I have been looking forward to today for weeks! We are headed to the mountains with the kids this afternoon for a winter weekend getaway. Some skiing is planned, hopefully some playing in the snow, and definitely lots of hot cocoa and relaxing. Our cabin looks amazing, too, and I’m hoping it lives up to the hype. The kids are excited about the bunk beds and air hockey table, while I’m looking forward to the views, the spaciousness and the hot tub. I have a feeling I’m not going to want to venture out much. Before we hit the road though, let me move right along to the food. Today I’m sharing one of our current favorite snacks: raw date brownie balls.
These little nuggets of rich chocolate decadence are a slight twist on my raw date brownies. Same ingredients, slightly adjusted and rolled into snackable little bites. Cause I’ve got a serious snacking family on my hands! My kids, ages 8 and 6, basically come busting through the door after school wanting to know what’s for snack. And my husband can be found checking the fridge and pantry at all hours for a little something to tide him over. I’m in on it too. I also need a little pick-me-up by mid-afternoon. And sometimes that simply must be chocolate. We love my 10-minute chocolate cookie balls and for a non-chocolate option, my no bake oatmeal raisin cookie balls. Recently, though, these raw brownie bites are all I’ve been making because we cannot get enough!
They are rich with chocolate flavor, chewy, sweet and seriously satisfying. And I love that these little bites of chocolate goodness are just 5 wholesome ingredients and only take 10 minutes to make! Perfect for afternoon snacking!
These little brownie balls are really hearty too, thanks to the walnuts, so they’re great for filling up our hungry bellies. (Otherwise, we’d all be looking for another snack in an hour. ) They are naturally sweetened, too, with the sweetness of the dates and just a touch of either honey or maple syrup. AND, they’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly so they work great for play dates and parties if you have an assortment of dietary restrictions.
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make date brownie bites. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on raw brownie bites:
I strongly advise taking the time to cut up your dates after you remove the pit. It helps them break down more easily in the food processor without clumping and sticking to everything and not getting chopped. You can use honey or pure maple syrup for this recipe. I’ve made them both ways and they are equally delicious. You could also try using agave syrup if that’s what you have on hand. Or you can try them without that tablespoon of added sweetener. I think it needs that extra hint of sweetness for balance, even if you have really sweet dates, plus it’s just one tablespoon. But your tastes might be different! It helps to wet your palms with a little bit of water before rolling these up so the balls stick to themselves, not to you. You can rinse your hands off and wet them again if needed halfway through rolling these. You can easily double the recipe if you are making these for a bigger group.
These keep great too. You can store extra brownie balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, if they last that long. Oh, and if you want to send one to school in your kids’ lunch box or pack one for the office or an on-the-go day, we adore these small containers. I bought them back when I was doing all of my kids homemade baby food, and we have kept them because they come in handy so often for small snacks like this.
I hope you give these date brownie balls a try to satisfy your snacking needs. Or for a healthier Valentine’s Day chocolate trip. (I have a whole collection of healthy chocolate recipes if you are looking for more inspiration.) Enjoy! XO, Kathryn P.S. Check out these other yummy snack recipes that use dates:
- Healthy peanut butter energy balls
- No bake chocolate chip cookie balls
- Cranberry chocolate walnut energy balls
- Pumpkin cranberry energy balls
- No bake blueberry oatmeal cookie balls
I strongly advise taking the time to cut up your dates after you remove the pit. It helps them break down more easily in the food processor without clumping and sticking to everything and not getting chopped. You can use honey or pure maple syrup as the sweetener for this recipe. I’ve made them both ways and they are equally delicious. Or you can try them with agave syrup if that’s what you have. (You can try making these without any of those added sweeteners but even with very sweet dates, I find the recipes needs that extra sweetness to be well balanced. And it’s just 1 tablespoon.) You can easily double or triple the recipe if you are making these brownie bites as a snack for a bigger group.
Cuisinart DLC-8SY Pro Custom 11-Cup Food Processor, White New Star Foodservice 42917 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups Combo, Set of 8
