One or two of these healthy no bake energy bites are an ideal pick as pre-workout fuel, or as a mid-day snack to curb the appetite with a cup of coffee (my favorite!) or tea.
No Bake Energy Bites, My Healthy Alternative to a Candy Bar
Something that you should know about me is that I really love my chocolate.
My husband and I keep a stash on hand at all times, one that we each sneak into when we get that hankering for sweet, smooth, dark, rich naughtiness—this typically happens in the late afternoons or evenings when we're looking for a shot of quick energy, or when our sweet tooth grows.
When I was a kid, it was the more junky stuff that I craved, those traditional milk chocolate candy bars made with all sorts of hard-to-pronounce ingredients. But what did I care what those ingredients were, or that many of them were made in a lab?
All I knew was that I loved the way they tasted, and that's all that mattered to me.
But as I grew into the refined woman that I am today (eh-hem), and my palate evolved and began to crave deeper, more intense flavors and complex textures, my taste in chocolate began to change. I began to gravitate more towards the darker chocolates (72% for me these days, thanks!), perhaps with some roasted almonds hidden within, or other little surprises that paired well and tantalized my tastebuds.
Which brings me to these scrumptious no bake energy bites, my version of a delicious “candy bar” these days.
Whole Ingredients Make for the Best Energy Bites Recipe
With so much going on for me these days, I'm really looking for pick-me-up snacks that are healthy and full of those good fats. I want snacks that'll help me sustain my energy levels and feed my brain.
So it made sense for me to create a sweet treat of my own with those flavors and textures that I love, one that will treat me well in return. And these no bake energy bites are absolutely perfect for that.
I've added in lots of protein, fiber, and omega 3 fats, the good stuff that the body uses as fuel when it's expending energy on physical activities or on mental work in which one needs sharpness and clarity.
These no bake energy bites are loaded with oats, almonds, pistachios, whole flax seeds, a hint of unsweetened shredded coconut, and a sprinkle of dried tart cherries. I've used a delicious natural binder of almond and/or peanut butter (I use a combo of both), a bit of raw honey for sweetness, and that coating of semi-sweet chocolate—they're the perfect balance of scrumptiously decadent flavor and really good-for-you ingredients.
This definitely makes for a happy belly and body, and you can't beat that!
Tips & Tidbits for No Bake Energy Bites:
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats: Regular old-fashioned rolled oats are best for this recipe, so make sure you don't use the instant oats, or the steel cut oats.
- Wanna keep things raw? If you'd like to keep these energy bites completely raw, use raw nuts, raw almond butter, and raw honey; otherwise, you can use roasted nuts for extra flavor.
- Chill, baby: Once the mixture is prepared, portioned, and rolled into “bites”, give it a little time to chill before coating in chocolate; this helps the bites to firm up, and makes them easier to work with.
- Keep 'em cold: Once prepared, these energy bites are best stored in the fridge, as that helps keep them from becoming crumbly. Plus, with the chocolate coating, the fridge helps to keep them from melting or getting messy at warmer temps, and helps keep 'em a little chewy too!
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
No Bake Energy Bites
by Ingrid Beer
Yield: 26 bites
Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours and 20 minutes to “chill”)
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
• ½ cup natural creamy almond butter or peanut butter (unsalted and unsweetened), or a combo of both
• ¼ cup raw honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon (scant) salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 18 pitted dates
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons whole flax seeds
• ½ cup dried, tart cherries
• ¾ cup roasted and unsalted almonds, chopped roughly
• ¼ cup roasted and unsalted pistachios, chopped
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Preparation:
-In a small bowl, combine the almond or peanut butter, honey, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and stir to combine; set aside for a moment. (I like to gently heat my mixture in the microwave for about 20 seconds, just to make it a tad softer and easier to mix.)
-Next, add the dates to a food processor, along with the tablespoon of water, and process until they become a chunky paste, about 1 minute; set aside for a moment.
-Add the oats, flax seeds, cherries, almonds, pistachios, and shredded coconut to a large bowl, and toss well to combine; add in the date paste and the almond and/or peanut butter/honey mixture, as well, and using a spatula (or even your hands, my personal favorite!), mix everything together until very well combined. It will be sticky!
-Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out equal portions of the mixture and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (you should have about 26 bites); because the mixture is quite crumbly, moisten your hands a little with water as you roll each bite between your palms, pressing together, to create a ball shape, and set back onto the parchment.
-Once all all rolled, place the bites into the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.
-Mix your chocolate chips with the coconut oil in a bowl, and melt together in the microwave until smooth and shiny (about 1 minute, pausing to stir a couple of times); then, while holding each bite over the bowl, simply drizzle about a teaspoon or so of the melted chocolate over top, allowing any excess to drip back into your bowl, and place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet; repeat with the remaining bites, and finish them by sprinkling a little extra shredded coconut over each, if desired.
-Place the coated bites back into the fridge to chill for 2 hours; once firm, place them into a ziplock bag or a container with a lid, and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Interested in another similar recipe? Check out these Sweet 'n Savory Trail Mix Cookie Bars!
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