Trying to find an energy bar that is safe to eat (for me that means no egg and no dairy) and actually tastes good is no small task! I have bought multiple assortments of bars that just try too hard to do everything…low carb, vegan, no sugar, high protein, etc. I’ve decided to just skip trying to find a commercial one that actually tastes good. I don’t need a bar for protein since I can eat meat and fish just fine. Actually, I’d like something that is not full of extra ingredients but will satisfy like a cookie. I just tried a recipe I found at this site, https://thepaleodiet.com. I think it will work!
Ingredients:
1 cup Cashew Butter (could substitute Almond Butter)
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted (I just got pitted dates at the health food store)
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
1 1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
(Optional: Chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans; a dash of cinnamon).
Instructions:
- Add the cashew butter, dates, cashews and 1 cup of the coconut to a food processor. (I also added 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.) Blend just until a workable dough is formed.
I just couldn’t believe that the sticky dates would chop up, so I put the 1 cup of coconut in a bowl, added the chopped dates and stirred them up. Then, I put them in the food processor.
2. Use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture out evenly. Roll into 10 balls. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
This stuff was so sticky I quickly coated them with coconut just to get them off my hands! I ended up with 16 energy balls.
3. Roll the balls in the remaining shredded coconut.
Since they were already coated with coconut I didn’t have to do it again.
My assessment of these Coconut/Cashew Butter Energy Balls:
These tasted great and were a very satisfying snack. They took only a few minutes to mix up. It probably took longer to wash the cashew butter mixture from the food processor container than to mix them up!
If you need a handy snack this summer, I would highly recommend whipping up a batch of these no-bake energy balls! Enjoy!
Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.