This instant, no-bake recipe is freezer friendly and great for anytime grab-n-go snacks that adults and children both love. Just mix, form into balls and enjoy!
I love this recipe because:
- it comes together in just under 10 minutes
- you only need 7 pantry staple ingredients to make them
- and they are a fun activity to do with your little ones when they need a nice snack!
These healthy cookie dough balls are a yummy, nutritious and filling snack. You can enjoy these protein balls as part of a healthy breakfast, mid-day nibble or even as a nutritious dessert. And, yes, they taste like actual cookie dough. Too amazing for words!
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need:
- Oats
- Blanched almond flour
- Fine salt
- Almond butter (or any nut butter you have can work too!)
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Vegan dark chocolate chips
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Instructions
Preparing dry ingredients: In a high speed blender process the oats until a super fine oat flour forms. In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir to combine the dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour and salt.
Making the dough: Add the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until fully incorporated. The mixture will be thick. If you see dry flour, you may need to add a bit more almond butter. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
Form into balls: Use your hands to form the dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough each and about 1 inch in diameter). You can enjoy the energy balls right away at room temperature. To store, place the energy balls in a container and store in your refrigerator.
Allow to thaw slightly before serving and enjoy!
Here is a step-by-step recipe demo video of me preparing these cookie dough bites on SnapChat.
And if you click on the image below you can see me making these energy bites with my four year old on Facebook Live:
Storage
I like to store these energy balls in the freezer. They can keep in the freezer, in an airtight container, for up to a month. You can also store them in the refrigerator but they should be consumed within 3 days, which shouldn't be an issue seeing how good they are!
To serve the protein balls from the freezer, first allow them to thaw out slightly and they make the perfect sweet and satisfying snack.
Have dietary restrictions? Have no fear! This recipe is raw, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free and even has a nut-free option so it should work for everyone in your family.
This cookie dough protein balls recipe is vegan, soy-free, grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, raw and nut-free. If you give it a try, please let me know! Leave a comment below, rate it above, and tag a photo @eatingbyelaine and #eatingbyelaine on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook so I can see your own homemade protein balls!
Print
Healthy Cookie Dough Protein Balls with Chocolate Chips
- Total Time: 8 mins
- Yield: 24 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These cookie dough protein balls actually taste like raw cookie dough (and who doesn’t love that!?) but they are full of whole grains, dietary fiber, healthful fats and plant-based protein. This instant, no-bake recipe is freezer friendly and great for anytime grab-n-go snacks that adults and children both love. Just mix, form into balls and enjoy! They come together in under 10 minutes and require only 7 pantry ingredients that you likely have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 cup super-fine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¾ cup oat flour (gluten-free if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup raw, creamy almond butter*
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional: 1-2 scoops unflavored unsweetened protein powder
- ¼ cup mini vegan dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir to combine the dry ingredients: almond flour, oat flour and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir until fully incorporated. The mixture will be thick. If you see dry flour, you may need to add a bit more almond butter.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Use your hands to form the dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough each and about 1 inch in diameter). You can enjoy the energy balls right away at room temperature. To store, place the energy balls in a container and store in your refrigerator.
- To last even longer, you can also store the balls in your freezer and allow them to thaw out a couple of minutes before enjoying each one. For this, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. On the baking sheet leave a little space in between each ball. Place the baking sheet on an even surface in your refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
- Before enjoying, allow the energy ball to thaw out at room temperature for a couple of minutes. To speed up this process you can microwave an energy ball for 15 seconds to help soften it a bit. Some people even like to enjoy them straight out of the freezer and don't mind the hard texture. Up to you!
Notes
*Any nut or seed butter will work but for the best flavor I prefer raw creamy almond butter (not roasted). Cashew butter would also be a good option here. Make sure you use a nut or seed butter that is room temperature. For best results use a new jar so it is runny and not too thick or dry.
- Prep Time: 8 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Johan says
I loved making this recipe! I ate them over two days they were just too good 🙂 I used normal chocolate chips instead of the dark ones but I will try that next time!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Johan! So happy to hear you enjoyed this one and plan to make again! Best, Elaine
Brandy says
How much almond flour can I substitute for the one cup of oats since my daughter has an oat allergy?
Elaine Gordon says
Hi Brandy: Good question, I would not recommend substituting almond flour for oat flour as it has a different texture and absorbs differently. Instead I would recommend this recipe: https://www.eatingbyelaine.com/grain-free-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-energy-bites/ - I hope that helps! Best, Elaine
Karen says
I just made these for the fourth time! They are delicious!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Karen! Wow four times! Yay! I cannot admit how many times I've made this recipe in the past couple of weeks. It is a lot! So happy to hear you enjoy this one so much. Best, Elaine
Lisa says
The nutritional info states serves 12. Do 12 balls have 259 calories or does each ball have that much? I just wanted to clarify as I need the carb info for diabetic reasons.
Thank you. They tasted great going into the fridge.
Lisa
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Lisa: One serving is 2 balls since the recipe makes 24 balls and it serves 12. Please keep in mind that the nutrition facts listed here are for information purposes and estimated using an online nutrition calculator that I do not own. So I'm relying on the accuracy of that calculator for these results. If you are needing exact carbohydrate information for diabetic/medical reasons, I would recommend using your own nutrition calculator based on the exact ingredients you used.
I hope you enjoy the energy balls! Best, Elaine