These make a perfect after-dinner treat to follow a Middle Eastern or Asian meal. They are also a somewhat exotic-tasting energy ball and great for keeping the chocolate at bay when a sweet craving hits! To round things off, these are also gluten and dairy free, so ideal for those on specialist diets. Thanks to Bethany Kehdy for the inspiration for these from her book The Jewelled Kitchen.

Makes 12 |  15 mins

Ingredients

• 12 pitted dates
• 3 dried apricots roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar)
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 tbsp pistachios
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Blend the dates, apricots tahini and cardamom in a food processor for 1-2 mins until it resembles a thick paste and the ingredients are fully combined.
2. Put it in the fridge to firm up for 10 mins or so.
3. Meanwhile, blend the pistachios to a fairly fine powder and pour into a shallow bowl.
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 1-2 mins until golden and put these in another bowl.
5. Pour the coconut into a third shallow bowl.
6. With wet hands, mould the date paste into 12 round balls, about the size of a walnut in its shell.
7. Roll each ball in a different coating until it is well covered. You can of course use just one or two of the coatings in which case increase the amount accordingly.
8. Transfer to a plate and serve.
9. These can be stored in a plastic container lined with baking paper and kept in the fridge for up to a week if they don’t all get eaten immediately.