Vegan + Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like raisins, and those who despise them. As you can probably I guess from the title of this post, I fall into the former category, because I don't see what's not to love about plump, juicy dried grapes.People who fall into the latter group tend to have a very strong dislike for raisins and love to voice this opinion, making claims such as "raisins in oatmeal cookies are the reason I have trust issues."
While that seems extreme to me, in the interest of respecting everyone's right to their own opinion and tastes, feel free to go wild and replace the raisins in these energy balls with chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, etc.If you love raisins like I do (raisins AND choco chips in oatmeal cookies forever and ever), you will LOVE these just the way they are.
I honestly think these are the best energy balls I've made to date (and I've made...a lot) - they're just sweet enough, have a lovely hint of spice and are perfect to tide you over during that afternoon slump. Extra points if you top them with peanut butter and pair them with a cup of chai tea ;) These bites taste just like cookies and will give you a delicious boost of protein + energy!
Vegan + Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. ground pecans (can sub almonds)
1/2 c. cashew or almond butter
1/4 c. coconut shreds
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. almond milk
2 tbsp. vegan protein powder (optional)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
big pinch of salt
dash of vanilla
1/2 c. raisins
2 tbsp. cacao nibs
Method
Place all ingredients except raisins + cacao nibs in your food processor and blend until the mixture is combined but still has some texture. If dough is too dry, add a splash more almond milk.
Once the dough is formed and has the right consistency (test by pinching some between your fingers and seeing if it holds together without being super sticky, if that makes sense), add in the raisins + nibs and pulse a coupe of times to combine.
Roll dough into balls and store in the fridge for a week or so and/or the freezer for a couple of months. I like them cold straight out of the fridge/freezer!
Makes 16-18 balls
