• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Cupboard Collective - Chez Nous
  • Home
  • About Chez Nous
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking & Desserts
    • Breakfast
    • Canning and Preserving
    • Casseroles
    • Homemade Staples
    • Meat
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Skillet Dinners
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Local Producers
  • Retail Therapy
    • Cookbooks I Love
    • Kitchen Appliances
    • Kitchen Tools
    • Kitchen Linens
    • Thrive Market
  • Contact Page
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Retail Therapy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Retail Therapy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Baking & Desserts

    Date Nut Snowballs

    Published: Dec 18, 2020 · Modified: Jan 9, 2024 by Tammy Circeo · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Yum
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    Date Nut Snowballs on a platter to serve

    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 cereal, coconut, and walnuts in a large bowl

    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.

    ingredients for the syrup for the Date Nut Snowballs

    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!

    Pouring the date syrup mixture over the crispy rice, coconut, and walnut mixture

    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!

    The syrup mixture combined with the crispy rice, coconut, and walnuts

    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.

    Use a cookie scoop to form the balls, then roll in coconut

    Et voila! A mound of Date & Nut Snowballs ready to be devoured!

    Close up of Date Nut Snowballs

    Recipe

    Date Nut Snowballs on a platter to serve

    Date Nut Snowballs

    Tammy Circeo
    I got this recipe from my mother-in-law who called them Swedish Wedding Cookies. I've changed the name to avoid confusion with Pecan Sandies, which are also called Swedish Wedding Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Teacakes ... They seem to have an identity crisis!
    Crunchy and sweet, these little snowballs are a quick snack, a great addition to a holiday cookie platter, or a lovely gift for friends and neighbors.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 7 minutes mins
    Total Time 27 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 45 cookies

    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.
    Keyword dates, nut, snowballs
    Yum

    More Recipes for Baking and Desserts

    • Vanilla Bean Flan
    • Orange Marmalade Cake with a slice cut out.
      Orange Marmalade Cake
    • A baking dish with Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding and a serving on a small blue and white plate
      Old Fashioned Bread Pudding
    • Sourdough Skillet Cobbler with ice cream
      Sourdough Skillet Cobbler

    About Tammy Circeo

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gwendolyn Pridemore

      December 14, 2023 at 9:54 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Tammy Circeo

        December 14, 2023 at 11:10 am

        I love your mom's suggestion for gifting and serving!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    logo
    Food Advertisements by
    Headshot of Tammy.

    I have always loved nurturing and feeding people. My cooking style is influenced by my Southern parents, time living in Europe, and the foods available in the Pacific Northwest, where I lived for over 20 years. I cook from scratch and strongly support local farms and producers, believing that food plays a pivotal role in our quality of life.

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Popular Recipes

    • A jar of Provencal Tomatade garnished with basil, and accompanied with fresh bread.
      Provençal Tomatade
    • Chicken with Tomato Tarragon Sauce in a braising pan.
      Chicken with Tomato Tarragon Sauce
    • Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella on a white French platter with a vintage silver serving spoon.
      Cantaloupe Salad with Prosciutto & Mozzarella
    • A white platter full of Basil Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
      Basil Parmesan Potatoes & Garlic Aioli
    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Photos & Recipe Sharing
    • Commenting Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Tammy Circeo