Bucky's Banana Buckeyes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup peeled and chopped DOLE® Sweet Potato
• 2 pitted dates, chopped
• ¼ cup mashed ripe DOLE® Banana
• 1 cup almond butter
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons puffed quinoa
• ¾ cup vegan dark chocolate chips
• 5 toothpicks

Directions

1. Line 2 dinner plates with parchment paper. Place potato in a medium microwave-safe bowl; add 2 tablespoons water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, leaving 1 edge slightly open to vent; heat in microwave oven 3 minutes or until very tender. Drain potato; cool 5 minutes.
2. Pulse dates in a food processor until small pieces remain, scraping down bowl occasionally. Add banana and potato; pulse until combined. Add almond butter and sugar; pulse until almost smooth, scraping down bowl occasionally. Transfer banana mixture to a medium bowl; stir in quinoa. Makes about 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons.
3. Form banana mixture into 22 (1-inch) balls (about 1 tablespoon each); place on 1 prepared plate and freeze 2 hours or until firm.
4. Place chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl; heat in microwave oven 1½ minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove 5 balls from freezer and insert 1 toothpick into each ball; dip bottom two-thirds of each ball into melted chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place balls on second prepared plate; remove toothpicks and freeze 15 minutes or until chocolate hardens. Repeat with remaining balls, reheating chocolate in microwave oven to melt, if necessary.
5. Freeze buckeyes in an airtight container up to 2 weeks until ready to serve.

Tips & tricks

Puffed rice can be substituted for the puffed quinoa.