A few days ago I had the pleasure of having a lovely team from SWR television visit me at home again! We have a small article on the topic “Christmas gifts from the kitchen” rotated.
I have prepared three recipes that can be prepared quite quickly:
– Homemade pomegranate cider vinegar
– Gingerbread cream as a spread
– Christmas date balls with apple
All recipes use manageable ingredients and, in my opinion, can be done without any special kitchen skills. Plus, they’re great for giving as gifts, because you simply can’t buy something so delicious!
I published the recipe for pomegranate vinegar here a few years ago. I’ll show you the gingerbread cream very soon because it’s just too delicious!
But today it’s about these fine balls! They’re quicker to make than any Christmas cookie and they even don’t require an oven or processed sugar!
And if you want to watch it on TV, just tune in to “Treffpunkt” on SWR television on Sunday, December 7th, 2025 at 6:45 p.m. Or alternatively in the media library or YouTube. Afterwards I will of course link it here too Contribution.
I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed cooking in the kitchen! Tell me in the comments how you liked it and if you tried the balls!
Christmas date balls with apple and cinnamon
Ingredients for approx. 30-35 balls:
250g dates
100 g blanched, ground almonds
100 g apple chips
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 vanilla bean
Preparation:
First, core the dates and cut them into rough pieces. Place the date pieces in a fireproof bowl and pour boiling hot water over them and let them steep for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the apple chips as finely as possible in a small blender and place them in a large bowl.
Drain the swollen dates and set aside about two tablespoons of the soaking water. Now mix the drained date pieces in the blender to form a smooth paste. Depending on the freshness and basic moisture of the dates, add the soaking water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture cannot be pureed. But be careful: the whole thing should only be just moist. For very juicy dates, soaking is sufficient.
Now mix the date mixture with the apple chips, almonds and cinnamon powder. Scrape out the vanilla pod and add the pulp as well. Mix this mass until a uniform, homogeneous mass is created. This can take a few minutes and the mixture often seems too dry at first, but this clears up after a few minutes.
Then form small balls out of the mixture. These will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Bon appetit!
