To distract me a bit, I thought it was time for a taste of the tropics to transport us somewhere we don't need to shovel again! When I was home for the holidays, my mom had some dates she wanted to use. I took it as a mission to put them to good use ;)
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| Sugarplums dipped in chocolate |
We tried some Sugarplums, since visions of them were already dancing in our heads! I thought the orange zest in these would pair nicely with a hint of chocolate, so we dipped them in a little semisweet chocolate ;)
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| Choc-Dipped Fruit-Nut Balls |
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| Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bites |
These Pecan Pumpkin Pie Bites were my mom's favorite!! I'm not normally into traditional pumpkin pie, but these are little nuggets of heaven :) Be sure to check out Lauren's recipe, the only thing we did differently is to roll them in unsweetened coconut instead of pecans!
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| Tropical Balls |
Inspired by the bag of macadamia nuts my mom had, I came up with this version to transport us to a warmer climate...
Tropical Bites
Recipe by Shannon
Yield 20-24
heaping 1c roasted, salted macadamia nuts
2/3c dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4c unsweetened coconut
1t agave (or more)
1/2t vanilla extract
zest of 1 lime
1/2t lime juice (or more)
white chocolate, for dipping (I used ~1/2c white choc chips)
Pulse macadamia nuts in a food processor until they have been chopped. Add dates, coconut, 1t agave, vanilla and lime zest, then mix until mixture is well-blended. Taste, and add lime juice (or agave) until the mixture starts to ball up.
Remove mixture from the bowl and roll into balls, ~1" in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.
Melt white chocolate in a double broiler over low heat. Dip balls in chocolate and place back on parchment-lined sheet. Place somewhere cool (outside works, if you've got as much snow as we do ;)) until chocolate hardens, then store in the fridge in an airtight container. Enjoy, one at a time! Or two, I won't tell!
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