Recipe 3: Tiger Nut Sweets

When I first read the words Tiger Nut I immediately thought of the worst case scenario - Oh no, I really hope this recipe isn't similar to Rocky Mountain Oysters - which are deep fried bull testicles. Luckily, it's not even close. Tiger Nut Sweets refers to a mix of fruits, nuts, honey and spices. It's appearance is similar to a tuber root with the same name. Tiger Nut Sweets are one of the earliest desserts and were given as a gift to show appreciation similar to the modern day hostess gift. 

This vegan, gluten free, no added sugar recipe is almost more of a snack than a dessert. I've actually seen a few energy bars with the same ingredients. To really satisfy my sweet tooth and make the original recipe more of a dessert, I opted to coat them with chocolate instead of honey.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole pitted dates
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup shelled walnuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 oz of chocolate
• 2 tablespoons of whole milk or cream
• 1/3 cup ground almonds

 Finely chop the dates. In a medium bowl add dates and stir in 1 tablespoon of water until mushy.

Finely chop walnuts. Mix cinnamon and walnuts with dates.

 Shape the (very sticky) date mixture into balls.

Add the milk and chocolate to a double boiler and melt. You can also use a microwave, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds until melted. Set aside to cool.

Roll the date and walnut balls in the chocolate until completely covered in a thin layer. Roll the chocolate covered balls in ground almonds until coated.