Made with a few simple ingredients these delicious energy balls are packed with dietary fiber, protein, and healthy fats. All you need is a food processor and a large bowl to get started making this healthy snack recipe.
The combination of dark chocolate and natural peanut butter has all of the chocolatey goodness of the popular candy without all of the sugar and chemicals. So next time you are craving a chocolate snack give these protein bites a try, I'm certain you won't be disappointed.
For more healthy snack ideas try our Chai latte Granola or our Pumpkin Zucchini Bread. For a gluten-free savory snack try our Crispy Baked Cauliflower Bites.
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What You're going to Need
- Dark Chocolate Chips - are perfect for this recipe, we used 70% cocoa with a low sugar content is what we recommend.
- Old Fashioned Oats - for this recipe we used certified gluten-free organic oats and ground them into oat flour.
- Creamy Peanut Butter - we used natural peanut butter in order to control the sugar and other additives.
- Honey - we love using local wildflower honey in everything.
- Protein Powder - organic vanilla is what we used however, chocolate protein powder would work great.
- Chia Seeds - are a great source of protein!
- Salt - a touch of sea salt is all you need to help accent all of the natural flavors.
- Coconut Oil - helps create the perfect texture for the melted chocolate and adds healthy fats to these energy balls.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place the oats into the bowl of a food processor and process until the oats resemble flour.
- Add the oats to a large bowl and combine them with the honey, peanut butter, chia seeds, protein powder, vanilla paste, and sea salt.
- Once the ingredients are evenly combined, place parchment onto a baking sheet pan and roll the mixture into balls. This recipe makes 14-16 depending on the size you desire.
- Place the dark chocolate chips and the coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 20 seconds and then stir, repeat until the chocolate is fully melted.
- Using a spoon carefully dip the protein balls into the melted dark chocolate, once they are coated place them on the parchment lined baking sheet pan.
- Place the pan into the refrigerator until the chocolate solidifies. To store place the protein balls into an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Let us know how it was!How to Make These Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Snacks
- After you process the gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Using your hands press together the mixture ensuring that it's evenly mixed together.
3. Roll the mixture into small balls, about two bites each, and lay them out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil and stir until smooth. Using a spoon carefully dip the balls into the melted chocolate, place them back onto the baking sheet and refrigerate them until the chocolate is firm.
Chef Tip
Using a blender or food processor to process the certified organic gluten-free rolled oats only takes a few minutes and grantees that the oat flour is gluten-free. Once you master processing the oats you can use the oat flour for various gluten-free recipes. It's as simple as placing them into the pitcher of your blender or bowl of your food processor and using the pulse function, until the oats are cut down to flour.
Substitutions & Variations
- Peanut Butter - any favorite nut butter can be substituted for peanut butter, including almond butter or cashew butter.
- Chia Seeds - can be substituted with flax seeds or you can add both for added healthy oils and proteins.
- Honey- can be substituted with agave syrup if you prefer.
- Oats - you can use nonorganic rolled oats or even quick oats, if you are not concerned with gluten in the recipe,
Storage & Helpful Hints
Make certain the balls are well chilled, and the chocolate has solidified before placing them into an airtight container for storage. We prefer to keep them in the refrigerator because of the natural peanut butter we use. This ensures they remain fresh for at least 7 days.
Place the freshly dipped protein balls in a single layer on a sheet pan in the refrigerator in order for the chocolate to cool down properly. So, they won't stick together when storing them later.
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FAQ
You sure can, try using flaxseed meal or any favorite alternative grain flour.
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