Date-Nut Snowballs

Step 1

ABOUT THE RECIPE:These quick-to-prepare, Date-Nut Snowballs are fun to serve at holiday time. A cross between a soft cookie and a truffle, I like to arrange them on a colorful plate, set them in the center of the table, and watch ‘em disappear! Makes 10 large truffles or 16 small truffles

Step 2

INGREDIENTS:2½ tablespoons unsweetened shredded dried coconut2 tablespoons vegan confectioner’s (powdered) sugar½ cup pecan halves, roughly chopped2 tablespoons maple syrup12 large Medjool dates, pitted and chopped⅛ rounded teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Step 3

INSTRUCTIONS:Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper. Put the coconut and sugar in a blender and process into a fine powder. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside.Put the pecans, maple syrup, dates, and pumpkin pie spice, in the order listed, in a high-performance blending appliance and process (by pulsing) to the consistency of soft dough. (You will need to stop the blending appliance once or twice to scrape the sides down.)

Step 4

Transfer the date mixture to a medium-sized bowl. (It will be very, very sticky!) Spoon out some of the date mixture, and roll it into a ball. Continue in this manner to form 10 large or 16 small “snowballs.”Roll each “snowball” in the coconut/sugar mixture until thoroughly coated and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, “snowballs” will keep up to 4 days.