RECIPE: Steven's Schwetty Balls

I was talking to Steven Fineberg the other day about the classic Schwetty Balls skit on Saturday Night live, one of the more notorious skits of SNL's 1995-2002 run where Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon play two deadpan NPR radio personalities interviewing Pete Schwetty, creator of Schwetty Balls. Schwetty Balls are a line of sweet treats.

The skit is one long double-entendre based around a naughty-sounding name, which is usually considered lazy comedy writing. But in this instance it works. See the video here.

Steven then told me about his own encounter with a real live Pete Schwetty character in the LA area. Only his name is Frank Binder. Then I told Steven, I too have a Schwetty-Ball-like recipe that has a very pronounced coconut taste and smell. So I told him I would call them Schtinky Balls.  I'll try to post Schtinky Balls tomorrow and in the meantime, here's Steven's story about trying to emulate Frank Binder's balls. ~Carla

By Steven Fineberg

As LocalForagers, we tend to focus on nutrient-dense whole foods for proper meals. But can guilt-free snacking fit in to a healthy diet? The answer is YES! We can have sweet, salty, and savory snacks without all the unnecessary refined sugar, refined flour, and trans fats found in popular snack items. Mothers especially would rather feed their children healthier snacks than the mainstream junk advertised on television. We at Local Forage decided to offer some suggestions for “guilt-free” sweet snacks.

All sweeteners affect our blood sugar; even the less refined sweeteners can cause a spike in blood glucose levels so they must be used in moderation. The sweeteners I suggest and use are raw, unheated honey, grade B maple syrup, rapadura (pure cane sugar), date sugar and, on occasion, agave. See Carla's post on the topic of sugar substitutes. (Diabetic or hypoglycemic individuals: consult with your health practitioner.)

In my quest to find a guilt-free sweet treat, I came across Frank’s Famous Snack Balls at my local food co-op in Southern California. The ingredients were simple: a base of raw walnuts and raw honey plus other ingredients added to create the following flavors: prune nut, pistachio, chocolate coconut center, carrot cake, and cinnamon raisin crunch. After trying each of the flavors, I became obsessed and had to find out -- who is the Frank behind the balls? I met him recently while shopping at the co-op.

Frank Binder has sweet memories of the Jewish deserts his aunt would prepare during his childhood, he told me. He loved her cheesecake, poppy seed cake, and mandel bread (similar to biscotti). As a health-conscious adult, he enjoys preparing raw snack balls as a hobby. I began to think how I, through Frank’s inspiration, could make these snack balls more Weston-Price-friendly. I will continue to purchase Frank’s snacks; however, I like to prepare a similar treat at home with a few minor adjustments.

Instructions: I soak 4 cups of raw walnuts in warm salted water overnight to reduce the enzyme inhibitors. See Carla's post, Enzyme Inhibitors and Nuts. Walnuts are high in poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats. They are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. I then strain the walnuts, spread them out on a stainless steel baking sheet and dry them out in a low temperature oven (150 degrees) for 18 hours. Next, I grind them in a food processor until smooth. I melt coconut oil, butter, and maple syrup in a saucepan and blend into the walnuts. The mixture should be moist. If not, add more coconut oil. Lastly, I blend dark chocolate into the mix. Take a tablespoon of the mixture into your palms and roll into a ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan. When all the mixture has been rolled into balls, place the baking pan in the oven, and bake at 300 degrees just until lightly browned, just under 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Comments

[Carla]

Steven, I just soaked and dried pecans (for the Candied Pecans recipe). The pecans only took about 7 hours to dry. Does it really take 18 hours for walnuts?

[steven fineberg]

Hi Carla:
In the past I have used a ceramic baking pan. When I switched to stainless steel, I found the nuts do dry out quicker. I also think it depends on the individual oven. All this talk about crispy nuts is putting me in the mood to prepare some this weekend! After about 8 hours I will check them. Also, in the book: Nourishing Traditions, the nuts are dried out for 12-24 hours...that is probably just a guide and does seem a bit long.
steven

[Carla]

Yeah, I noticed that when I over-dry pecans, the taste is less sweet and the texture less buttery. And I'm using stainless so, you're right, I think the drying happens faster.

BTW, I just finished the Spicy Candied Pecans recipe and I can't stop eating them. They are TDF. And the cool thing is, you don't get that heavy feeling in the stomach.