11:27 AM

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!

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- Christie Burnett says
  
  July 2, 2014 at 10:11 AM
  
  Love the idea of Gruffalo crumble, you are so clever :)
  
  Reply
kylie hill says

November 16, 2014 at 11:54 AM

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.

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lisa says

March 5, 2015 at 8:08 AM

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

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saman says

March 8, 2015 at 5:42 PM

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! !

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Sue says

June 30, 2015 at 1:39 PM

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

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Amanda says

January 22, 2016 at 1:32 PM

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

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