These date balls, which I make each year for Diwali, are nutty and fudgy—without any chocolate. In years when the celebrations for Diwali and Thanksgiving are close together, I like to make a double batch to add to our Thanksgiving spread. They fit right in. 

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 12 morsels

　　2 cups whole milk

　　3 cups rinsed and deseeded dates, coarsely chopped

　　1–1½ cups raw pistachios, coarsely chopped

　　½ cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped

　　

Step 1

Heat the milk in a large nonstick saucepan. As the milk comes to a boil, add the chopped dates and stir well. The dates will begin to disintegrate and thicken the milk. Cook and stir this mixture continuously over the next 10 to 15 minutes on medium low, or until the mix begins to leave the sides of the pot. 

　　

Step 2

Stir in half of the crushed pistachio and all the crushed almonds. Mix well until the nuts are evenly distributed. Cool until ready to handle.

　　

Step 3

Place 1 Tbsp. crushed pistachios in a small bowl. Using a 1” or smaller ice cream scoop, portion out the date mixture and drop it into the bowl with the pistachio. Roll the date morsel until it is coated in crushed pistachio sand is dry enough to handle. Set aside. Repeat until all the date mixture is portioned and rolled in crushed pistachio. Store in the fridge. Serve at room temperature.

　　Excerpted from Seven Pots of Tea by Nandita Godbole with permission of Turmeric Press. Copyright © Nandita Godbole, 2020. Buy the full book from Amazon.