Delicious Date Balls

Delicious Date Balls
This is a great recipe for combating summertime heat. It is a non-chocolate way to get your sweet fix! This recipe is from www.balancedyogi.com

1 cup whole dried pitted dates
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. brown rice syrup or honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. organic tangerine peel or orange peel
¼ cup blanched almonds chopped
¼ cup brown sugar, shredded coconut or ground almonds or peanuts for rolling

Chop the dates finely, mix the dates, water, rice syrup, vanilla, and tangerine peel in a small heavy skillet an cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated off and the dates are a thick mass. The thicker it is, the easier it is to work, stir in the almonds and let cool. When cool, form into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in sugar to get them dry enough to serve. You can vary this recipe by using other dried fruits like apricots or raisins with the dates. You can also use sesame or flax seeds instead of the almonds.