Chocolate Date Balls (Brownie Bites!)

chocolate date balls in a white bowl near walnuts and dates.

Chocolate Date Balls (Brownie Bites!)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate date balls, chocolate energy balls

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 90kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

Every time I make these chocolate date balls, I’m surprised by how much they really do taste like a rich, chocolate brownie. (Especially if you enjoy walnuts in your brownies.) They’re 100% fruit sweetened and you can whip them up in 20 minutes or less with 5 simple ingredients.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

1 ½ cups raw walnut halves (162 g)
1 cup Medjool dates (188 g; soft & squishy; pits removed)
¼ cup cocoa powder (24 g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (6 g)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (2 g)

Instructions

In a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, grind the walnuts into a fine meal.
Add in the rest of the ingredients, and process again until it looks relatively uniform, but still crumbly in texture. Be careful not to over process the mixture; as soon as the mixture sticks together when pressed between your fingers, it's ready to work with.
Scoop the batter by heaping tablespoons and roll the balls between your hand to shape. Place each ball on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate and repeat the process until you've made approximately 18 balls.
Store the balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 18 balls. This will vary if you get more or less balls out of the recipe. This information is automatically calculated using a generic ingredient database, so it's just an estimate, not a guarantee.

I prefer the taste of walnuts in these brownies, but feel free to use any other nut you like, including pecans or almonds. (Seeds may work, too, for a nut-free version.)
If you don't have access to dates, try making these with another dried fruit, like raisins, instead. The flavor will be different, but still tasty!

Update Note: I updated this recipe in 2025 to omit the option of rolling the balls in cacao powder, because we never make them like that anymore and it's an extra step you can skip. (We love faster recipes, right?) With that being said, you can roll these in anything you like, such as extra cacao powder or shredded coconut, if desired.

Nutrition