I have a deep love for pistachios and chocolate. Here, we prepare energy balls made from dates and pistachios, all coated in chocolate and a pinch of flaky sea salt. These energy balls are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth as a snack or dessert.
This recipe was developed in collaboration with TasteUSA.ca, which represents over 40 American trade associations providing Canadians with high-quality American foods.
Let’s be honest, the United States is the closest country to Canada and allows us to enjoy foods that aren’t always available in Quebec. For this recipe, I chose Medjool dates and pistachios, two ingredients that I love and that are produced in the United States, meeting the same reliable food safety standards as here.
Date, Pistachio and Chocolate Energy Balls
14
servings25
minutes30
minutesI have a deep love for pistachios and chocolate. Here, we prepare energy balls made from dates and pistachios, all coated in chocolate and a pinch of flaky sea salt. These energy balls are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth as a snack or dessert.
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups shelled and unsalted pistachios from USA
13-14 Medjool dates from USA, pitted (1 ¼ cups)
1 tablespoon cacao powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
Flaky sea salt to garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse 1 ¼ cups of pistachios for about 20 seconds to finely chop them, making sure not to turn them into powder. Remove 1 tablespoon of crushed pistachios and set aside for decorating the energy balls.
- Add 13-14 pitted Medjool dates, 1 tablespoon of cacao powder, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Pulse until you achieve a sticky texture (about 1 minute). The goal is to fully incorporate the dates into the mixture.
- Form approximately 14 equal-sized balls with your hands. Rinse your hands with water as needed; this will make it easier to create the balls. Set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, add ¾ cup of chocolate chips and 1 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dip each ball into the melted chocolate, using 2 forks to handle the balls and ensure you remove the excess of chocolate.
- Place the chocolate-coated balls on the parchment paper.
- Decorate with the reserved crushed pistachios and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chocolate hardens.
- Store the energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- You can replace ½ cup of pistachios with ½ cup of natural almonds (also grown in the U.S). In this case, you will need ¾ cup of pistachios + ½ cup of almonds for the recipe.
