Soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes if they aren't soft. Dry them off with paper towels.
Add the nuts to a food processor, and pulse on high until the nuts are chopped small, and crumbly. Scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor with a rubber spatula as needed.
Add the dates and continue to pulse the mixture over high speed until you have a nice sticky dough like texture. Scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor with a rubber spatula as needed.
Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined.
Add in the chocolate pieces if desired (alternatively save for later to dip the balls into melted chocolate).
Scoop the dough into 1 TBS sized portions and roll them into balls. Place them onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and repeat with remaining chocolate mixture.
Place the pan in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Enjoy, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.