A go-to starting point if you’re looking to create healthier grab-and-go snacks, or something a little different to go with your tea and coffee. A lot of people ask me how I make these, and the truth is that although I measure the recipes you’ll find on this blog, when I’m making them on a weekly basis, it’s all totally intuitive. Once you make something a lot, you get pretty used to how it’s done.
This recipe generally makes a big batch of energy balls. I make them for grab and go treats, and so that I have something to offer people if they visit the house, but also make a batch that gets sold at Be-Yoga, a yoga studio I teach at in Sussex, with the money going to charity. SO, at a rough guess, this would make about 20-30 bite size balls. The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can get creative and experiment with your favourite flavours. They can be adapted to suit each season and lots of dietary needs too. Give it a go!
Ingredients
(without using measurements as you’ll see in the ‘method’)
- Oats (rolled oats or gluten free)
- Dates (stones removed)
- Coconut oil
- Honey
- A dry ingredients like cocoa, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coconut, etc
- An optional extract like vanilla, peppermint, almond, orange etc
- You’ll also need a strong food processor and the willingness use your hands and get them messy.
Method
Start with your food processor. If it’s not massive, fill it ¾ full with oats (normal or gluten free)
Briefly pulse the oats so they’re broken down a little and closer to a flour consistency
Now add your spices or other dry ingredients. This might include cinnamon, ground ginger, cocoa, mixed seeds, etc.
Pulse again to combine everything
Add a couple of dates and blend again
Keep adding the dates intermittently and blend them until you’ve used ¾ of the dates. Adding too many at once can easily burn out the motor of your food processor (I’ve learned from this many times!)
The mixture will probably start to look more crumbly, but won’t be sticky enough to roll into balls yet
Now, add your oil and honey or vegan alternative, and blend again until everything starts to combine
Add the other dates at the end if you need them
The mixture will probably now be sticky, and clumping together
Pick out a small amount of the mixture and roll firmly into a ball. If it sticks and holds well, you’ve got the right consistency! (If it doesn’t, add it back into the food processor and add a little more honey or the last of the dates and blend again.)
Continue using all the mixture to roll into balls, and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes afterwards to set firmly.
Enjoy! These keep well with no problem (depending upon your ingredients) for about 2-3 weeks in the fridge or 1-2 weeks out of the fridge.
Ingredients to try:
- Cocoa and sea salt
- Cinnamon and mixed spice
- Lemon and ginger
- Coffee and cocoa
- Cardamom and vanilla
- Peppermint extract and cocoa
- Ginger and molasses
- Almond extract and flaked almonds
- Coconut and lime zest
- Peanut butter and cinnamon
Experiment with your favourites!
Leave a Reply