More Recipes You'll Love
Cherry chocolate balls are the cross between a granola bar and a cake ball this family designed around u-pick cherries: a date, cocoa, and honey purée folded with ground macadamias and pecans, sliced almonds, and a full cup of chopped cherries. Baked low and slow at 275°F, they come out firm enough to pack and sweet enough to feel like dessert without a drop of refined sugar.
Pro Tips
- Rehydrate the dates properly — cover with boiling water for 15 minutes, then strain — or the purée stays gritty and won't bind the balls.
- Pulse the macadamias and pecans to a fine, grainy texture and stop there; a few more pulses and you have nut butter, which makes the batter greasy.
- Fold the sliced almonds and chopped cherries in by hand; the processor would shred them and you lose the cake-ball texture you're after.
- The flip matters: 30 minutes at 275°F, turn every ball, then 20 to 30 minutes more — both sides need direct heat to firm up.
- Thawed frozen u-pick cherries are the intended move; pit and freeze at harvest, and they chop cleanly all year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried cherries instead of frozen?
Fresh or thawed frozen is what the recipe was built on; dried cherries work but rehydrate them like the dates first, or the balls turn dense and overly sweet.
Why bake them at such a low temperature?
275°F dries the balls to that firm, snackable bite without scorching the honey and dates — this is a low-and-slow set, not a real bake.
Are cherry chocolate balls paleo?
Fully — dates, cocoa powder, honey, three kinds of nuts, and cherries. No grains, dairy, or refined sugar anywhere in the bowl.
How firm should the finished balls be?
Firm to the squeeze and dry-ish on the outside after the second bake — if the centers still give, return them for another 10 minutes; they tighten as they cool.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1.
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees
- 2. To rehydrate dried dates, cover with boiling water for 15 minutes, then strain.
- 3.
- Add dates, cocoa powder, and honey to food processor and purée; set aside.
- 4.
- In a clean food processor, pulse macadamia and pecan nuts into a fine grainy texture, pour mixture into bowl with set-aside wet ingredients.
- 5.
- Fold sliced almonds and chopped cherries into batter, mixing thoroughly.
- 6.
- Roll out 1½ inch balls and place on greased (or lined) baking sheet.
- 7.
- Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes.
- 8.
- Flip each ball and return to oven for 20–30 minutes until balls are firm.
