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Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe· 5 from 3 reviews

Let me tell you, these are little bites of heavenly goodness! If you love lemon dessert, then you have to try these sweet lemon bites. They are gooey, sweet, lemony, and absolutely delicious. They are bite-sized but you are more than welcome to make larger balls out of them (you could make 12 balls instead of 24 bites). You also can make bars out of them if you want – like Larabars, but even better!

The ingredients + lots of flavor options

Cashews – feel free to sub this for any other nut or seed, but just keep in mind that cashews have a very mild, sweet flavor compared to other nuts. And of course every nut / seed has different flavor profiles. But my other favorite is almonds for this recipe! Especially blanched almonds.

Dates – I used Deglet dates, but feel free to use Medjool. Make sure to remove the pits before placing in the food processor.

Lemon zest – the essential part of this recipe for that delicious lemon flavor! Feel free to adjust the amount of zest to your taste preference, whether you’re wanting a milder lemon flavor or a stronger lemon flavor. Also, feel free to sub with orange zest if you want! This will create a sweet orange flavor which is also delicious.

Vanilla extract – this adds a sweet undertone to the recipe in addition to the dates. It’s one of my favorite ways to create depth in sweets. Feel free to substitute the vanilla extract for 1/4 tsp almond extract, which creates another wonderful flavor combination. Keep in mind, almond extract is much stronger than vanilla, which is why I recommend only using 1/4 tsp almond extract rather than the 3/4 tsp used for vanilla extract. You can always add more if you want.

Salt – this helps bring out all the flavors, plus you get the added benefit of minerals since salt is so full of them. I recommend using pink salt or sea salt and avoiding table salt.

Tools needed

Food processor – You’ll need a food processor for this recipe, or at least a very good blender.

Zester – You’ll be making 2 Tbsp lemon zest, which is zest from about 2 large lemons.

Modifications

You can sub the cashews out for almonds or pecans. Cashews give a mild, sweet flavor, almonds would give a nuttier flavor, and pecans would give a nutty and buttery flavor.
You can use almond extract in place of vanilla extract, although I recommend decreasing it to 1/4 tsp since almond extract is much more flavorful!
You can sub the lemon juice and zest for orange juice and zest.

Storage

Store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 3 months. If you freeze them, you may want to let them sit out for a couple minutes to soften a little before eating.

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