Almond-Date Balls with Cinnamon and Ginger (Almond Pomace)

Almond-date balls with cinnamon and ginger offer a great opportunity to prepare almond pomace in a snack-ready form that fits well on any dessert plate.

White/brown almond butter: White almond butter consists of blanched almond kernels, while brown almond butter usually consists of roasted almonds with skin. As a result, the darker version has a more intense flavor, while the lighter version has a finer consistency and a milder aroma.
Almond butter is usually steam-treated and is not raw unless specifically declared, but there are also suppliers who have raw quality almond butter. Some of these products can also be found in health food stores.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is a liquid extract of vanilla with about 35% ethanol. The vanilla's aromatic substances are contained in a highly concentrated form. This is why vanilla extract has a sharp taste. Pure vanilla extract is always made from real vanilla pods.

Ginger: Ginger has an aromatic smell and a sharp, spicy taste, which is due to the substance gingerol, which is said to have anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects. The substances borneol and cineol give ginger its digestive, stomach-strengthening, antiemetic, appetite-stimulating and circulation-stimulating properties. The rhizome of ginger is used in cooking, in fresh, dried or ground form. Green or young ginger refers to the young harvested rhizomes, which have a milder taste and are not as woody.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a spice made from the dried bark of cinnamon trees. Cinnamon owes its aroma mainly to cinnamon oil, which consists of 75 percent cinnamaldehyde. In Europe, cinnamon is used as a spice mainly for sweet dishes and drinks, but in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine it is also often added to hearty dishes. Cheaper cassia cinnamon or Chinese cinnamon in particular contain high doses of coumarin, which is harmful to health. Since the amount of coumarin in the better Ceylon cinnamon is only about a hundredth of that, this is preferable.

Deglet Nour dates: Deglet Nour dates, also known as "fingers of light," are soft, juicy, and aromatic. If you soak the Deglet Nour dates in water beforehand, they will be creamier when blended. They will also lose some of their sweetness if you don't use the soaking water, which means you can influence the sweetness.

Almond butter varieties: Instead of white almond butter, you can also use brown almond butter. Brown almond butter has a more intense flavor, but the consistency of white almond butter is finer, which makes it easier to mix with other ingredients.

Use vanilla bean pulp: Instead of vanilla extract, you can also use vanilla bean pulp. Place the vanilla bean on a cutting board and cut it lengthways with a sharp knife. Use the back of the knife to scrape out the inside of the bean. The pulp will then stick to the knife. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to scrape it out. For a similar aroma, you should use about two vanilla bean pulps, as the extract is highly concentrated. One vanilla bean corresponds to the estimated sweetness of around 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar or 3-4 drops of vanilla extract.