Frugal Food Thursday: Dried Fruit Balls

Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

Last week, I posted my mom's recipe for macaroni and cheese. This week I'm featuring another of her recipes, dried fruit balls.

I'm not sure where she originally got this recipe, but she brought it down to me just before my eldest daughter's bat mitzvah weekend.  We had over 50 people over for dinner Friday night and for sandwiches Saturday night, and she and my mother-in-law made desserts for both nights for all those people.  Of course we had lots of brownies and cookies, but my mom also made this dessert.

The dates (pictured above - I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the completed recipe) and cranberries give the fruit balls a sweetness, so added sugar really isn't necessary.  But we add a little powdered sugar on the outside to keep the fruit balls from sticking to each other.

Dried fruit isn't the most economical ingredient, but if you watch for sales, you can get a good deal.  They are often on sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Of course, the vanilla wafers can be bought cheaply throughout the year.  Or, check out ALDI - they have several different kinds of dried fruit for a low cost.

DRIED FRUIT BALLS

1 lb pitted dates
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
6 tbsp orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Chop dates and crush cookies.  Combine with cranberries, nuts, and orange juice concentrate.  Shape into small balls.  Roll in powdered sugar.  Store in a tightly covered container in a cool location.

There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal Follies.  Click here for the list!

Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  Please only link up recipes and other food-related posts; contest entries and other posts are not allowed and will be deleted. I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!  Also, if you have a list of food-related linkups on your blog, I'd appreciate it if you would add Frugal Food Thursday to your list.




For more great recipes, please visit the bloggers listed on the left sidebar under Food Linkups. There are lots of great recipes on each blog and I'm sure you'll find some new favorites!