Thank you to the Cherry Marketing Institute for sponsoring this post and the tasty Tart Cherry Pie Snack Balls within it!
Did you guys know that February is not only National Cherry Month but also National Snack Food Month? Yes, there really is a month for everything, and these months are kind of perfect together, don’t you think?
I’m a huge tart cherry fan; I’ve been telling clients for years about their anti-inflammatory properties due to the anthocyanins they contain, which is a flavonoid that contributes to the ruby-red color and distinguishing taste. They are also available year-round, as they come in dried, frozen, juice, and concentrate form. Sweet!
Besides being great for athletes looking to decrease inflammation, tart cherries are also delicious! Frozen tart cherries are awesome in smoothies, and I like pairing dried tart cherries with nuts and seeds at snack time, as the combination packs a satisfying mix of fiber and protein.
I usually pair dried tart cherries with almonds and walnuts, two of my fave nuts. So I thought – rather than just eating them whole, why not make them into little bars or balls?
You guys know how I roll – the easier a recipe is, the better. We’re all busy, right?! So I’m happy to say that this recipe could not be easier – just toss the ingredients (there are only 4, not including a splash of water!) into a food processor, process, roll the mixture together into balls or bars, and eat! Love it.
These remind me of Cherry Pie Larabars – an old favorite of mine! The cherries made them nice and sticky (in a good way), so they stayed together really well, making them great as a portable no-mess snack. I definitely ate a few in the car the other day on the way to a meeting – no mess or crumbs involved!
I hope you love them as much as Matt and I did!
Tart Cherry Pie Snack Balls
Ingredients
(Makes 12 to 14 balls)
- 1 & 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
- 1 cup dry roasted, salted almonds
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and process about 1 minute, or until ingredients are in small, relatively uniform crumbles.
- Form mixture into balls or bars. Enjoy!
Are you a tart cherry fan? How do you like to enjoy them?
I’m also a huge fan of tart cherries and I absolutely love dried cherries! I can eat them like candy so I have to practice major self-control when I have them in my house.
I will definitely be trying these for a pre, or post, run snack! Thanks :)
Gorgeous pictures!! I love simple recipes too–that nails it!
Love cherries! Thanks for this great recipe. Beautiful pics as always. :-)
I love how simple these are- and bites are fun to eat!
What a neat idea! Cannot wait to try them. Thanks!
this is extremly cool…..it looks absolutley delicious im definatly gonna have to try this out.
Love your recipes and posts. I would love to try these but I am allergic to tree nuts. Is there an alternative?
You could replace the almonds and walnuts with seeds and maybe some peanuts – just use the same overall amount!
these sound so good! normally i dont like “balls” because they had maple syrup or tons of nut butter but these sound so good :)
on my list to make is (dried tart) cherry & pistachio bars!!
Those sound great! I love eating craisins and walnuts together, so I can see how this would be a winning combination. I love all the different things you can mix together to make balls like these. Thanks!
Love these! I’ve made a similar recipe on my own website. They’re also great treats for kids!
Yummy! Cherries and chocolate is one of my favorite combos. I love making a Black-Forest Cake Smoothie with frozen cherries and chocolate protein powder.
So, I have never ever made any sort of balls like these, so I am a total newbie. I have a mini food processor that I used so I had to do it in batches, but I kept thinking I had to really get them all mini sized… so the walnuts turned into a crumbly flour-y texture, while the cherries remained in tact and the almonds were the perfect size. I can’t get them to stick together now, so I pressed it all into a pan and put it in the fridge. I’m hoping that they may firm up once they are cold? Idk, but from what I did taste, they are sooo good! And I learned a lesson, and may just restart once I finish this batch :)
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work out well! Did you blend all of it together in mini batches? Or each ingredient separately? At least they still taste good. :)
I blended them together in mini batches, but next time I will blend each ingredient separately. I found a great use for the messed up batch I made though. I’m using it as a topping for my Greek yogurt. Delicious!
Love this recipe and tart cherries! Thanks for sharing! I’m going to make and freeze these for on-the-go snacks.
I am so happy to have found your blog! Wonderful timing! Any tips for making these in a blender? This is great! Thanks!
Welcome to the blog! If you make these in a blender they will probably be less likely to stick together since the pieces will be larger, but they will still taste good – give it a shot!