Description
These Vegan Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Energy Bites 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. Preparing them can even make for a fun activity to do with your little ones.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup super-fine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)**
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup raw, creamy almond butter***
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mini vegan dark chocolate chips or Hu chocolate gems for refined sugar-free
Instructions
- 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.
- 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
*For best results, I recommend that you make your own oat flour yourself by grinding up oats in a high speed blender. Use certified gluten-free oats if desired.
**Nut-free option: Use more oat flour in place of the almond flour.
***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.
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
Keywords: vegan gluten-free cookie dough energy bites