Let's make a date! [Energy Date Balls]

A date to go gluten-free, that is. It's kind of the pits. Ok, I'm done with the puns.

Lately I've been craving sweets, probably because I've drastically reduced the amount of carbohydrates I've been eating. There's a lot of processed shit in gluten-free products, and after my initial gluten-free bread binge, I've decided to try and minimize my GF bread/cracker/pasta/etc. intake. So for now, it's going to be fairly limited to Free Bread, which is probably the best GF free, if not THE BEST bread I've ever eaten. Can't get enough. Seedy, hearty, filling but without the fillers. Da best.

But I digress. I had heard of date balls, aka "energy bites" before, and figured now is the time to give them a go. A little sticky, very sweet, but they'll do the trick. For now, anyway.

you'll need...

Medjool Dates (10)

A splash of almond milk (optional)

2 tablespoons of nuts or seeds (I used 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and 1 tablespoon of almond slivers)

1/2 cup of GF rolled oats (or regular rolled oats, if that's your thang)

1 cup of coconut flakes

to make:

De-pit 10 Medjool Dates .

Add to food processor along with half the GF oats (Trader Joe's GF Oats are awesome).

Pulse to combine. I added in a splash of almond milk to help the mixture not stick to food processor.

Add in the rest of the oats (feel free to add more, a tablespoon at a time if too sticky to handle) along

with any seeds or nuts you're including.

Pulse again for a few seconds (20-ish?). Mixture should be well combined.

Scoop up a tiny bit, about the size of ping pong ball. Roll in your palms and then roll in the coconut flakes. Pack coconut into ball by continuing to roll (gentle with the balls!).

Continue until you've used up all the date mixture. I made about 12. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Enjoy your date with your dates :)

#glutenfree #sweets #homemade #snacks #dates #coconut