Coconut Date Balls

November 27, 2012Teresa Ambra

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We LOVE these fantastic little Coconut Date Balls. Each bite is filled with the luscious flavors of dates, coconut, pecans, and Rice Krispies so they have plenty of flavor, plenty of sweetness, plenty of crunch, plenty of satisfaction in every bite! While they take a little work the outcome and appearance of these little cookies is so beautiful and pleasant.

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One of the nice things about these cookies is that you cook them on top of the stove rather than in the oven. Then you stir in the Rice Krispies and a few other ingredients and roll the mixture in coconut. While my recipe is for dates, I’m sure any kind of dried fruit would work with this basic recipe such as apricots, dried cherries, blueberries, or craisins, even stuff like dried mango or pineapple might work if you enjoy those flavors. As they are, these cookies are so sensational I’m sure you’ll love them as much as our family does.

I first tasted these cookies during my first Thanksgiving meal away from home shortly after I got married. My mother-in-law at the time, Beth, served these and several other recipes (like Berry Mallow Yam Bake), a wonderful Burnt Caramel Pie and several other wonderful recipes that we just loved and I got the recipes for (of course!)

She called them Skillet Cookies and that’s really what we refer to them as, but in order to be more descriptive for my blog followers I have changed the name to Coconut Date Balls since that’s really what they are.

I used to like the fact that these could be a gluten free option for friends and family, but it’s very difficult to locate Rice Krispies without barley malt flavoring or malt flavoring these days (circa November 2017). So unless you can locate a truly gluten free cereal, this recipe will not be gluten free.

Coconut Date Balls are a scrumptious no-bake cookie that are festive and beautiful for holiday entertaining. These cookies are also gluten free if you use trueRice Krispies cereal. Coconut Date Balls or “Skillet Cookies” aredelectableholiday cookies that are a delightful tradition in our home. I hope they become a tradition with your family during the holidays, too.

When I first posted this recipe in November 2012, I had only been blogging a few months. I was using a poor quality iPhone 3 for a camera and all my pictures were grainy, out of focus, and overly busy with Christmas decorations.

I remade these cookies for our Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2014. (November 2014.) I shot some new pictures so you could seemore detail in these lovely cookies. I made them again for our Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2016. Everyone loves these jewels and would be disappointed if we didn’t make them every year! 🙂

I remade this recipe again for Christmas 2017 and snapped a few new pictures for presentation, but kept the older pictures that showed the step-by-step process. This time I didn’t use Rice Krispies. I used a truly gluten free rice crisps cereal without the malt flavoring, since I have several on my baking list who need gluten free options. These are still some of the best cookies you’ll ever eat. I enjoyed mine warm. 🙂

Coconut Date Balls are amazing. We love to make these for Christmas cookie gifts every year.

Coconut Date Balls havedates and pecans in a Rice Krispie texture and then covered in coconut.

No bah humbug at our house! We love sharing these treats with others.

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients.

Melt butter over a low heat. And, I really mean LOW!Whisk eggs together and add to butter in skillet. If the heat is too high you will cook the eggs, so you really have to have a low heat to make this work. Add sugar and dates.

Stir to combine.With a potato masher, mash the dates down while slowly cooking. This will take at least 10-20 minutes depending on your heat. You don’t want the mixture to scorch and you certainly don’t want the eggs to cook and become scrambled eggs! This is one of those recipes you kind of have to baby along.As the mixture continues to cook the dates will start breaking up and become soft. I continue to mash while cooking to break the dates up into small pieces.

Cook date mixture until thickened and the pieces are small due to mashing.

After the dates finally get soft, turn off heat. Add vanilla, Rice Krispies and nuts and stir into the mixture.

Stir all ingredients together. Cool a few minutes.

In order to roll these easily you MUST have moist hands.Place a water bowl next to your coconut bowl and Rice Krispie mixture and keep your hands moist while rolling.Shape the date mixture into a ball a little smaller than a golf ball.

Place ball in a bowl of coconut and roll, pressing the coconut into the date mixture as well as possible.

Place the date ball into coconut and roll to cover with coconut. Thecheap Wal-Mart brand of coconut actually adheres to the date mixture better than name brands – perhapsbecause they are alittle drier. It’s important that you keep the coconut dry and not let water drip into it from your hands. That helps the coconut adhere more easily.

Place Coconut Date Balls on a tray with waxed paper when finished. Allow to set before serving.

Pack these up quickly or you won’t have any to share with friends. They are THAT good!

Coconut Date Balls are such festive, beautiful cookies. Your company will go crazy over these family favorites.

Coconut Date Balls are perfect for Christmas Cookie Exchanges and other holiday parties.

Here’s the recipe.

(Recipe adapted from Beth Ambra, former mother-in-law, Louisiana, MO)

Teresa Ambra

Coconut Date Balls are festive, elegant and beautiful for Christmas Cookie Exchanges. This no-bake cookie is great for holiday entertaining. It contains dates, pecans and Rice Krispies and is rolled in coconut. We've made these delicious goodies for over four decades and they are still everyone's favorites during the Christmas season.

4.15 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Calories 128 kcal

Equipment

2 large sheet pans
waxed paper to place cookies on when finished
1 large stock pot
1 potato masher
1 wooden spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
2 mixing bowls

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups rice krispies (I used a true gluten free rice crisps cereal without malt flavoring)
1 cup coconut or as desired, to roll the cookies in

Instructions

Melt butter in large sauce pan; add eggs, sugar and dates.
Cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Slowly mash dates with potato masher while cooking.
Turn off heat.
Add pecans, vanilla and Rice Krispies.
While warm, roll and shape in small balls.
Roll in coconut.
Place on waxed paper.
Keep hands moist while rolling.

Notes

NOTE:This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free Rice Krispies. But these are very difficult to locate since most brands use barley malt flavoring or malt flavoring. I purchased these at Sprouts. But Whole Foods and Trader Joe's may also carry a truly gluten free rice krispie cereal.

NOTE:My mother-in-law referred to these as "Skillet Cookies."

NOTE:It is helpful to keep the coconut dry while rolling the date balls into them. If you drip too much water from your hands into the coconut it will no longer adhere to the date mixture.

NOTE: Keep your hands moist while rolling balls.

^© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 24mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.5mg

Keyword coconut, cookie, dates, dessert, rice krispies

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

[b]Coconut Date Balls[/b]

Recipe Type: Cookies, Brownies and Bars

Cuisine: American

Author: Teresa Ambra adapted from Beth Ambra, my former mother-in-law, Louisiana, MO

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 30

This no-bake cookie is great for holiday entertaining. It contains [url href=”http://www.amportfoods.com/products.html” target=”_blank” title=”amport foods dates”]dates,[/url] pecans and [url href=”http://www.ricekrispies.com/” target=”_blank” title=”rice krispies”]Rice Krispies[/url] and is rolled in coconut.

Ingredients

1 stick [url href=”http://www.landolakes.com/” target=”_blank” title=”land ‘o lakes butter”]Land ‘O Lakes[/url] unsalted butter
2 beaten eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup [url href=”http://www.amportfoods.com/products.html” target=”_blank” title=”amport foods dates”]Amport Foods [/url]chopped dates
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups [url href=”http://www.ricekrispies.com/” target=”_blank” title=”rice krispies”]Rice Krispies[/url]
Coconut

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet, add eggs, sugar and dates.
Cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Slowly mash dates while cooking.
Turn off heat.
Add pecans, vanilla and Rice Krispies.
While warm, roll and shape in small balls.
Roll in coconut.
Place on waxed paper.
Keep hands moist while rolling.

Notes

This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free Rice Krispies.[br][br]My mother-in-law referred to these as “Skillet Cookies.”[br][br]It is helpful to keep the coconut dry while rolling the date balls into them. If you drip too much water from your hands into the coconut it will no longer adhere to the date mixture.

We can’tforget to keep Santa and his reindeer happy!

Coconut Date Ballsare so wonderful for holiday entertaining. Everybody loves them.

If you enjoy Rice Krispie treats, you will love Coconut Date Balls!

Pina Colada Cookies

Coconut Raspberry Bars

Iced Coconut Pecan Bars

Coconut Date Balls

Teresa Ambra

4.15 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Cookies, Brownies and Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Calories 128 kcal

Equipment

2 large sheet pans
waxed paper to place cookies on when finished
1 large stock pot
1 potato masher
1 wooden spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
2 mixing bowls

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups rice krispies (I used a true gluten free rice crisps cereal without malt flavoring)
1 cup coconut or as desired, to roll the cookies in

Instructions

Melt butter in large sauce pan; add eggs, sugar and dates.
Cook over low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Slowly mash dates with potato masher while cooking.
Turn off heat.
Add pecans, vanilla and Rice Krispies.
While warm, roll and shape in small balls.
Roll in coconut.
Place on waxed paper.
Keep hands moist while rolling.

Notes

NOTE:This recipe is gluten free if you use gluten free Rice Krispies. But these are very difficult to locate since most brands use barley malt flavoring or malt flavoring. I purchased these at Sprouts. But Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s may also carry a truly gluten free rice krispie cereal.

NOTE:My mother-in-law referred to these as “Skillet Cookies.”

NOTE:It is helpful to keep the coconut dry while rolling the date balls into them. If you drip too much water from your hands into the coconut it will no longer adhere to the date mixture.

NOTE: Keep your hands moist while rolling balls.

Nutrition

Keyword coconut, cookie, dates, dessert, rice krispies

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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66 Comments

Robin
January 2, 2021 at 1:25 pm
I just made these and I need help? 🥲 mine didn’t stay together! What did I do wrong? I hope you answer me!!
Thank You,
Robin
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 4, 2021 at 5:15 am
  Hi Robin. I don’t know how these don’t stick together unless you allowed the recipe to cool to much for rolling into balls.
  Reply
2. Bridy
  December 22, 2022 at 9:29 pm
  Mine did not stay together either
  Reply
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  3 Ingredient Christmas Candy Recipes { Obligatory Thanksgiving Post }SUSUMELLE (CALABRIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES)Banana Cranberry Bread
  1. Teresa
    December 24, 2022 at 8:04 am
    Hi Bridy. We’ve never had a problem with this recipe staying together. We do cool it slightly because it’s too hot to handle right after cooking. And we always wet our fingertips before rolling each ball so that usually helps everything stick together well.
    Reply
3. Lu
  December 24, 2022 at 11:08 am
  After you get everything mix together you have to let it Cool! It’s a must ! Good luck
  Reply
  1. Lu
    December 24, 2022 at 11:18 am
    I only use 2 Tabs of butter, 2 +cup’s Rice Krispies . Mix all together.Make sure you let mixture cool before you try to roll into balls. Or they don’t form balls.
    Reply
Simptreat.Com
May 21, 2020 at 9:49 pm
Any idea what the sugar fat grams or the calories are? Trying to figure out how to make these diabetic friendly for my iftar.
Reply
1. Teresa
  May 22, 2020 at 9:09 am
  I’ve added the nutritional info. That is based on using 2 cups of coconut (to roll the date balls in) for every batch.
  Reply
Kenneth
December 3, 2018 at 1:01 pm
My grandmother made these every year at Christmas. They are so amazing. To me they taste old worldly if that even makes sense? Absolutely delicious. Grandmother called them “shaggy dates.”
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 3, 2018 at 1:18 pm
  They really are terrific Christmas goodies, Kenneth. I’ve never heard the term “Shaggy Dates” before, but it sure makes sense. These are one of our most requested Christmas Cookie recipes each year. 🙂
  Reply
Marianne
December 12, 2017 at 8:12 am
Is there any way to omit the egg?
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 12, 2017 at 6:13 pm
  Hi, Marianne. We’ve never made this without the eggs. I believe vegans try using flaxseeds mixed with water, but I’m not sure how those would turn out.
  Reply
Anonymous
December 17, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Learned to make these in Home Ec 40 odd yrs ago they were called Angel cookies then. One of the best cookies I ever ate. Still one of my favorites.
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 17, 2016 at 6:03 pm
  Yes, they are some of our favorites as well. We make them every year for Christmas.
  Reply
2. Shereen Anis
  December 2, 2018 at 9:27 am
  Can you make these ahead of time and how long with they stay for? Also, will the rice krispies soften if I do?
  Reply
  1. Teresa
    December 2, 2018 at 10:09 am
    Hi, Shereen. We’ve made these every year for Christmas for the last 40 years. We usually freeze them and they seem to do really well. I recommend packing the in plastic containers with waxed paper separating each layer of cookies.
    Reply
Anonymous
November 30, 2016 at 6:38 pm
I love this recipe! I make them every year. I omit the sugar because the dates and coconut are sweet. The taste is superb!
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 1, 2016 at 4:13 pm
  They really are family favorites. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.
  Reply
Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2014 – Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen
January 16, 2016 at 3:49 pm
[…] Here are the cookies before adding the Coconut Date Balls. […]
Reply
Christmas Cookie Extravaganza – 2013 – Can't Stay Out of the Kitchen
January 16, 2016 at 3:46 pm
[…] only thing that we have made every single year, except the first year, are the Coconut Date Balls which are such a favorite we’d get an earful if they weren’t included. I didn’t […]
Reply
michelle
December 25, 2015 at 12:39 am
I made these today! We always call them no bake date cookies My Grandma’s recipe only calls for two tbls of butter. We roll them in powdered sugar and flatten with a glass. Add a pinch of salt just to curb the sweet. (I didn’t…needed) YUMMY!
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 25, 2015 at 10:16 am
  So glad you enjoyed them Michelle. We love these cookies for the holidays, too.
  Reply
pattie
December 20, 2015 at 12:30 am
We make these at Christmas every year. I stir in some chopped marischino or candied cherry after I’ve cooked the dates for some added festive color. (note: If you use marischino’s you need to drain them really well or they won’t stick to the balls.) Yum-o!
Reply
1. See Also
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  Teresa
  December 20, 2015 at 8:39 pm
  Oh, I love the idea of maraschino cherries inside, Pattie. We’ll have to try them that way some time. Yum, indeed! 🙂
  Reply
Darlene
December 19, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Look no further bakers. This is the PERFECT recipe for Coconut Date Balls. PERFECTION INDEED. Made a batch yesterday to give to my friend who needed 5 dozen cookies for Sunday church service – my good deed for the day. Today I just finished making another batch for my hubby. This recipe is identical to my Mom’s recipe that she made for us as wee children. A wonderful recipe passed down from generation to generation.
Thank you for sharing Teresa.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Darlene in Nova Scotia, Canada
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 19, 2015 at 5:44 pm
  Thanks, so much for your sweet comments, Darlene. You made my day! We really love this recipe and have made it almost every year for Christmas for over 35 years! It’s always one of the favorites that get picked out of our Christmas cookie baskets first!
  Reply
Lizzy
March 18, 2015 at 4:29 pm
. . . oh, and to keep our hands from sticking to the balls, we would rub them down with butter!
Reply
1. Teresa
  March 18, 2015 at 4:33 pm
  Great idea, Lizzy. Thanks for the tip.
  Reply
Lizzy
March 18, 2015 at 4:28 pm
I have been making this forever, my Nannie used to make them. The super fun thing to do was get some food coloring and color the coconut. We’d mix ’em up and invent all sorts of colors, they made a beautiful platter for parties!
Reply
1. Teresa
  March 18, 2015 at 4:32 pm
  Oh, Lizzy, I LOVE the idea of coloring the coconut. That would make a beautiful holiday tray with greens and reds. I’ll have to try it the next time we make this recipe. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
  Reply
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Marsha
December 28, 2014 at 8:19 pm

Reminded me of my grandmas skillet cookies. Loved them. I just used half a stick of butter. Also used a cookie ball scoop so didn’t stick to hands.
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 28, 2014 at 8:28 pm
  Great idea, Marsha. We’ll have to try that sometime. Glad you enjoyed the cookies.
  Reply
BLee
December 20, 2014 at 5:28 pm

Awesome recipe!!!! Not a fan of coconut so I rolled in confectioners sugar. Water trick – VERY helpful. I’ve tried to make these before with an old recipe from my aunt but they always started falling apart during th rolling process. THANK YOU!!!!!
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 20, 2014 at 8:35 pm
  Thank you so much. I’m so glad they worked for you with the confectioner’s sugar instead of coconut. We’ve made this recipe every year for the past 35 years and my husband is usually the one who ends up making it. He asked me to include all the tips that he uses when he makes it. So when I updated the recipe last month, I included those tips. I’m glad you found them helpful. Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know you enjoyed them.
  Reply
dani
December 13, 2014 at 7:00 pm
They are so, so good! The directions are awesome. The tips are so helpful ensure they come out right (example: hands must be most to roll them out). Thanks so much.
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 13, 2014 at 9:05 pm
  I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Dani. We make these jewels every year for Christmas and everyone just loves them.
  Reply
Steve
December 7, 2014 at 8:05 pm
too many pages in print out.
Reply
1. Teresa
  December 8, 2014 at 7:17 am
  Steve, the print option in the easy recipe card should only print the one page.
  Reply
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November 22, 2013 at 11:06 am
[…] 64.Coconut Date Balls […]
Reply
PlantBasedDietAdventures
January 24, 2013 at 7:00 pm
OH…MY…YUM!
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 24, 2013 at 7:20 pm
  They really are fabulous.
  Reply
Eliza’s dishes
January 21, 2013 at 6:45 am
Amazing!
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 21, 2013 at 9:56 am
  They are so delicious. Hope you try them sometime.
  Reply
  1. Eliza’s dishes
    January 21, 2013 at 3:09 pm
    Sure will!!!!
    Reply
peaceloveandsmoothies
January 20, 2013 at 12:07 am
I love dates!
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 20, 2013 at 6:41 pm
  me, too!
  Reply
Tami
January 13, 2013 at 2:03 am
I made these tonight. Do they need to be stored in the fridge?
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 13, 2013 at 7:17 am
  Not necessarily for a few days, but it won’t hurt to store in the frig.
  Sent from my iPhone
  Reply
TastingWanderlust
January 9, 2013 at 1:59 pm
OMG I can’t wait to do these for a dinner party. Coconut, dates, and crunch? yum!
Reply
1. Teresa
  January 9, 2013 at 4:51 pm
  They are so wonderful. We love these treats. You may want to look at all the little tips we’ve made in the blog post about making them. It will help the process some. They are amazing. They freeze really well, too. Your company will love them.
  Reply
  1. Lauressa
    December 23, 2015 at 5:44 am
    To freeze, do I complete ball even in coconut before I freeze?
    Thanks
    Reply
    1. Teresa
      December 23, 2015 at 8:56 am
      Hi, Lauressa. Yes, I would freeze them totally made (which is the way I usually do it). Thaw about an hour before you want them ready to go. You can freeze in zip lock bags or in plastic containers. Have a Merry Christmas.
      Reply
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December 31, 2012 at 9:21 pm
[…] published (mostly recipes). I am still not even half way through posting all our family recipes! Coconut Date Balls had the most looks, likes, comments, etc., of a family recipe that I posted this […]
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jacsspace
November 28, 2012 at 10:40 pm
oh my goodness!! This look and sound delicious!! I will be making these for christmas. =)
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 29, 2012 at 11:34 am
  Please let me know how they turn out!
  Reply
petit4chocolatier
November 28, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Triple yummy!!!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 28, 2012 at 8:47 pm
  Sure are amazing.
  Reply
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Tamara Leigh: The Kitchen Novelist
November 27, 2012 at 7:59 pm
You had me at “coconut.” And dates–yum!
Reply
1. Teresa
  November 27, 2012 at 11:26 pm
  This recipe is so-so yummy! You will love it.
  Reply