Attention, sweet-tooth victims: The holiday season has arrived. There will be parties, and those parties will have more delicious desserts than your mind could ever dream up. For those wanting to avoid processed, calorie-heavy treats, Christmas chocolate balls serves as a healthy alternative.

Christmas chocolate balls resemble the classic Oreo-balls, cookies and chocolate truffles commonly found on the Christmas dessert table spread. The dish is all-natural and processed sugar free, and consists of walnuts, shredded coconut, vanilla, raw cacao and pitted dates. High in nutritional value, the dates are used to substitute unhealthy ingredients such as sugar, as the fruit is naturally sweet-tasting.

I was introduced to this dish by my aunt, who found the original recipe from the health food blog titled “The Kitchen Remix.” At family gatherings, we have welcomely replaced Oreo balls with the healthy dessert. The cookie balls are satisfying for a sweet tooth and do not make you feel sick after eating them.

For your next Christmas season party, cook up a triple order of this simple recipe and enjoy the guilt-free dish. No longer will you find yourself six chocolate-chip cookies deep at your next holiday party, with a bloated belly to display the evidence.

Christmas Chocolate Balls

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts (raw)

1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

8 oz. pitted dates

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons raw cacao (preferred) or 4 tablespoons cocoa powder

Stevia for sweetness, if preferred

1. In a high-powered blender or food processor, blend the walnuts until they are tiny chunks.

2. Pour coconut and continue blending.

3. Add all other ingredients and blend.

4. Roll the mixture into balls and refrigerate. Serve cold. The recipe makes approximately 12-15 balls.

Mikayla is a freshman in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].