Can I just say how much I love this time of year on the blog??
When I first began blogging, it seemed as though November and December were the busiest traffic months here as everyone was cooking and baking up a storm for the holidays. But over the past two years, January has turned into the most popular time of year on the blog by a landslide. And you know what that means — everyone is New Year’s resolution-ing to cook! Which makes me so happy!!
Even better? The most popular recipes on my blog right now (and a few blogging friends have said the same for theirs) are the healthier ones. And even better than that? Those recipes aren’t just getting pinned — they’re actually getting made. It still kind of blows my mind when I scroll through the #gimmesomeoven hashtag on Instagram or read the comments on the blog that these recipes I type out online in my little home here in Kansas City are actually getting recreated in kitchens around the world. But apparently this is the magic of the internet — they are, and man they look tasty!!
Anyway, as always, one of the most popular recipes on the site around New Years are our various recipes for no-bake energy bites. So per tradition, I thought I would add to the collection this year with a new chocolate peanut butter edition that is 100% naturally sweetened since I’m off sugar for awhile. (Trust me, you won’t even miss those chocolate chips!)
They’re unbelievably quick and easy to make. They are chocked full of protein. And oh man — they are tasty.
Shall we?
Speaking of hashtags, I was poking around on Instagram the other day and saw that someone tagged #energybites on one of my recipes. So I popped over to see what everyone was making and — oh man! — it seems like the whole world has jumped on the energy bites craze by now!
I mean, let’s be real. These guys are really just protein bars rolled up into tiny little bite-sized balls. But apparently the world loves those little portion-controlled bites just as much as I do, because there were zillions of recipes for them online!
I noticed that a bunch of people were nixing chocolate chips in favor of unsweetened cocoa powder to give theirs an extra chocolate-y kick. So I gave it a try and became a quick convert. Don’t worry — the honey still sweetens up the chocolate. But you can rest a little easier knowing that they are free of refined sugars. Here’s how to make ’em!
Begin by gathering your ingredients. You’ll need: chia seeds, toasted unsweetened coconut, honey, cocoa powder, oats, ground flax, vanilla extract, and (my favorite) lots of peanut butter.
Simply stir all of the ingredients together in a big bowl until they are evenly combined. (Sometimes I find it helps to use your hands to mix these together.)
Then cover and chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, which will make it easier to handle.
And then roll those babies up into cute little energy bites! I tend to make mine about 1-inch in diameter, which yields about 2 dozen bites. But you can make them larger or smaller, or even press them into a baking pan to create traditional bars if you’d like.
However you shape them, I’m pretty sure that you are going to love them. Just like my traditional energy bites recipe, they taste just like a no-bake cookie. Although you can rest easy knowing that the ingredients in these will give you much more energy throughout the day, rather than resulting in a sugar crash an hour later.
Enjoy!!
Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Energy Bites (Naturally Sweetened)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 20-25 bites 1x
Description
These chocolate peanut butter no-bake energy bites taste just like a cookie, although they are full of protein and naturally sweetened.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats, although use gluten-free oats if making this GF)
- 2/3 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup ground flax seed
- 1/3 cup honey or agave nectar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, to make the mix easier to handle and mold.
- Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- Makes about 20-25 balls.
- *If the mix seems to dry, add in an extra tablespoon or two of honey or peanut butter. If the mix seems too wet (which may happen if you use natural peanut butter), add extra oatmeal.
Notes
This recipe is slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.
Be sure to check out these other energy bite recipes too!
(Classic) No-Bake Energy Bites
Cashew Dark Chocolate Energy Bites
Hi there! I want to try making this recipe without honey (trying to stick to only stevia/erythritol/xylitol based sweeteners). Can you recommend how to make these but substituting something else in place of the honey/agave? Thank you!
Hey Jessica! I haven’t experimented with this, and I’m not terribly familiar with stevia (and the like). However, according this conversion chart, I think it should work out to 1 tsp of stevia/erythritol/xylitol-based sweetener. I hope this helps!
https://sneakykitchen.com/Glossary/sweetener-equivalents.htm
These are sooo amazing. :) I am in love after making them one time.
Thanks Meredith!
I am missing the nutritional info on these, or do you not post the nutritional value? I’d love to try them.
Hey Lorie, I’m sorry but we currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site. The nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. But many of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. I hope that helps!
Any information on the nutritional info on these? I made them today, they were deliciously filling. They made me 15 balls.
Thanks!
Hey Caitlyn, I’m so glad you enjoyed these! I’m sorry but we currently aren’t publishing nutrition facts on the site. The nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. But many of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. I hope that helps!
Definitely going to try this! WOW!
Thanks so much for the receipe. They are delicous and I am always looking for ways to leave out added and or refined sugars! All ingredients are healthy so they are a great snack! Could you tell me how much calories are in them roughly? ThanKs so much keep posting!
Hey Ben, you’re very welcome, thanks for checking out my blog! Unfortunately we currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site. The nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. If I absolutely had to guess, I’d say maybe around 50 calories, but it’s just hard to say. I hope that helps!
Thank you for this! They are delicious!! Any idea on a calorie count per ball??
Hey Amber, I’m sorry, but we currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site. The nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. Hope this was helpful!
This recipe looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it. Question for you..do you recommend a particular type of peanut butter? For example, did you use a natural peanut butter when you made these? Thanks!
I made these last night but had only almond butter and quinoa flakes but man oh man these are awesome!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
I made these today and they are amazing! Not to mention how easy and fast it is to make them. I added hemp seeds and half of a mashed banana and subbed the peanut butter for almond butter.. It turned out great. Thank you for the recipe! I have already shared it with my coworkers.