These old fashioned cookies are delicious and one we prepare every Christmas season! I have been enjoying these date bites since I was a child… that is a really long time! My family loves dates, and we incorporate date recipes throughout the year, plus dates taste great no matter how they are eaten! Dates have been enjoyed by people for thousands of years and were incorporated in a variety of recipes throughout the 1800’s because dried fruit always kept much longer than fresh. Dates yield a naturally sweet flavor and pairs wonderfully with coconut in these Snowball Bites or Snowball No Bake Cookies!
I love that these can be prepared quickly and are a no bake cookie – just combine everything in the saucepan on the stove, add crispy rice cereal and then roll into coconut (hence “snowballs”), and voila, a delicious treat – super easy and fast to make!
Let’s get started!
First, we need to combine the butter, sugar, eggs, salt, dates, and vanilla together and cook until smooth. There may be a few pieces of uncooked dates which is totally fine.
Add crispy rice cereal and stir well.
The mixture should look somewhat like this. Let cool slightly and then roll into balls.
I actually use a cookie scoop to scoop some of the date mixture and place into shredded coconut and then roll. You can also use desiccated coconut or even colored coconut.
Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let set a few hours. They are now ready to eat! You can also place in an airtight sealed container and freeze. To eat, remove as needed from freezer and set on platter. They do not take long to thaw. These are yummy and one of my favorites!
For our platter of Christmas baking that we enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then again for New Years, we place the Snowball Bites into mini muffin liners – either colorful or seasonal liners work great – which makes it so much easier to grab from the platter of delicious homemade baking to enjoy!
Snowball Bites or Snowball No Bake Cookies
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
pinch salt
1 cup chopped dates
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup shredded coconut
Combine butter, sugar, eggs, salt, dates and vanilla together. Cook until creamy. It is perfectly fine if some dates do not cook completely down. Add cereal and stir well. Roll into balls or using a cookie scoop, scoop date mixture and roll into coconut. Place on parchment paper and let set for a couple hours. Remove from parchment and place in a freezer safe container. Freeze up to 3 months. To eat, simply remove from freezer and thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. These freeze wonderfully and taste great any time of the year!
What are your favorite date recipes?
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours