I never knew when I bought whole dates that it meant there were seeds in them… I just thought it meant the dates were unchopped. WRONG.
I had decided to make a Christmas treat that uses dates and started chopping the whole dates only to realize there were seeds in them! I removed the seeds and was back in business chopping dates.
These are a favorite of mine. They aren’t really a cookie and not really a candy. My mom made them when I was kid and even as kid I liked them. Here’s the recipe for Yum-Yums.
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup butter
Mix and heat 6 minutes. Add 2 cups Rice Krispies and 3/4 cup chopped nuts. Mix. Let cool a bit. Form into ball and roll in coconut.
That’s it….Enjoy!
Oh thank you , I will try those.
This is also a recipe from my childhood! I can never make them as good as my mom can. I have trouble with the whole date mixture getting hard before you roll them into balls – maybe I have been cooking the mixture too long. Do you ever have that problem?
P.S. We just always called them Date Balls!
Hi Jo!!
We also made these!! I’ve never met anyone else who made them before now! We also just called them ‘date balls’ lol.
To Mary Jo B. above: don’t overcook the mixture and also, don’t use pre-chopped dates! Those have corn starch or something coating the little pieces to keep them from sticking to each other and so it changes the recipe/consistancy!! (I found that out the hard way!!) Also, roll fast, and keep the mixture warm: set your saucepan in a large bowl of very hot water. Works better than direct heat…no burning on the bottom.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Oh! And, Joelle, thank you!! I lost this recipe about 20 years ago and have been making a different (read ‘substandard’!!) version. I’m so happy to have the original recipe again!! ❤
Ugh….. auto correct… My Dau-in-law’s name is Joelle! I know yours isn’t! JO!! LOL