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    Home » Food » Snacks

    Dark Chocolate Date Balls

    Published on February 3, 2020 ᛫ Updated on May 24, 2020 by Chef Markus Mueller

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    dark chocolate date energy balls in a bowl
    dark chocolate date balls in a white bowl

    What's not to like about energy balls? These dark chocolate date balls are packed with nutritious ingredients meant to boost your energy during the day. It's hard not to enjoy them.

    Jump to Recipe

    While many energy ball recipes are meant to be super healthy and not so sweet, (like these peanut butter protein balls) this recipe adds a little extra sweetness to your day. By using a combination of dried dates, cocoa powder, and honey, these energy balls are the perfect treat for a special snack.

    vertical picture of dark chocolate and date energy balls in a white porcelain bowl

    This post contains affiliate links for which we may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read our affiliate disclosure.

    The Perfect Sweet Treat To Add To Your Day

    After reviewing a copy of Madame Labriskis' cookbook 'Fuel Your Day!', I was inspired to incorporate dried dates into some of my favourite snack foods in order to take advantage of their natural sweetness as well as nutritional power.

    While dates do have quite a bit of natural sugar, they are also loaded with iron, vitamin B6, potassium, and magnesium, making them the perfect candidate to be used in energy balls as a sweetener

    Since the flavour of the dates can quickly become dominant, I thought what better way to mask that, (and encourage my kids to eat these) then by adding chocolate!

    dried dates in a glass bowl

    Are these chocolate date energy balls healthy then?

    Well... sort of. These energy balls do contain more sugar than other recipes due to the dates and the honey. That said the recipe takes advantage of natural sweeteners and no processed ingredients making them a better option than store-bought snacks.

    Too much of one thing is never good for you anyway, so if you make these chocolate date balls, add them to your rotation of energy ball flavours, an occasional sweet treat won't hurt you!

    What Do You Need?

    As with most energy ball recipes, you'll only need a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have at home if you cook or meal prep from scratch. You'll need:

    • 1 cup Dried Dates - soaked in water
    • ¾ cup Rolled Oats
    • 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
    • 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
    • ¼ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
    • 2 tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter
    • 1 tablespoon Raw Honey
    some of the ingredients needed to make chocolate date balls on a wood board background

    How To Make Them

    Soak the dried dates in warm water for about 5 minutes to help soften them up. Drain the water from the dates once soaked, then chop them up with a chef's knife, or blitz them in a blender or food processor.

    Related:  Peanut Butter Protein Balls

    Measure out the remaining ingredients and mix them in with the chopped dates. The mixture should be firm, and tacky, and slightly crumbly, but not wet.

    Form the mixture into small bite-sized balls, then chill them in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.

    • ingredients for chocolate date balls being mixed in a metal bowl
    • the chocolate date ball mixture ready to go
    • chocolate date balls being formed by hand an placed on a sheet tray


    How long do these chocolate date balls keep?

    Since there are no ingredients in the recipe that will quickly go bad(such as dairy, eggs, vegetables, etc), these energy balls will easily last up to two weeks in the fridge. That is if they even last that long!

    If meal prepping, you can easily double the recipe and freeze half of the chocolate date balls for later.

    More Energy Ball Recipes

    • Peanut Butter Protein Balls

    Made the recipe? Comment & Rate it below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest

    dark chocolate date balls in a white bowl on a wooden tabletop

    Dark Chocolate Date Balls

    Chef Markus Mueller
    Using dried dates, cocoa powder, and peanut butter, these delicious little chocolate date balls are the perfect sweet treat to add to your weekly meal plan or snack rotation.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Chilling Time 10 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Snack Food
    Cuisine Canadian
    Servings 12 energy balls
    Calories 103.5 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup Dried Dates soaked in water
    • ¾ cup Rolled Oats
    • 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
    • 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
    • ¼ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
    • 2 tablespoon Natural Peanut Butter
    • 1 tablespoon Raw Honey

    Instructions
     

    • Soak the dried dates in warm water for about 5 minutes to help soften them up. Drain the water from the dates once soaked, then blitz them in a blender or food processor.
      dried dates chopped on a wooden cutting board
    • Measure out the remaining ingredients and mix them in with the blitzed dates. The mixture should be firm, and tacky, but not wet.
      the chocolate date ball mixture ready to go
    • Form the mixture into small bite-sized balls, and chill them in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
      chocolate date balls being formed by hand an placed on a sheet tray

    Notes

    • Each chocolate date ball contains about 10 grams of sugar.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 103.5kcal

    Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

    Keyword energy ball recipes with dates, energy balls
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Snacks

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    • Maple Candied Walnuts
    • Peanut Butter Protein Balls
    • Homemade Beef Jerky
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sabrina

      February 09, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      5 stars
      I love a treat made with wholesome ingredients and natural sweeteners. Great energy bites for a day of skiing, thanks!

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        February 17, 2020 at 1:26 pm

        You're very welcome! These would be perfect to bring skiing!

        Reply
    2. Elaine

      February 05, 2020 at 4:07 pm

      5 stars
      Kids LOVE these! I feel better letting them have sweet treats like this one that are packed full of other nutrients!

      Reply
    3. Matt - Total Feasts

      February 05, 2020 at 3:47 am

      5 stars
      I'm always looking for tasty snack food, especially ones that are better for you than those bought in a store. Can't wait to try!

      Reply
      • Chef Markus Mueller

        February 17, 2020 at 1:28 pm

        You're welcome Matt! I hope you enjoy them!

        Reply

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    Red Seal Chef Markus Mueller. Owner of Earth, Food, and Fire

    Chef Markus Mueller

    Hey there! Welcome to Earth, Food, and Fire where you'll find delicious and easy to follow recipes, backyard gardening info, and everything you want to know about cooking from scratch at home.

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