No-Bake Energy Bites {Recipe}

Please don't kill me but today I'm sharing one of our favorite snacky-time recipes...No-Bake Energy Bites.  It's an oldie but a goodie here at our house.  These little balls are freakin' awesome and just like a certain potato chip, you cannot eat just one.  I swear, I've tried and it's not happening.  

But for what it's worth, these can actually be called a healthy snack...YAY!  So go ahead and eat another one (or two) I won't tell.  The ingredient list is short and pretty good for you especially if you plan on using quality ingredients.  You can even substitute out the chocolate chips for something healthier but hey, isn't chocolate good for you in moderation?  Yup, I'm pretty sure it is...score!  So go ahead and make some of these and then share the love...shouldn't everyone be so lucky as to know about such a darn good and healthy little treat!

No-Bake Energy Bites  -print this recipe HERE-

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

**PS.  Many of you have been asking about a calorie count on these...if you scroll through the comments section you can read various calorie counts from many of my awesome readers based off of different add-ins and size of the bites :-)

**PPS.  Many of you have commented about substitutions and YES!  you can substitute almost anything for any of the ingredients to work around food allergies, special diets, etc.  Soybutter, almond butter, cashew butter, sun butter, etc all works in place of peanut butter.  You can use creamed or liquid honey, or agave nectar or even maltitol syrup in place of the honey.  If you do not like or cannot eat coconut try some type of crushed cereal, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, granola, cocoa powder...the possibilities are really endless.  If you cannot find ground flaxseed you can buy it whole and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or magic bullet or you can substitute any other dry ingredient in it's place.  Yes, the mini chocolate chips can be regular sized or carob or you can use raisins, cranberries, goji berries, or crushed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, whatev) of some kind.  

I know writing out all these substitution possibilities seems silly but you will not believe the amount of comments and emails I get every day about "Can I use this instead of this? or "I don't like this ingredient, what can I use instead?" etc.  Just remember, if you make any substitutions you may have to play with the quantities of dry to wet a bit to ensure you have a mixture that can be rolled into balls (if you want to eat them in a ball-shape, you don't have to do that either!)  It's a really great recipe to play with so please don't worry about adding in a different ingredient if you cannot eat a particular one due to allergies, etc.  My motto is always, 'Just try it, you might like it' when it comes to making these.  We change it up depending on what is in our pantry and you can too!  Oh!  And you can also make these vegan and paleo-friendly, it's just a matter of buying the right ingredients, we do it all the time!  ENJOY!   

Alright, let's start with that gooey peanut butter, honey and some oatmeal and pour them into your mixing bowl.

Then add in a cup of coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened...your call.

Then you can add in your mix-ins.  I like to keep these somewhat healthy so I add mini-vegan chocolate chips and ground flaxseed.  But you could also add in some chopped nuts, dates, raisins and even switch out the flaxseed to wheat bran or something similar or even cocoa powder.  I love this recipe because it is pretty customizable to what you have in your pantry.

Then add in a teaspoon (or two) of vanilla!

Mix it all up and let it chill in your refrigerator for about a half hour.  

Then roll into balls and enjoy your little bites of heaven...or energy...depending on what you put in them!

Ugh, these are so addictive...do I dare call them energy crack cause they are really that good. These last about 2 hours at our house, I even catch Noah and Penny sneaking into our fridge to grab them when I am supposedly not looking.  Don't they know I have eyes in the back of my head?  ;-)  Good thing they are easy to make, another batch is never too far away.

Enjoy!

XOXO,