This recipe for Date & Nut Snowballs comes from my mother-in-law who is a prolific baker and cook. She is of German descent, but probably got this recipe from an American friend who called these cookies Swedish Wedding Cookies. I'm not sure that any Swede would recognize them! And I've certainly never had them at a wedding, but then again, I've never been to a Swedish wedding!
In fact, a little stroll through the interwebs reveals that other people think that Swedish Wedding Cookies are, in fact, Pecan Sandies! Which, in turn, are also called Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Teacakes, Swedish Teacakes ... OY, my head hurts!
I'm not sure where my mother-in-law got the recipe, but I'm gonna go ahead and change the name just for the sake of my sanity and my post title! I hope you're all OK with that!
The secret ingredient
This recipe might be called Date Nut Snowballs, but it's not the dates or nuts that make the secret! It's the crispy rice! Yeah, dates are great. Nuts are yummy. But crispy rice? It's got it going on!
Crispy rice?! What is that?
Well, you and I know it from our childhoods as the brand name Rice Krispies. Isn't it wonderful, though, that there are wholesome, small farms producing a better quality alternative! For this, I used One Degree Organic Foods Sprouted Brown Rice - Crisps Cereal that I found at Sprouts. It has only FOUR ingredients and you can track the farmers who grew them. You can buy it on Amazon as well, but it is quite a bit more expensive.
Not to say that this is a healthy recipe, but if you're gonna splurge, you might as well make it as healthful as possible. Here, organic cane sugar is cooked with grass fed butter, a pastured egg, organic dates, and homemade vanilla extract.
Cook it over medium high heat until it thickens. You'll see it looking a bit foamy and you'll be able to pull the spatula across the bottom of the pot while still seeing the bottom. See how that looks foamy in the photo below ... it's just perfect!
Pour it over the crispy rice, coconut, and walnuts. If you'd like to use a different nut, do it! No one is holding you back. I would choose pecans, but these might be a Hawaiian favorite if macadamias were used! Who knows!
Tips on rolling Date Nut Snowballs
I tried all the things, man!
- I used a small spoon and tried to collect it all together into a small ball. But it kept sticking to my hands.
- Then I buttered my palms, but that only lasted through about three rollings.
- Finally, I got out my cookie scoop, buttered it, and when to town!
It worked best when I loaded the scoop as full as possible, pressed it against the side of the bowl or pressed it into the scoop with a spoon. I then dumped it out onto a platter of coconut bits to roll it.
Et voila! A mound of Date & Nut Snowballs ready to be devoured!
Recipe
Date Nut Snowballs
Ingredients
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup walnuts chopped small
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- dash salt
- 1 cup dates chopped small
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- coconut to roll the balls in
Instructions
- Put the crispy rice cereal, coconut, and walnuts in a large bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- Combine the butter, sugar, egg, salt, and dates in a small saucepan. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour the mixture over the crispy rice cereal, coconut, and walnuts. Stir together to mix well and allow to cool slightly.
- Form small balls using a cookie scoop and roll in coconut.
Gwendolyn Pridemore
I grew up in a Historically Swedish dominant community in Northport, Michigan, Mom always made "Date Nut Balls" at the Holidays! It was tradition! Always Rolled in Coconut or Powdered sugar so not to he sticky.
If you let them sit for a week or so Mom said they let the flavors meld together...just reroll in powder sugar or coconut if needed before giving away or putting out on dessert table.
Tammy Circeo
I love your mom's suggestion for gifting and serving!