No-Bake Date, Nut, and Cranberry Balls
Spoiler Alert: This recipe was created by this week’s podcast guest, airing tomorrow.
Double Spoiler Alert: Bryant Terry is this week’s podcast guest.
If you’re a One Part Podcast listener, you’ll know that at the end of every podcast, the guest offers up a plant-based recipe. Usually it’s a link to a recipe from a planty all-star site like The First Mess or Minimalist Baker. But since I’m so obsessed with Bryant’s new book, Afro-Vegan, I decided to let myself choose a recipe from his own book for his contribution. Rude? Maybe a little. But he was down with it!
We actually landed on two dishes, and these Date, Nut, and Cranberry Balls were the first recipe we discussed. You’ll have to hear our interview and head back here next week to score the second dish.
As Bryant says in the interview, if you can boil water, you can make these. They are super simple to make (no baking required!). You just need a food processor and a little restraint to not eat all of the batter. Because they are absolutely delicious. Which is really no surprise, since everything I’ve made from Afro-Vegan so far has been a hit.
{ Date, Nut, and Cranberry Balls }
recipe by Bryant Terry from Afro-Vegan
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
Put the dates in a small, heat-proof bowl and add boiling water to cover. Cover and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain well.
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the almonds, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, and salt – and pulse until very finely ground. Add the dates and process until the mixture is a well-blended, sticky mass. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the cranberries, and throughly mix with your hands. Clean your hands but leave a little wet. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls (about the size of walnuts) between your palms. You may need to remoisten your hands halfway through if they get too sticky. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to a month.
NOTE: Bryant also suggests that, if you’re an adult and you live in Colorado or Washington State, add a little plant-stank to these (he used the word “cannabis”), for its aphrodisiac qualities. To do this, combine 1 cup coconut oil with 1/4 ounce finely ground, high-quality dried cannabis buds in a small skillet over low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Strain the coconut oil and add a few teaspoons of it to the food processor along with the dates, saving the remaining oil for another use.
Get more of Bryant’s recipes in his book, Afro-Vegan.
And don’t forget to tune into this week’s podcast to hear our interview.
