Haroset Balls
This is a passover recipe based on Sephardic Haroset Bites, the Kitchn’s Medjool Date and Apple Charoset, and several haroset recipes in Claudia Roden’s Book of Jewish Food (but especially the Italian one on p.621). I put it together one year for a change from my more traditional haroset recipe.
As usual, haroset is very forgiving, so don’t let the quantities worry you.
Ingredients
- ½ lb. dates
- ¾ c. golden raisins
- 2 granny smith apples, peeled
- ½ c. sweet red wine or sweet vermouth
- 1 ½ c. mixed nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and/or chestnuts)
- ½ c. almond flour or meal (optional)
- honey to taste/consistency (optional)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ginger
Directions
- Optionally, soak dates in liquid.
- Dice all fruit very small or food-process.
- Optionally toast nuts and chop to taste.
- Combine all ingredients.
- Adjust liquid, almond flour, and honey as necessary to get the desired consistency and sweetness.
- Optionally refrigerate overnight, now or after rolling.
- Roll into balls using 1 T. per ball.
- Optionally, roll balls in coconut or ground pistachio.
Variants
Substitute a sweet white wine for the sweet red, or use juice and adjust sweetness with honey or sugar.
Add horseradish, cayenne, clove, nutmeg, and/or zest to taste.
Substitute figs and/or prunes for some or all of the dates. Substitute a sweet apple or pears for the apples.
