Apricot

Apricot, Date, and Cashew Snack Balls

by:
September  2, 2014
4
6 Ratings
Apricot, Date, and Cashew Snack Balls
Photo by Alpha Smoot
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Makes 14–16 Balls
Author Notes

This is an easy, fast, and delicious recipe for anytime snacking. You can use walnuts, almonds, or cashews, but my personal preference is for cashews, which have a sweet, buttery taste and a texture that's hard to beat. Most recipes for snack balls feature dates and nuts alone, but I like the complexity of flavor that apricots add here. —Gena Hamshaw

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cashews, walnuts, or almonds
  • Generous pinch sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups pitted Medjool dates (about 15 or 16 dates)
  • 1/4 cup dried apricot
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
  1. Process the nuts and sea salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade till the nuts are coarsely ground.
  2. Add the dates, apricots, almond butter, sesame seeds, and cinnamon. Keep processing the mixture until it's starting to stick together a bit. When you can squeeze a handful and it sticks together nicely, you're done.
  3. Roll the mixture into balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the fridge or a week outside the fridge.
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13 Reviews

FS
FS September 11, 2018
This recipe sounds delicious - cashews and apricots!
 
NC
NC September 3, 2018
I used almond butter, skipped the sesame seeds, and used soaked dried figs (ran out of dates). They were great.
 
krikri
krikri June 7, 2016
This was good. Even without a food processor it wasn't difficult. Used peanut butter instead of almond butter. Would be easy to substitute with things you have on hand - spices, nuts, dried fruit.
 
The I.
The I. March 6, 2016
So good and chewy! Not greasy at all. Like a healthy cookie dough ball. I subbed cashew butter because have a small amount left that I need to use up. Worked great!
 
Tawny
Tawny March 2, 2016
Perfect and easy. Not greasy at all. Kept to the recipe except for using white chia seeds instead of sesame seeds because that's what I had on hand.
 
Erica
Erica January 9, 2016
I used 1 cp of cashew meal from Trader Joes that I had in the fridge - and left out the almond butter to alleviate some of the greasiness I read about. These are really good! I love the idea of eating them in the morning - healthy yet slightly decadent.
 
Can I.
Can I. November 18, 2015
These are so good! I made them with almonds and didn't find them greasy at all.
 
nannydeb
nannydeb August 3, 2015
Easy, delicious and nutritious! Snacking on them at work today. Thanks for a great recipe!
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. January 18, 2015
Subbed the apricots & cashews for cranberries & pecans, then rolled them in granola (which then made them easier to form!) I agree that they were a little oily, but that's an easy fix.

As far as the cacao nibs experiment Chris mentioned, I didn't use them this time, but next time I will with dried cherries. I think the solution to them not working is to roll them in the nibs instead of processing them in the mixture.
 
Wendy R.
Wendy R. January 10, 2015
these were really good! a little oily. so i pressed each ball into a paper towel. I did a few less dates too because i dont like things to be so sweet. but very easy to make and tasty
 
Charl U.
Charl U. October 9, 2014
I'm sitting here writing this review while chewing away on these. They are simply amazing. The recipe is SO easy and they came together beautifully. I made these while I was making dinner (that's how quick and easy they are to make). Will try a 1/2 t cardamom next time (as per Chris' suggestion below)
 
silverspringcat
silverspringcat September 9, 2014
Oh I do love these. They are a breeze to make and I am thinking they will last a while in the freezer where I can just pop one out for snack.
 
chris
chris September 5, 2014
These are a marvelous breakfast option, that can be handed out in the car, on the way to school! They came together quickly, in the Cuisinart, and were easy to roll into balls. I followed the recipe exactly, the first time. Next time, I added a 1/2 t cardamom, which worked well, and 1 T cacao nibs, which didn't!