These chocolate protein peanut butter energy balls taste like chocolate peanut butter cookie dough, but are made entirely from healthy ingredients.
Dates. Oatmeal. Peanut butter. Cocoa. Protein powder. Chia seeds.
Healthy so I don't feel guilty when I eat another one of these low-calorie energy snacks for breakfast, after a workout or as a healthy dessert.
Healthy energy balls recipes fall into two categories: those with honey or maple syrup (maple syrup) as a sweetener and energy balls with dates.
While honey / maple syrup win in terms of maximum convenience, I prefer energy balls with dates.
Dates taste great, are high in fiber and create a raw energy ball "dough" that is easy to form without the need for extra fat, sugar or oil.
You'll have to get your food processor dirty to make energy balls with dates, but I promise it's worth the effort.
The recipe for chocolate protein peanut butter energy balls:
Ingredients
- 10 Medjoul dates without seeds
- 5 tablespoons peanut butter (preferably organic)
- 10 tablespoons rolled oats
- 1/2 scoop Ekopura Whey cocoa
- 3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds, you can also use ground flaxseed, hemp seeds or an extra tablespoon of oats
- 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- If your dates are dry, put them in a small bowl of boiling water. Soak for 10 minutes to hydrate them, drain and pat dry.
- Place the dates in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse several times until the dates break into small pieces and a ball forms that sticks to the side of the bowl. Add the oats, peanut butter, protein, chocolate chips, chia seeds and salt. Pulse until the mixture is a whole (but not completely smooth). Add the cocoa powder and pulse to combine. At this point the dough looks like crumbs, but if you scoop some into your hand and roll it into a ball it should work without a problem. If it's too dry and not sticking together, add a little peanut butter; if it's too sticky, add some more oats. (The amount you need may vary depending on the brand of peanut butter you use and the moisture of the dates.)
- Roll out the dough into balls of the desired size (I made them a little over 2.5 cm and ended up making 14 energy balls).
- You can enjoy right now (the balls will still be soft but delicious) or put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes to let the balls solidify a bit.
I hope you enjoy these chocolate protein peanut butter energy balls and let us know in the comments which recipe you would like to see next time!
