Energy balls! One of my all-time favorite snacks or lunch add-ins! Just like my peanut butter oatmeal bars, these chocolate coconut peanut butter balls are full of good for you ingredients and can even double as post-meal treat.
I wasn’t sure at first how my girls would react to the coconut, but to my surprise they love it! The coconut flavor is pretty light in these, so even if coconut isn’t your thing, I encourage you to give it a try. And let’s be honest, they look real pretty rolled in coconut.
I also love recipes that area a good source of protein and these have 5 grams of protein per ball. We are also huge fan of these protein recipes: chocolate protein pancakes, chocolate banana bread, and high protein overnight oats, and chocolate protein bars.
HOW TO MAKE THESE CHOCOLATE COCONUT PEANUT BUTTER BALLS
- Mix the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and cacao in a small bowl.
- Mix the oats, coconut, chia seeds and salt in a separate, larger bowl.
- Add the peanut butter mixture to the oat mixture.
- Fully mix the oat mixture with the peanut butter mixture. Sometimes I find it helpful to use my hands to evenly combine everything.
5. Using about 2 tbsp. of "dough", form into balls and then roll each ball in shredded coconut.
Notes on Ingredients
Here are my recommendations on specific ingredients and how to keep them clean.
Peanut butter – look for natural peanut butter with only peanuts as the ingredients (peanuts and salt is okay too). Just stay away from peanut butters with added oils and sugars.
Oats – oats are a great source of whole grains. My favorite oats (and we go through a lot of them) are GF Harvest Gluten-Free Organic Rolled Oats.
Naturally sweetened – sweetened with raw honey, an all-natural sweetener.
Cacao – the yummy chocolate flavor in these comes from cacao NOT cocoa. Cacao is a much cleaner option…see below if you are curious as to why!
What's the Difference Between Cocoa and Cacao?
There’s a difference you say!? Oh yes, my friend… and it’s not just the spelling. I’ll keep it high level, but essentially they are both derived from the same place, the cocoa bean. However, how they are processed is very different.
Cacao – made from cold-pressing the bean (think less processing), which keeps the enzymes and higher antioxidant content.
Cocoa – treated with high temperatures (think more processing), which diminishes the nutritional value and reduces enzyme content.
Cacao is a true superfood, which is one of the many reasons I love it. It’s high in minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium. I recommend buying certified organic raw cacao to ensure you are getting the purest, most antioxidant rich form, so you can reap the greatest health benefits.
How Should I Store These?
Storing: These peanut butter balls should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and will keep for about 5-7 days.
Freezing: You can also freeze them in an airtight container if you want them to last longer. I love Stasher bags for an eco-friendly way to store these!
More Clean Eating Snacks to Try!
Eat Clean.Be Healthy!
-Sara
Chocolate Coconut Peanut Butter Balls
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Equipment
- mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
- 2 ¼ cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut, divided
Instructions
- Mix the peanut butter, honey, cacao powder, and melted coconut oil in small bowl.
- In a large, separate bowl, combine the oats, chia seeds, ¼ cup of the shredded coconut, and salt.
- Add the peanut butter mixture to the oat mixture and mix until oats are fully incorporated.
- Using about 2 tbsp. of the mix, roll into individual balls.
- Place the remaining ¼ cup coconut in small bowl and roll each ball in the shredded coconut.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Will stay good in the fridge for about a week.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Sometimes I find it easier to warm up the peanut butter and honey mixture before mixing it with the oat mixture; this helps so it's easier to mix. Just make sure you don't warm it up too much that it burns your hands when rolling the final mixture into balls.
- Peanut butters have different consistencies, so if your final mix seems to dry, you can add additional honey or even a splash or two of milk to help the balls stick together when your roll them.
Nutrition
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