Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup gluten-free rolled oats
- ½ cup vanilla Plant Power or Paleo Power
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 T chia seeds
- ½ cup smooth almond butter
- 3 T honey (you need it to “stick”- you can try maple syrup, too)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (alcohol free)
- 1/3 cup cacao nibs*
- 2-4 T liquid (unsweetened almond or coconut milk)
Instructions:
Combine oats, protein powder, cinnamon, and chia seeds in a large bowl.
Add nut butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Add cacao nibs. Stir to combine. It will be slightly sticky but still crumbly.
Get your hands in there as you add liquid slowly 1 T at a time. Combine until you can form balls that stick together (too much liquid and they won’t hold their shape).
Roll into balls. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes to set. Store in fridge.
Flip: roll in crushed nuts, coconut flakes, or cocoa powder for a little more party flare
Flip: raisins or other dried fruit work but think of them as sugar; your body doesn’t distinguish between sugar sources
At the holidays my mom used to make these little balls of dates and nuts and I don’t know what else – oh, except for Bourbon. Everyone else went for a favorite coffee cookie, sugar cookie, but I would dig into the refrigerator and munch on these. They were slightly healthier than the others but still packed a punch of sugar, but these… feel better. They offer a sweet treat, a peanut butter cup flavor, without the kill-your-hard work results.
Take 10 minutes and make a couple dozen (unless you’re generous with yours: but more and smaller is smarter, it’s the secret to having “more” without having more). Try them on your family. They don’t have to know they’re a healthier treat until they approve them.