Cacao Energy Balls

Homemade goodies are such a great way to make sure your treats are still giving you the nutrients you deserve! Plus, you can play around with different ingredients and see what works for you. Let me tell you, I am in no way a baker and it does not matter how hard I try or how closely I think I follow a recipe- nothing that I try to bake turns out. Did you know that sometimes it matters if your egg is room temperature when you mix ingredients? Also, coconut flour is not something you can just swap for regular flour… who’da thunk?

I am all about those no-bake bars and balls. When I get the urge to whip up some treats I don’t have patience for ovens and waiting around for my concoctions to bake. If I’m being honest I can’t tell you the last time my cookie dough actually made it to cookies. These cacao balls are perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth quickly and healthily!

Full of healthy fats and free of refined sugar, these guys pack a tasty punch of protein and omega-3’s to keep you feeling satisfied. Choosing to indulge in foods that are nutrient-dense is so beneficial. For one, keeping the amount of chemically modified ingredients, trans fats and refined sugars to a minimum will do wonders for your mood, energy, cravings, and waistline. Plus, knowing that your snacks are full of superfoods keeps the guilt at bay and definitely improves a relationship with foods.

I found a recipe online and changed it up just a bit because of what I had in my cupboard. I don’t usually have all of the ingredients needed to make most things I find, but I basically live off of oatmeal so finding these chocolaty oat-filled balls worked out! Also, I when I made these I pulled a classic me and added twice as much as cacao at the end, so I doubled everything else and ended up with about 14 balls, but half would’ve been sufficient for me. The amounts below will get you just the handful, so if you’re looking to share consider doubling the recipe! Here it is:

Ingredients:
½ cup old fashioned oatmeal
⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
64 grams (¼ cup) natural peanut or almond butter
¼ cup ground flax seed
2.5 tbsp agave, honey, or pure maple syrup
2 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
½ tbs chia seeds or hemp seeds
½ tbs vanilla extract
Handful of raisins

This is where it gets fun- just throw everything in a bowl and mix up! If your mix is a little dry, add more agave or peanut butter, or a couple splashes of almond milk and let it sit and soak up in the fridge for a couple hours. Then scoop and form into a ball with your hands and store in the fridge for quick and easy access!

The nutrition, thanks to MyFitnessPal, for the entire yield is below. Divide by however many balls you have to get the nutrition per bite.

Calories: 1,040  Carb: 34%, 90g    Fat: 55%, 64.4g   Protein: 11%, 29g