Vanilla Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe

Vanilla Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe

Today we are making a Vanilla Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe! What is Spumoni? Plural of the word Spumone, spumoni is a gelato flavor that comes from Italy. This is a “molded” gelato with a mix of different flavors and colors. Molded as in, it is served as a rectangular block or in some other shape. It has candied fruit and nut layers with typically three ice cream flavors that are mixed with whipped cream. Traditional spumoni today is a combination of cherry, pistachio and chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

So what would a no-bake bliss balls version of this flavor consist of?

Dried Fruits: Dried apricots, or any other similar dried fruit (to help bind the dough and add flavor).

Ice Cream Flavors: Pistachio, dried cherries, cocoa nibs. You could add some unsweetened cocoa powder if you’d like, but I chose to use a “vanilla” ice cream flavor so I used some vanilla extract, and added the cocoa nibs for an added chocolate flavor rather than full on chocolate-y cocoa powder.

Put it Together: Almond flour and dates help to create a dough and hold it together.

Why You’ll Love This Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe

Spumoni Ice Cream Flavor: The great thing about this recipe is that along with using natural and simple ingredients to mimic a popular ice cream flavor, these power balls are an easy snack for road trips, for a post-workout snack or a picnic!

Now that summer is approaching, the weather is perfect for taking a day trip. One main hassle of taking a trip though, is packing snacks for the whole family – whether it be a day trip, a picnic, a road trip or snacks for when you’re sitting on that airplane en route to your vacation destination!

I love making no-bake snack recipes because you know exactly what you added to the recipe and can provide a healthy option for everyone to eat. They’re also loaded with dried fruit, nuts and seeds, which can be quite filling. Plus, they don’t spoil easily and can be carried in a Ziploc bag or a small container in your bag!

Substitutions

Pistachios: Use roasted and salted pistachios. Do not substitute, as pistachios are a key ingredient in spumoni! I use Kirkland brand of pistachios, then de-shelled them before using in the recipe.

Dates: Use pitted, whole dates. Medjool dates or Deglet Noor dates are the best way to get natural sweetness in! They are super soft, have a chewy texture and a natural “caramel” taste. This is usually just the regular dates you will find at local grocery stores.

Dried Cherries: You can use dried cranberries instead. Look for a refined sugar-free option to keep the energy bites free of added sugars, as dried fruits already contain natural sugars as well.

These also act as a natural sweetener so there’s no added sugar in the recipe, along with the dates. They help to make the energy bites into a sticky dough to bind everything together!

Dried Apricots: I don’t recommend to substitute this, but spumoni technically doesn’t need dried apricots. However, they are a great way to add more sweetness, color and texture to the recipe. They go great when combined with the other ingredients! Alternatively, use more dates or another dried fruit.

Almond Flour: Grind up other neutral-tasting raw nuts, such as cashews to make cashew flour instead. Almond flour and cashew flour have a buttery taste when ground up. I use Kirkland brand of blanched almond flour.

Cacao Nibs: These are the raw form of chocolate chips. Alternatively, use vegan mini dark chocolate chips.

Vanilla Extract: I like to use a Madagascar, alcohol-free vanilla flavor. This is free of caramel color or other dyes, with a thicker texture and stronger smell.

Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe Notes

• Chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds will make a great addition for healthy fats and more protein to this recipe!
• Almond flour contains about 24 grams of protein per cup! You can substitute some of this with vanilla protein powder to make the recipe even higher in protein.

Video

More Healthy Snack Recipes & Sweet Treats

Toasted Hazelnut & Fig Balls: Toasted hazelnuts and dried figs bring a delicious flavor to these snack balls, using dates and pure maple syrup for sweetness.

Raspberry Lamington Bites: A Lamington is an Australian sponge cake coated in a chocolate sauce layer and rolled in shredded coconut. This recipe is a raw energy balls version of the favorite cake!

Raw Key Lime Pie Bites: This is like a raw key lime cookie dough bite! A little bit of lime zest with almond flour, dates and coconut make buttery energy balls.

Peanut Butter Cup Bites: These peanut butter energy balls are a basic recipe with natural peanut butter, maple syrup or date syrup, and raisins!

Mango Coconut Date Balls: This is another date energy balls recipe that makes the perfect bite with shredded coconut, coconut flour, dried mango and dates for a tropical flavor!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Bites: No Bake Peanut Butter Brownie Bites that are like a healthy one bite brownie made with three ingredients: peanuts, cacao and maple syrup!

If you make this Spumoni Date Protein Balls Recipe, then leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!