No-Bake Chocolate Energy Bites

These past weeks I've been looking for a recipe that allows me to test out my new food processor and see how powerful it really is. I got it for Christmas and I couldn't wait any longer to play with my new little toy. Good news is that my small Kitchenaid food processor hasn't disappointed me, I made a perfectly smooth almond butter in less time than expected (honestly I was a bit scared at first cause I've read everywhere that making homemade almond butter can take up a lot of time). By the way, this post is not sponsored by Kitchenaid, my sister bought me this food processor as a Xmas gift and I'm so happy I'm finally able to make homemade nut butter that I wanted to share my excitement with the world. :-p

So after clearing things up and telling you how important it is to invest in a good food processor if you like to cook everything from scratch like me, let's talk about food. That almond butter I made was actually one of the main ingredients for this recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Energy Bites made with superfoods and packed with lots of nutrients. They make the best healthy snack to keep you satisfied between meals, bursting with vitamins, plant protein and good fats, plus they don't have refined sugars. I love to eat a couple of these balls half an hour before a workout cause they give me such a good energy! I don't need any food supplement filled with nasty chemicals to make me feel strong.

These bites are not only good for you, they actually taste amazingly good and, I warn you, they can be so addictive...I can't help but eating small spoonfuls of the batter when I'm preparing them. They're super rich and even if you're not very keen on dates you'll love them cause the cocoa powder and the almond butter are here to the rescue!

I'll come back with more variations of this recipe soon with different options to satisfy everyone's tastes!

¡Receta en español aquí!

No-Bake Energy Bites
(makes 16 small balls)

Ingredients
12 Medjoool dates, pitted and cut in half.
3 tbsp almond butter.
1 1/2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil.
1 1/2 tbsp pure cocoa powder.
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract.
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
2 1/2 tbsp ground flaxseed.
1 1/2 tbsp blend of milled organic flaxseed, sunflower & pumpkin seeds.*
Unsweetened shredded coconut, for coating.

* I always use this mix from Linwoods but you can try using a different mix that contains at least two different ground nuts/seeds.

Directions

Place all ingredients (minus the shredded coconut) into a high-speed food processor and blend until smooth. Stop a few times and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Process until a sticky ball of dough forms.

Roll the ball of dough into a rope and divide it into 16 equal portions. Use your hands to shape them into balls and finally roll in the coconut.

Place in the fridge so they harden a bit, for at least 20 minutes before eating.

Store letfover balls refrigerated in an airtight container.