Sephardic Charoset Balls for Passover

It’s not Passover without charoset. And in my house, that means several types, ranging from sweet to mostly spicy to the sweet and slightly spicy. Last Passover, I made charoset balls, using a Sephardic-style charoset on-the-fly that I formed into bite-sized morsels. My friends Mark and Carole told me that it was a definite keeper. 

Knowing my own propensity for losing track of recipes (and lots of other stuff in my kitchen and elsewhere), I wrote the recipe down and filed it away – under, amazingly enough “Mother Would Know – recipes to make.” Periodically during the year, I glanced at the recipe and put it back in the folder, determined to blog about this charoset before putting it in the Passover rotation, perhaps on an ongoing basis. The story should end there, except that I lost the charoset balls recipe somewhere between my office and the kitchen last week as I began my Passover preparations.

Tragedy? Hardly – but still quite annoying. The result was a new and spicier version created with a faulty memory and no recipe to guide me.  

Then, just as I had given up all hope of finding last year’s recipe, it miraculously appeared on my desk chair. How? I haven’t the foggiest notion. My husband claims no knowledge of how it got there. Although it wasn’t there when I pulled off the stack of books and papers that had prevented me from sitting on my desk chair for the past week, it appeared there on Monday morning. Miracle? Doubtful, but I’m not complaining.

I made this charoset into balls last year because shaping it into bite-sized morsels seemed like fun. It’s easy to mix all the spices and nuts. Use a food processor if you have one, or do it by hand. 

Shaping the mixture into balls is simple, once you let the mixture sit in the refrigerate and firm up for about an hour. 

I’d never had charoset balls and had no idea they are a “thing.” I’m not surprised that I re-invented the wheel charoset-wise, and wouldn’t be surprised to find this particular combination of ingredients is also someone else’s treasured family recipe. That’s the beauty of charoset, and indeed most traditional food. 

Comparing the two recipes, I would say that they are on same continent but from different locales. The good news is that now I have two Sephardic-inspired charoset recipes for my guests to enjoy – this sweet one with just a tinge of spice (from crystallized ginger) and the newer one, that definitely veers toward the spicy. Both are redolent with spices, a nice change from the plainer Ashkenazic version. 

Take your pick – or do as I do and make both. Happy Passover. 

Or if you don’t celebrate the holiday, pull out a pie crust and turn this one into a delicious hand-pie. Blasphemy if you’re an observant Jew, at least until Passover is over. But if you’re not, it’s definitely a great introduction to charoset. Love Passover rolls?  Then check out how I incorporated charoset into them and use these Charoset Balls as the filling instead of Ashkenazic charoset. 

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Sephardic Charoset Balls

These delicious and simple Sephardic Charoset Balls will take your Passover Seder food up a notch. And they make waiting for the main part of the meal so much easier:)

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Jewish

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Yellow raisins
• 2 ounces Dark raisins
• 2 ounces Dates, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces Figs, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces Raw pecans
• 2 ounces Toasted pecans
• 2 tablespoons Candied or crystallized ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 2+ tablespoons Sweet wine, apple or grape juice

Instructions

1. If you have a food processor, add all of the solid ingredients and about 2 tablespoons of the liquid and process into a paste. If you use a chopping bowl, you’ll probably have to do the ingredients a bit at a time. If necessary, add a bit more liquid, but keep the mixture tight so that you can easily roll it after chilling the charoset.  
2. Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour. Then roll rounded teaspoonfuls of the chilled charoset into balls. Moistening your hands with cool water helps keep the stickiness to a minimum. 

3. Store charoset balls refrigerated, in a tightly covered container or refrigerate the mixture until a few hours before the Seder and make the charoset balls then.

Recipe Notes

Candied or crystallized ginger is not difficult to make at home, but it is time-consuming. If you prefer, find it at the grocery store near other candied fruits.