Monday, November 16, 2015

Date Nut Snowballs (How I Saved a Recipe from Disaster)

Sometimes, my favorite recipes come about by accident - and this is one of them!  A couple weeks ago, my husband and I had a potluck to go to, and I did a thing I know better than to do, but do it all the time anyway - - I decided to make something I'd never done before just because it sounded good.

This time around, I used this recipe for Date Nut Bars. It sounded simple, delicious and a bit out of the ordinary, and would travel well without needing to be kept warm or reheated.

Because many of those attending (including me) avoid gluten, we used some Bob Mills Gluten-Free Flour instead of white flour. We noticed as we made it that it didn't actually have a base for the bars - the flour is mixed in with the filling, rather like one of Bisquick's "Impossible Pies", and that's where things went a little wrong.

Due to, well, life, we were suddenly in a whirlwind of needing to get ready to go and it didn't appear to be cooking fully, and I was no longer sure they'd cool in time or even be edible.  I had no idea if it was the flour being used or the lack of a crust base or what but I was suddenly picturing a disappointing grocery store veggie platter as a Plan B.

My husband actually headed off to the store to buy more ingredients, while I finished off a couple other tasks before going to scrape out the baking dishes so we could try again.

Lo, and Behold!  In the 20 minutes or so we'd left them to cool, they'd set up quite nicely and tasting confirmed they were rich and tasty bursts of flavor.

The lack of a base was still a pretty huge problem, though - these were incredibly sticky, and I don't think anyone at the potluck would have loved having to run to the nearest sink to wash up after touching one of these.

The last step was supposed to have been dusting the bars with confectioner's sugar, and I mused a moment and then pulled apart one of the sticky bars into a small ball about 1/2" around.

They were sticky enough to easily shape into a ball, and were already cooked, so... I rolled it on a plate of confectioner's sugar to coat and set it aside.

It took about 20 more minutes to turn the whole platter into these lovely little morsels and they're rich enough that one tiny bite is a lot better than a whole bar at once.

They were a huge hit at our gathering, and I'll be doing this again for Christmas.  They travel very well, keep a good while in the fridge, and taste like what I figured 'sugarplums' did when I was a kid.

Oh... and I will be trying that original Date Nut Bar recipe again - but this time, I think I'm going to start with an almond flour base first.



26 comments:

  1. These sound delicious!! Pinning. Thank you for sharing the recipe. :o)

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  2. What a gorgeous snack! My kids would love trying these! So glad you joined us for Tuesday Talk!

    Elizabeth (All Kinds of Things)
    thislittlehomeofmine.com

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  3. Love when you can rescue a recipe going bad! They definitely look delicious.

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  4. Love how you turned it into a tasty treat. Sometimes those are the best kind.
    Thanks for sharing at Turn It Up Tuesday,
    Bev

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  5. Wow- I gotta try this! Looks delicious! Thank you!

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  6. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop

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  7. These are the best kinds of recipes :) Thank you for sharing this week on the Art of Home-Making Mondays!

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  8. This is such a different idea - I love it! Pinning and so glad you shared it on #fridayfrivolity today!

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  9. Very creative Lynda and congratulations on saving your recipe - that takes talent! They look delicious and perfect for the Festive Season. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at #WednesdaysWisdom. I hope to see you link up at our new linky #OvertheMoon starting December 7. Have a great weekend.

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  10. Awesome. These look great. yummy and pretty. Thanks for linking up to Simply Natural Saturdays.

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  11. Yum! I have saved a recipe once or twice LOL Thanks for sharing at the (mis)Adventures Mondays Blog Hop. I look forward to seeing what you share this week!

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  12. LOL! You created a special dessert by accident! LOL Love that! The best things sometimes come from what we think is a mistake. Happy mistake!

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  13. Wishing you and your family a bountiful Thanksgiving and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

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  14. Looks yummy....Thank you for sharing with us at #JoyHopeLive!

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  15. Yum! These look so good! They seem like the perfect winter snack! :) #SmallVictories

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  16. I love it when a baking 'accident' turns into something really delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this post with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.

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  17. these look delicious and easy!! Thanks for sharing on the Lazy Gastronome's Whats for Dinner party!

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  18. Clever idea Lynda! Growing up my mom would buy a date nut bar mix and we loved them. Have not seen it in years. Love the fun snowball idea! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  19. Smart move and sounds delicious!

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  20. Lol! Still looks like a great treat! Thanks for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday.

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  21. Good save! These sound delicious for any gathering. Thank so much for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party :)

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  22. Thank you so much for sharing with us at #JoyHopeLive!

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  23. That happens to me too sometimes!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Hope to see you again tomorrow!! Pinned!

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  24. Oh yummy now I'm hungry! ;P Love how you turned a near recipe-disaster into a recipe success!!

    Thanks for sharing at Friday Frivolity!! I hope you link up again this week. :D

    Pinning and tweeting.

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    1. PS Funny story, when I saw the headline of your post I read it as "date NIGHT snowballs..." ;P Which also sounds like it would be an entertaining thing to try... date night snowball fight anybody??

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