No bake, sesame balls with coconut and palm sugar

My recipe for sesame balls with coconut and palm sugar is based on thala guli, a traditional Sri Lankan sweet. For this recipe, I use toasted sesame seeds and toasted coconut, combined with raw palm sugar, jaggery, and squishy Medjool dates. Together these make an utterly delicious treat, pick-me-up, or the perfect post-workout snack.

Most recipes require the sesame seeds to be pounded with the coconut and the palm sugar into a paste. I’ve tried this a few times and this hasn’t worked. Each time I’ve tried to shape the mixture into a ball it simply collapses. I have found the addition of Medjool or any squishy date act as a natural sweetener helping bind the ingredients making it easier to shape the sesame balls.

I’ve been making these little sesame balls to take into work – so much better than a chocolate digestive when the four O’clock munchies hit

I have a stash of these at home, stored in the fridge for freshness.

What is jaggery?

Palm sugar or jaggery is a natural unrefined sugar and used in South Asian and South-East Asian cooking. Jaggary can be found as a solid block or treacle. Sri Lankan jaggery comes from the kithul tree or made from unrefined raw cane sugar.

Where can I buy jaggery?

You can find palm sugar or jaggery in Indian or Sri Lankan grocery stores, larger supermarkets or online.

What can I use instead of jaggery?

If you can’t get hold of palm sugar or jaggery I would suggest using another unrefined sugar such as dark muscovado sugar.

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