This week, I am challenging myself. For as long as I can remember I have been VERY weak when it comes to anything sweet or chocolate. I NEED it. Like every single day, I need to have chocolate or dessert. Chocolate bars, donuts, cinnamon rolls, cookies, cakes, you name it.
So, I decided this week to see how long I can last without any artificial sugar. That is, I will only allow myself to satisfy my sweet tooth on homemade healthy snacks.
Here it goes, first recipe down. I am so proud of it because I completely improvised. I LOVE dates and they do satisfy sweet urges. But I wanted to incorporate a vegetable in some way. That’s how I transformed my pumpkin into pumpkin purée with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg and voila. The best healthy sweet snack.
P.S. I still have pumpkin purée lying around the fridge. Can’t wait to use it in something else 🙂
Pumpkin Date Balls
Preparing the pumpkin purée takes around 45 M
Ingredients
- For Pumpkin Purée (we need 3 tsp for this recipe, the rest you can store in a glass jar in the fridge):
- 1/2 Pumpkin (peeled, seedless, and clean)
- 2 TB Honey
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 TB Coconut Oil
- 2 TB Maple Syrup
- For energy balls:
- 1 cup Date Paste (softened)
- 8 TB Coconut Powder (for coating)
- 3 tsp Pumpkin Purée
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat Oven at 170 degrees
- Step 2 Once the pumpkin has been cleaned, cut into cubes and place on parchment paper on a tray and drizzle honey. Bake for 45 minutes or until once you cut it is very soft.
- Step 3 In the meantime, place the date paste in a ziplock in hot water so it can soften.
- Step 4 Remove the pumpkin cubes and place in bowl. Blend until very well puréed.
- Step 5 Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Mix well.
- Step 6 While puree is still hot, take 3 tsp and add to the date paste. Mix very well until the mixture is no longer too sticky.
- Step 7 Place the coconut powder on a plate since you will roll the balls here to coat them.
- Step 8 Take one TB of the mixture and roll with your hands then roll the ball in the powder until coated well. Place onto your serving plate or in Tupperware and leave covered at room temperature.