[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]
Get the Recipe
Yes this is my second raw recipe in one week, but it's not because I've stopped baking all together. It's because Medjool dates are so inherently delicious that I'll eat one and wonder why I eat anything else.
In fact I wouldn't be surprised if dates coined the term "honeyed sweetness." They really do have a rich, deep, honey flavor that pairs incredibly well with a touch of the golden syrup itself. With those two ingredients as a base, I made a mix with walnuts, a nut that has enough body to stand up to the dates but a soft enough flavor to play second fiddle, and sesame seeds, because I love the sesame-honey candies that are big in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean.
I pulsed the ingredients in the food processor until they became a pretty smooth paste, then scooped it into tablespoons and rolled those into balls. To add crunch and make the "cookies" more visually appealing, I rolled each one in sesame seeds. Keeping the balls in the fridge for an hour makes them easy to eat—they're soft and chewy but not sticky.
OK, enough with the technique. Is this the part where I tell you I ate a half dozen a day for three days and I had to stop myself at six? Is this the part where I get to gush about how easy they were to make and how well the flavors paired? I have to warn you this may be the part where I get all romantic and say they taste like a warm summer sunset over the Aegean.
Speaking of sunsets, these will be the perfect sweet bite to serve after dinner.* I'll put them on a small colored plate in the middle of the table, one for each person to nibble while they drink their strong espresso.
*Especially those long, lingering summer dinners. Is it July yet?
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