NOTE: I have since updated this recipe to make it more ‘fat loss’ friendly. You can find that recipe here.
Last year I ran across a recipe by the Marathon Mom that I thought looked good. I mixed up a batch and since then we have made a double batch of these every week since then.
I’ve made some changes and tweaks to her original recipe (found at http://themarathonmom.com/granola-energy-balls.htm) to make them a little more fat-loss friendly and a little more closely aligned with our nutritional choices.
Hear me on this, just because these are a healthier option for a sweet treat does not mean that you can eat a handful of them at a time (although you will want to!).
Here is our recipe :
1 and 3/4 cup dry oats (I use quick oats, but you can use old fashioned if you’d like)
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened would be the best option, but if you can’t find it, use regular)
1 cup natural peanut butter (our favorite is Smuckers Natural Chunky)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips
2/3 cup honey
1 full scoop chocolate protein powder
1 TB Cocoa powder (unsweetened kind)
1 TB Chia Seeds
1 tsp Cinnamon
Mix it all together.
(NOTE: I have made this recipe 50+ times and each time it’s different. Sometimes it seems too sticky so I add more oats. Sometimes it’s too dry so I add PB or a little honey, or even a tsp of vanilla flavoring. Mixing it up can be a workout of its own at times)
Roll into balls 1″ in diameter. Usually this makes around 48 balls and we keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week (they never last that long).
These are great to pack in lunches. I send some with my daughter to Kindergarten every day and her friends have started asking her to bring some for them, too. Hope you enjoy!
*Note: I have since updated this recipe to make it more fat loss friendly. If you’d like that version, you can find it here
Yummy! I have seen these before and thought about trying them, but a few questions…
1 – What kind of protein powder do you use? Does it have artificial sweetener? I have a hard time finding protein powder without artificial sweeteners and we have discovered that to be one of my migraine triggers.
2 – Have you made them with smooth instead of chunky pb?
Thanks for sharing!
Hey! Thanks for your questions! I use the "complete" protein powder made by JuicePlus which does not have artificial sweeteners and is a plant based protein powder, but many other protein powders do have artificial sweetners. There are some good options out there for whey protein without artificial sweeteners, but they cost a bit more. I recommend looking on amazon to save some money on them. And I haven't made them with creamy pb, but I'm sure you can. This recipe can be tweaked or adapted to meet your personal preferences and the ingredients you have on hand. Thanks for posting!,
not a coconut fan. How important are the coconut flakes?
I am typically NOT a coconut fan either, but in this recipe it works. I would guess that if you leave out the coconut you may need to increase the amounts of the other binding agents like the PB or the honey. You can't really go wrong with this recipe- feel free to tweak amounts and ingredients to your preferences 馃檪