Don't judge a recipe by its dates (Oatmeal date balls)

An army of oatmeal date balls (private photo)

Some of the ingredients (private photo)

Oatmeal DATE balls.

I avoid dates because I dislike their texture and taste. I once had to fight the urge of spitting my half-chewed hors d'oeuvre at a formal event. I confess to having refused to try many deserts and dishes for this reason. This, however, all changed after a forceful co-worker made me try her date squares. She convinced me that date paste doesn't have that same texture and isn't overwhelming when prepared with the right ingredients. She was absolutely right. I couldn’t believe anything that delicious could be made with.. DATES! Alas, my aversion to eating whole dried dates is still existent but the right recipe might change that one day.

I've been craving those date squares for months now and I was really excited when I found THIS recipe from Life without dairy on Pinterest. If you are like me and are skeptical that dates can make a good desert, you absolutely must try these date balls (life changing, I tell you!!). 

Note: To make the paste with half a cup of water, I had to double the number of dates indicated. I’m no expert in dates but I guess they come in different varieties so go with what looks right to you!

Alternative: I didn’t have agave syrup at my disposal and used a quarter cup of maple syrup (and because I’m Canadian) instead. I also did not include the cinnamon or vanilla extract.

These are truly delicious, I hope you try them and give me some feedback!

Enjoy! xx

If you missed the link, the recipe I tried can be found here at Life Without Dairy.

Date ball mix (private photo)

YUM! (private photo)

I had to resist the urge to taste.. (private photo)

Rows of delicious date balls (private photo)