Peanut Cacao Energy Balls
I make energy balls all the time for Kenny and I, and we pretty much always have a batch in the fridge. He likes to take one on his way out the door in the mornings, and I like to have one (or 2) as an afternoon snack. We love these little treats so much that I’ve even come up with several different flavors to mix it up. I’ve got everything from cashew lime, carrot cake, cranberry coconut, lemon poppy seed, and coconut cacao.
But we always go back to the tried and true, chocolate. The batches with cacao always tend to be our favorite, and those are the ones that I make the most often. So when Alter Eco sent me a huge stash of their amazing chocolate bars, I knew exactly what I had to make with them. ENERGY BALLS. Duh.
Alter Eco is the REAL MVP because they sent me SO many amazing flavors to try. The sea salt is my favorite because I’m basic like that, but ALL of the flavors have been delicious. For this batch of balls, I went with the brown butter flavor because Kenny was really intrigued by that one. But I’ve made several batches since then, using different flavors, and they have not disappointed.
I really love this company because they work with small-scale farmers to create ethical relationships, and they care about sustainability and organic practices. They definitely get a fist bump for that.
Y’all, these are so good. They don’t taste like your average energy ball, they have an even richer chocolate flavor because of the entire chocolate bar that gets blended up in there. But luckily, you are still getting all of the healthy fats, fiber, protein, and iron from the dates, peanuts, and cacao powder.
So it’s still a health food in my mind. Score.
*side note: several of their flavors do have dairy in them, so if you are intolerant to dairy, look at the labels. This batch has dairy in the brown butter flavor, so I only had 2 balls over the course of a couple of days and let Kenny eat the rest. I didn’t want to upset my tummy, but they were definitely DELICIOUS.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted dates
- 1 1/2 cups roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
- 1 Alter Eco brown butter chocolate bar
Instructions
- Add the dates to a food processor and pulse them a few times to break them up a bit.
- Then, add the rest of the ingredients to the dates, making sure to break up the chocolate bar with your hands.
- Pulse in the food processor until it all comes together into a thick dough that sticks together when you pinch it with your fingers.
- Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to take a tablespoon of the dough, then roll it in your hands until a ball forms.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, and store the balls in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can you tell me what weight bar you added? I do not have access to the Alter Eco bar, and want to make it with a bar that I already have.
Thanks,
Sure! I used a 2.8oz AlterEco bar.