Baklava-inspired pistachio date balls are filled with warm flavors from cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and orange extract. Chopped pistachios and Medjool dates are the perfect combination for a no-bake energy bite snack.
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I've been really craving baklava lately. When I looked at my stash of pistachios and dates an idea struck me for a quick and easy fix!
I love using Medjool dates to help with sweetening and holding everything together in coconut date balls and cocoa date truffles. So it was a no-brainer to used them in these baklava bites too!
These energy balls are rolled chopped pistachio for a nice crunchy outside with a softer inside. After some testing, I feel like the spice combination gets just the right balance of bright and warm flavors that remind me of a good baklava square.
Ingredient Notes
You will need these simple ingredients to make date and pistachio balls:
Pistachios are my favorite nut to make these baklava-inspired date bites. I've also tried a mix of pistachio and walnut, which is just as delicious. There are endless opportunities though like almonds, hazelnuts, or even sesame seeds.
Medjool dates are the other piece of the puzzle for this recipe. I recommend measuring the dates in grams after you've pitted them as they can vary quite a bit in size.
I really love to go all out on the spices for this recipe. The combination of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and a little bit of orange extract deliver that classic baklava flavor.
The recipe card below includes the full list of ingredients + instructions.
How to Make Pistachio Date Balls
- Soak dates in hot water to help soften them.
- Process pistachios into small pieces.
- Remove Medjool dates from water and process into a paste.
- Combine chopped pistachio, spices, and date paste.
- Portion the date and pistachio mixture with a scooper and use your hands to roll them into balls.
- Roll each ball in extra chopped pistachio.
Enjoy your date pistachio balls right away or store them in the fridge for later! At first they are a bit soft but the texture will firm up slightly once refrigerated.
I love eating these as a sweet snack with a piece of dark chocolate. They are also delicious served with fresh citrus or berries like cuties or strawberries.
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Pistachio Date Balls
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water for soaking dates
- 75 grams pitted Medjool dates about 5 dates
- ½ cup unshelled pistachios
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom see notes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves see notes
- ⅛ teaspoon orange extract optional
To Coat Outside
- ¼ cup unshelled pistachios
Instructions
- Boil 1 ½ cups water on the stovetop or microwave it in a glass measuring cup for about 3 minutes. Be very careful removing it from the microwave, I use oven mitts.
- Place 75 grams pitted Medjool dates into the hot water. Let them soak for about 10 minutes until they are softened. If your dates already feel soft to begin with, you can skip this step.
- While your dates soak, place ½ cup unshelled pistachios into a food processor or blender. Process until they are broken into small pieces but not completely ground to a powder.
- Add the chopped pistachio to a small mixing bowl. If you see any pieces that are considerably larger than the rest, feel free to break them apart with your hands or pick them out to process again.
- In the now empty food processor, add ¼ cup unshelled pistachios and process into even smaller, coarse pieces. Set this aside in a small bowl to roll the date balls in later.
- Add ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, and ¼ teaspoon ground clovesto the chopped nuts and combine with a spoon.
- Use a fork to remove the soaked Medjool dates from the water. Reserve the water.
- Process the dates until they are mostly smooth. If needed, you can add a bit of the water from soaking them. You don't want to add to much though or the date balls will be very soft.
- Add the processed dates and ⅛ teaspoon orange extract to bowl with the spices and pistachio. Mix until everything comes together.
- Use a teaspoon sized scooper to portion the pistachio date mixture into 12 pieces. Each portion should be about 14 grams.
- Use your hands to roll the pistachio date pieces into smooth balls.
- Roll each pistachio date ball in the ground pistachio.
- You can enjoy the pistachio date balls is immediately or let them chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Notes
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* The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy will vary on specific ingredients and brands used.
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