Brown Burrs: Date-Nut Balls

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Ever heard of “brown burrs”? This is an old reader recipe that we love. Think of them as small date-nut balls—cute and delicious and even naturally healthy. They’re great for any occasion. One year, we made them to hand out the door on Halloween and they were a hit with kids, too!

You can use different nuts; we like walnuts. The shredded coconut on the outside is optional; roll in the coconut for a festive snowball effect.

Photo Credit:

Nataliya Arzamasova/Shutterstock

Ingredients

1 pound dates, finally chopped

2 cups shredded coconut, divided

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons grated orange zest (or chopped candied orange peel)

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the dates, 1 cup of coconut, and the walnuts. (Note: You can use a meat grinder or food processor until finely chopped.) Add lemon juice and orange peel. Knead until well blended. Form rounded ½ teaspoonfuls of the mixture and shape into balls with your fingers.

Chop remaining 1 cup coconut until quite fine and toast very lightly to a delicate brown.

Spread the coconut on a plate. Roll balls immediately in coconut and set aside to dry.

Add extra coconut flakes for that snowball effect, pressing to coat.