Looking for a chocolate treat that is sweet and tasty yet naturally gluten and refined sugar free? These no bake chocolate energy balls are the perfect snack or lunch box treat… no guilt needed!
As we head into the back to school season I appreciate healthy snack ideas that are simple to make and don’t disappoint on taste.
Remember After School Snacks?
When I was a kid my mom would whip up a batch of her famous chocolate no-bake cookies that were packed with peanut butter and cocoa as we sat around the kitchen table working on school assignments.
They were my favorite!
But alas, a cruel trick was being played on those of us raised in the 80s. Health experts thought fats were evil and sugar was just fine and dandy. Aurgh!
Avoiding Sugary Treats
Now that I’m a parent (and we’re all smarter about nutrition) I am concerned about excessive sugar consumption and prefer to skip refined sugar in my kids’ snacks as much as possible.
This is especially true as we enter the season of colder weather when kids sit in classroom for most of the day and have homework to fit in at night. (There’s not a lot of time left for burning up extra calories!)
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Since the original chocolate no-bake cookies recipe was packed with the white stuff I said goodbye to my childhood favorite…
Until I decided to try giving our favorite energy ball recipe a chocolate twist.
- I replace the butter with coconut oil.
- I use a bit of honey in place of the 2 cups of refined sugar in the original recipe.
- I added unsweetened shredded coconut and flax seed for extra protein and fiber.
The results were phenomenal! No bake chocolate energy balls have the chocolate peanut flavor I loved as a kid but no refined sugar, more fiber, and more protein than the original cookies. SCORE!
No Bake Chocolate Energy Balls that Kids Love
I hope you try no bake chocolate energy balls. You don’t have to sacrifice taste in the name of healthy eating.
Print
No Bake Chocolate Energy Balls
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 22 energy balls 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Description
Looking for a chocolate treat that is sweet and tasty yet naturally gluten and refined sugar free? These no bake chocolate energy balls are the perfect snack or lunch box treat… no guilt needed!
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup ground flax seed (flax meal)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup peanut butter (natural)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
Make the dry mixture
- Pulse the oats in a food processor to get a more smooth texture (about 10-15 quick pulses). The texture should be somewhere between whole and completely ground. Pour oats into a large bowl and add the shredded coconut and flax seed.
Make the chocolate mixture
- In a small bowl stir together the peanut butter, coconut oil, honey until smooth. (You may heat the mixture for 15 seconds in the microwave to make it easier to combine). Add cocoa powder and stir again until smooth.
Make the energy balls
- Pour peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined. Chill for at least 20 minutes. Shape the mixture into balls 2 tablespoons at a time. Try gently pressing together the chilled mix; do not try to roll into balls.
Enjoy!
- Chill for 20-30 minutes. Store in fridge or freezer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 127
- Sugar: 4.1
- Fat: 7.9
- Carbohydrates: 12.7
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3.2
Keywords: chocolate energy balls
More Healthy Energy Balls
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Cari
This is a crumbly mess. Any suggestions?
Cari
Ok… i got them to work after quite a bit of doctoring. I wanted to keep in line with your mission to keep them healthy and full of natural sugar so I added maple syrup and a slew of dates as binders. Still needed a punch of flavor though so I threw in some cinnamon and a few semi sweet chocolate chips (for good measure).
Bren
Add a bit more nut butter!
Bren
Perfect snack!
★★★★★