Nana's Recipe: Date Palm Christmas Cookies

Powdered sugar, dates, and pecans make for the perfect holiday treat, especially if you need something quick and easy to make with minimal effort! These Date Palm Christmas Cookie Balls are a delight to share at family gatherings, give away as gifts, or even enjoy on your own at home for a quick, sugary pick-me-up.

The first time I encountered Nana’s date palm cookie balls, I was asked to contribute a dessert to my third grade class for the holiday bake sale, and the requirement was a unique, family recipe that we could share. My mom opened up the family recipe book, looking for something simple and safe for a third grader, and voila! Cue the powdered sugar and no-bake cookie balls!

This is one of our favorite holiday treats because it’s gluten-free, kid-friendly and looks like it’s covered in snow. If you are looking for something savory and different this year, then I cannot recommend these Christmas Cookie Balls highly enough. Cheers to my sweet Nana for curating and sharing such a beloved recipe!

(Note: If you don’t like pecans, you can easily substitute pistachios or almonds instead. And if you need to make a vegan version, try using coconut oil or vegan butter as a substitute instead of the butter or margarine, at the same quantity).

Prep time: five minutes (or however long you need to find the ingredients)

Cook time: no cooking required, just a stove-top

You Will Need:

1. One cup of dates (chopped fine)

2. One cup of brown sugar

3. One stick of butter or margarine (melted)

4. Two cups of Rice Krispies

5. One cup of chopped pecans

6. One cup of powdered sugar

Directions:

1. On a stove-top with low heat: Mix the dates, sugar and butter together in a large pot or bowl for six minutes until the butter is fully mixed in.

2. Remove the bowl from the stove, and set aside to cool. While cooling, pour the powdered sugar into a separate bowl for rolling, later. After the date mix has cooled enough, mix in the rice krispies and pecans and stir until the mixture is thick and ready for rolling. (See photo below) And now sash off your hands, you will be molding the cookies into balls!

3. Scoop up a small portion of the date mix in your hands and squish it together until it holds its shape, then roll it into a ball. (Note: smaller balls are less likely to crumble while eating, as they can easily be enjoyed in a single bite!)

4. Once the proper shape has been formed and the cookie is sticking together well, drop the date ball into the bowl of powdered sugar and roll it around until fully covered. You can also sprinkle it on the top for a more controlled amount of sugar covering, which is my preferred method - the more sugar, the better, right?

5. Set the date palm cookie aside, and repeat the process until you have a plate full of them!

6. Serve them up immediately on a festive plate and enjoy them while they’re still warm, OR pack them away once they’ve cooled to room temperature and keep them for a snowy day!

My father’s favorite way to eat these Date Palm Cookie Balls is to have a small one with his usual morning coffee, as a sweet morning treat to get the day started. My favorite is a late midnight snack!

This year we made a huge batch to share with friends and family, and they’ve all agreed that the cookie balls are delicious - however, you need to make sure that you have a napkin handy to wipe off the powdered sugar from your fingers! Or you could end up with some white dusted sweaters and a snowy powdered sugar trail behind you...

Enjoy this family recipe, and Happy Holi-dates, my friends!

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