Cacao Tahini Date Balls
These Cacao Tahini Date Balls feature a short list of brain-healthy ingredients all rolled into satisfying, not-too-sweet, 2-bite snacks. And, they come together easily: just whiz all the ingredients in a food processor and roll into balls.
A better-for-you sweetener: Medjool dates
Dates are undoubtedly one of the sweetest dried fruits so it seems counterintuitive that they’d be part of a brain-healthy diet. Although they are high in sugar (mostly fructose and glucose), they also provide beneficial nutrients like calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 and fiber. That’s why sweetening foods with dates is far better than using white sugar, which had no nutritional value.
Of all the hundreds of varieties of dates, Medjool dates provide the highest amount of polyphenols—potent antioxidants important for brain health. Dates have even been studied (in animals) for their ability to reduce amyloid plaque formation in the brain, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s too early to tell if the polyphenols in dates can actually help prevent Alzheimer’s in humans; more studies are needed.
Dates are rich in fiber
It’s the fiber content of Medjool dates—about 1.6 grams per date—that balances their sweetness, serving to slow down the absorption of their natural sugars into the bloodstream. Sweets that are high in fiber are less likely to spike glucose and insulin in the bloodstream. Chronically elevated blood sugar is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Is cacao the same as cocoa powder?
Because cacao powder is less processed than most cocoa powders, it retains more of its beneficial nutrients. The term “cacao”, however, is now often used as a marketing term and may not mean anything at all. Be sure took look for natural cacao or cocoa powder, aka un-Dutched cocoa powder. Avoid Dutched or Dutch-process cocoa products, which are alkalinized to improve shelf life and remove any bitter flavors. This processing also strips the cacao of its brain healthy flavanols, the antioxidants that give chocolate its ability to keep blood vessels elastic and healthy. I source the best cacao powder from my favorite online grocery store: Thrive Market.
Tahini and sesame seeds provide sesamol
My recipe for Cacao Tahini Date Balls is a riff on the template published in Love and Lemons Everyday. I also love makig their Matcha Pistachio, P B & J, Cookie Dough, and Carrot Granola Date Balls. I wanted to create a chocolate and tahini date ball that’s not too sweet, and warmly spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. Besides cacao powder, I added hazelnut flour and sunflower seeds. The finished date balls get rolled in sesame seeds to add flavor and crunch. Both the tahini and the sesame seeds provide sesamol, an antoxidant thought to be beneficial for brain health.
Here’s a simple formula for creating your own Date Balls
Start with: 10 Medjool dates, pitted + 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Add 1/3 cup creamy nut or seed butter: tahini, cashew, almond, sunflower, or peanut
Add 1 1/2 cups of an oat or nut flour, or shredded coconut: oat flour, hazelnut flour, almond flour, or shredded coconut
Choose a spice or other flavors: cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon zest, turmeric, matcha powder
Adjust for sweetness: pure maple syrup, raw honey
Coat the Date Balls: chopped nuts, berry powders, matcha powder, natural cacao powder, sesame seeds, shredded coconut
Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
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- 10 Medjool dates pits removed
- 1 1/2 cups hazelnut flour
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Ingredients
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- Put all ingredients except the sesame seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the dough becomes sticky and pinches easily together, adding more water if necessary.
- Place the sesame seeds on a pie plate or rimmed baking sheet.
- Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the dough and roll into a ball with your hands. Compress to make sure the dough holds together.
- Roll in sesame seeds.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The date balls will keep for up to 5 days.
Substitute almond or oat flour for the hazelnut flour.
Find Medjool dates at the grocery store in the produce section or online at Thrive Market.
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