Dried Beans and Dates Energy Balls

For those who want to satisfy their sweet cravings with healthy snacks, I have a wonderful recipe: Date and White Bean Bites! Using beans in a dessert might sound a little unusual, but once you taste them, you won’t believe how delicious they are. Plus, there’s no refined sugar in this recipe—only dates are used as a natural sweetener. But what’s the real difference between refined sugar and dates? Let’s take a closer look.

Refined Sugar or Dates?

Refined sugar is a processed food that spikes blood sugar rapidly and can cause sudden drops in energy. In the long run, it has been linked to health issues such as insulin resistance, diabetes, and weight gain. Dates, on the other hand, are a natural sweetener. Thanks to their fiber content, they allow blood sugar to rise more steadily. They also provide nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, and iron, making them a more nourishing option. So while dates do contain sugar, they are a much more innocent source compared to refined sugar.

Choosing the Right Chocolate

The choice of chocolate in this recipe—sweetened or unsweetened—is entirely up to you. Using sweetened chocolate increases the sweetness level but also introduces refined sugar into the recipe. If you go for unsweetened chocolate, you can keep the recipe completely refined sugar–free. Unsweetened chocolates are usually higher in cocoa content, offering a more intense flavor and being richer in antioxidants.

Flavor

You might find the use of beans in a dessert odd and worry that their smell or taste might overpower the recipe. That’s an understandable concern. But at this point, let me remind you that beans and chickpeas are also used in the traditional dessert aşure. If you don’t like aşure for that very reason, think of my gluten-free brownie recipe made with beans, or even my mock candied chestnut recipe. Beans, as long as they are not combined with onions and tomato paste, have a mild and neutral taste. They work perfectly as a high-protein alternative to flour, which is a high-carb ingredient commonly used in sweets.

In this recipe, the beans allow us to create a dessert that is higher in protein compared to typical date-based energy balls—such as those made with oats (high in carbs) or dried fruits (high in sugar). Thanks to cocoa, chocolate, and hazelnuts, the dominant flavor is cocoa and hazelnut. This way, you’re essentially enjoying a healthier, lighter, hazelnutty chocolate treat.

Tips

• It’s important to use large, soft Medjool dates. If you only have smaller dates, use about 10 of them to get the same result.

• After cooking the beans, drain them well and, if possible, blot them with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This ensures a denser consistency.

• If you process the hazelnuts too finely in the food processor, you’ll get a doughy texture. Leaving them a bit chunky will give a nice crunch.

• Freezing the balls slightly before dipping them in chocolate helps them firm up and prevents them from falling apart.

• For serving, garnish with extra hazelnut pieces on top for both flavor and presentation.

In conclusion, this recipe offers a fantastic alternative that is both healthy and sweet, without the need for refined sugar. You can enjoy them with tea or coffee, or simply indulge during your sweet cravings without any guilt.

Enjoy…

Bon appétit…