California Fig Coconut Balls

These little bites taste like something you’d find in a fancy candy shop, but they come together on your kitchen counter with five ingredients and no oven.

Steamed dried figs get ground into a sticky paste with shredded coconut and nuts. A hit of lemon zest and fresh lemon juice brightens the whole mixture and keeps it from being one-note sweet. Roll them into tiny balls, coat them in finely chopped coconut, and you’ve got a gorgeous little confection.

They’re naturally sweet from the figs alone, with a satisfying chew and a nutty crunch in every bite. Think of them as old-fashioned energy bites before energy bites were a thing.

Set these out on a holiday candy tray or package them up in a little box for a homemade gift that people will actually remember.

Kitchen Tips

• Steam the figs just until they soften. Over-steaming makes them too wet to hold their shape.
• If the mixture is too dry to roll, add lemon juice a teaspoon at a time until it comes together.
• These keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.