Chocolate Peanut Energy Bites
When your sweet tooth starts aching, answer your craving with energy bites.
Instead of eating candy, these power balls pack a dual punch of flavor and nutrients. Plus, these scrumptious little bites are sweetened with dates instead of added sugar, which throws in a kick of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants to boot.
I initially wasn’t too sure what to think about the new “energy ball” craze - lots of them had added ingredients I just didn’t want (or frankly, didn’t like, like maple syrup. Just not my thing.) Instead of immediately dismissing them, I decided to create my own using ingredients I know I trust and enjoy.
These are so delicious that I have to stop my kids from eating them. Even though they’re packed with real, unprocessed or minimally-processed foods (after all, peanut butter has been crushed and cocoa powder is not cacao in its original form), they’re still packed with foods we should eat in smaller quantities.
Did you know that a serving of peanut butter is only two tablespoons? Yes, I recognize that no one eats that little (again — read my blog about portion size vs. serving size), but that’s technically the amount to consume. And while dates contain totally natural sugar filled with fiber, phosphorus, potassium, and even some calcium, they’re still pretty high in sugar for their size.
So, my warning for these bites is this:
Yes, they’re delicious. And yes, you might consider only eating two or three, and then walking away. Far, far away…
Ok, with my disclaimer written….enjoy. ;)
Just a few crystals of salt on the top makes the sweetness *POP*!
Chocolate Peanut Energy Bites
8 Medjool dates, soaked in 1/2 cup hot water
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth or crunchy; i prefer a mix)
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Dash kosher salt
In a blender, mix the dates and 2 tbsp of the water until you create a paste. Set aside.
In a food processor, pulse together the oats and cocoa powder. Add in date paste, peanut butter and salt and pulse until a dough comes together. Add chopped peanuts and pulse to combine
Remove the dough from the food processor and, using a spoon, roll the dough into balls. With a damp finger, place a few crystals of kosher salt on top of each ball (do not overly salt.) Place the balls onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until firm and not sticky. Enjoy!