A yummy chocolate version of the ever popular no bake energy bite!
I was going to save these for a rainy day… Well, it’s not rainy, but these have been on my mind since I made them(and you know, since we devoured them all). My kids regularly go into the fridge for whatever they want and when these were in there, I had to hide them to save a few for myself 😀 These are inspired by my regular No-Bake Energy Bites which we still make and enjoy on a regular basis with all different kinds of add-ins. I was just feeling like something a little different so I slightly adapted my original recipe to make a chocolate version. The ones in the picture turned out slightly drier than I would like so I changed the recipe to hopefully fix that. If yours are much too dry, consider mixing in an extra tbsp of nut butter and/or honey.
For the longest time I made fruit and nut bites like my Chocolate Fig Truffles – don’t judge, they were from my second week of blogging! I almost didn’t want to link it, haha. Then we got sick of those kinds of treats and have been making these, but I’m ready to go back to the fruit and nuts idea, I remember them being more filling, and more naturally sweet, which I enjoy. If you make things like those or like Larabars, what’s your favorite combo? I’d love to try out some new ideas 😀
Don’t forget, these would make awesome school snacks, but some schools don’t allow peanut butter, or even any nut butters at all. You can try using sunflower butter if you enjoy it – or try making your own by toasting sunflower seeds and processing them in a food processor till they’re the consistency of peanut butter. It is a little bitter, but if you think you might enjoy it, give it a try – plus it’ll be good mixed with honey and cocoa like in these 🙂
Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup nut butter I used peanut butter. Use sunflower butter for a nut-free version
- 1/3 cup honey alternatively, brown rice syrup works well and other liquid sweeteners may work as well
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup coconut or any other dry ingredient, like oat bran, ground flax, wheat germ, ground nuts, etc
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla
- pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup add-ins I used a mixture of roughly chopped dried cherries and chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot over low heat, warm the nut butter and honey. Once warm and liquified, take off the heat and stir in the cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt. When combined, mix in the oats, coconut or other dry ingredients and the add-ins until completely combined.
- Chill in the fridge until not warm anymore, then roll into bite sized balls. If your mixture is too dry, just simply squeeze the balls together instead of rolling them. Store at room temperature or in the fridge.
Notes
Comments & Reviews
Cheryl says
These are very yummy! I made them last night.
Any idea what nutritional values are?
Kerry says
Thank you! These are the best healthy treat I’ve made! I also like the way you include substitution options in the recipe!
LA says
I make these over and over again ! Today, with currants and peanut butter chips. Love them. Thanks again for a great recipe 🙂
Missy Lonce says
Can steel cut oats be used in place of rolled oats?
Amanda says
I made these today and they were great! Thanks for sharing!
Do you happen to know how many calories are “about” in each ball?
Thanks! 🙂
september says
Made these and they tasted WONDERFUL…Thank u for another great recipe 🙂
Kim says
I think I am going to have fun playing around with this recipe. Perfect timing too since I am back on a diet cleanup and really need healthy sweets! Thank You!
Kathie says
So I just made these little balls of goodness (with a few alterations as I didn’t have coconut or dried cherries/fruit, I thought I had them but, oh well). They are absolutely delicious! And just what I was craving. I think I will be making these a staple for the next trimester or two. 🙂
Kathie says
Oh yeah, I replaced the coconut with a mix of wheat germ and ground flax seed and the dried fruit with rice krispies. Very yummy.
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Oooh, that sounds good! I’m so glad you enjoyed them 😀
Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says
These bite size treats sound perfect, definitely something I’d pull outta the fridge to munch on. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Klass says
I just stumbled upon your blog after Googling for apricot bites and finding your recipe (plus SO much more) and I’m so glad I did!
Just wondering if you think there would be a suitable substitute for the nut butter. My kids’ school is nut free due to allergies and I’d love to pop some of these little lovelies into their lunch boxes, but can’t send them with anything containing nut products.
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Welcome! I’m so glad you found me 😀 You can use sunflower seed butter, you might be able to find it in the peanut butter section at your grocery store, or maybe a health food or specialty store. If not you can make your own using unsalted roasted sunflower seeds ground in a food processor if you have one.
Sarah Klass says
Fantastic, thanks for the advice! I will track down some unsalted roasted sunflower seeds and whiz them up in my Thermomix (food processor on steroids ;-))
The Café Sucré Farine says
Wow, these sound amazing – what a great snack to take on a hike! We are actually planning a ski trip and I think I’ll make a batch of these for energy breaks! Thanks!
Joanne says
I love having a fun snack to look forward to in the middle of my workday and i think these are gonna have to be it! What fun bite-sized treats!
Michelle says
I need to try these! Thanks for the great recipe!
Catherine @ The Spring says
I’ve been looking for a post-gym pick-me-up and I think there are it! Looking forward to making a batch (and I know they won’t last long at my house either!)
it’s such a pleasure to *meet* your blog!
Catherine @ The Spring
http://www.thespringblog.com
Betsy says
I just made these with wheat germ and cranberries, and I ate a significant amount before the mix even got into the fridge to cool. It’s so tasty!
Deepa says
looks amazing!!!! I am going to try this out!
Jeanette says
What a terrific healthy snack for adults and kids alike, super versatile with the add-ins!
Kim Bee says
New follower, found you through food bloggers of Canada. Great to meet you. This recipe looks wicked good. I’d probably want to eat them all before anyone got home. Then hide all the evidence of any baking having happened.
vianney says
I love these tiny bites. I am always looking for new treats for the kiddos, thanks!!
Melissa says
Hi there, Melissa here from Food Bloggers of Canada. Just popping by to check out your blog and to let you know we’ve added you to our Membership Directory. Welcome aboard!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Thank you! 🙂
Kathy says
I love making no-bake snacks like these!
But I usually hesitate to make them, as I eat about 3/4 of the whole batch in a night…
oops. Haha ^^
chinmayie @ love food eat says
These look so good! Perfect for my sweet tooth 🙂
Richa@HobbyandMore says
love these energy bites.. i’ve been digging nut butter and coconut combinations lately.. those chocolate fig truffles look great too!
Eat good 4 life says
Awesome….I just got done making my energy bars which are very similar to this and I always have to double the recipe a super power food!!
Eat good 4 life recently posted..Cajun Chicken Jambalaya
Anna @ hiddenponies says
Looks delicious! And your second week of blogging sure looks a lot better than my second week, those look good too 🙂
Leah says
I must tell you… A friend shared your Energy Bites recipe on FB this past summer, I was in my 1st trimester of pregnancy–not feeling too hot but needed little bites throughout the day and needed extra protein too–so I made a batch and fell in love. My kids loved them too, so I started making them for snacks and school lunches. My mom was over one day and I gave one to her and there has been a snowball effect–she has shared that recipe with everyone she knows! She’s in fact visiting my pregnant sister in law this weekend and just sent me a text asking for the recipe so I came here to look it up once again…and now I see the modification for a Chocolate version…YUM! I will add this to my list of Must-Prepare-Food-Now-Because-I-May-Never-Cook-Again-Once-This-Baby-Arrives snacks and meals to work on this week, thanks!
Kaydee says
These look so wonderful! I’ve been looking for ways to use cocoa powder without cooking it to preserve the nutrients. Thanks!
Beth says
I could get down with these, but I’m not sure I could stop eating after just one.
Krystie says
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kristin says
Hi Heidi,
I posted a similar recipe on my blog, mamacino, this week too! I am also really keen on healthy cooking for kids…I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Kristin.
tinytearoom says
they look scrumptious. I love that they do not need to be cooked. yum!
Terris@ Free Eats says
These look like such a great treat to whip up with my kids. We do a lot of hiking and backpacking and these would be a nice trail snack! Lovely pics too!
Sonia The Healthy Foodie says
Oh, they look so goooood! That’s the kind of thing that I can’t really keep in the fridge because I seem to have a hard time controlling myself and just have to have one every time I open up the door!
Still, I am very tempted. It has been a while since I’ve had something like that. And they do look very good, so very, very good… *wipes drool from corner of her lips*
Jeralyn says
You had me at “NO BAKE”
Amy @ Gastronome Tart says
These look absolutely delicious! Love that you can add honey to them as I obviously have a lot of them 🙂 I will be making these sometime and soon!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I didn’t make it very long. I just made them. My first healthy truffles!
I used maple cinnamon almond butter, honey, oat bran and chocolate. At first I thought it’d never work because it was too dry, but it definitely worked. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll make these from now on when I need something sweet but don’t feel like turning on the oven. 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Oooh, those sound so good! I’m so glad you like them 😀 They’re definitely a quick but healthy treat.
Mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
Well I’m not sure about making these for my 4.5 year old because he definitely doesn’t need MORE energy! 🙂 But I love stuff like this – it’s so much better for him than any store bought, preservative & refined flour and sugar laden cookies or snacks! I’m going to make these today and will report back on how he likes them! I’ll have to hide them from my husband or my son will never get to try them! Thanks for this recipe Heidi!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I know exactly what you mean! It sounds like our boys are really close in age and have very similar energy levels, haha 😀 Hope you enjoy them!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I know the fruit and nut ones are really popular, but I just can’t get into it. I have brown rice syrup sitting around and nothing to do with it so this recipe sounds excellent. 🙂
Alexis @ There She Goes says
perfect snack! love the coconut addition
Jamie Walker says
Those look so easy and delicious!! YUM….
I wish I had seen these earlier tonight, I was craving something sweet.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
I love snacks like this for the afternoon *witching* hour of 3-4pm. I’m notorious for needing tea + chocolate then so having something healthy that fits the bill is always a plus!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Me too! And since these can be packed with good things I don’t feel too bad having one or two 🙂
Pure2raw twins says
love little bite size balls to snack on 🙂 and these look great! love making things like this and making them a little different each time!
Nora @ Natural noshing says
I love these little balls of energy! I’ve made variations of a similar recipe – i adore no bake treats and snacks – easy, delicious and quick!
With chocolate and nut butter, you know these have got to be delicious! 🙂
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Teehee! You sound like me! I’d hide a lot of snacks and sweets for myself because I’m so greedy! Imagine the day I make these… before kids come home from school 2/3 will be gone for sure (in my tummy). Looking so good! How do you control the portion??? It’s my life mystery… I’m so weak for food I think. Quite embarrassing I can’t stop myself eating! Keeping this recipe for the future. I know this one will be very delicious!
Annie @ Naturally Sweet Recipes says
YUM! They look awesome, I love how you used rice syrup. I’ve still never tried that before. Love treats like these, can’t wait to try this one out!