Mood: You know that feeling when you’re low on energy & need a small yet satiating snack? Or when you’re late to work & wish you had an energy bar to munch on? Or when you haven’t eaten in a while & you desperately need a quick bite, before you can get yourself a real meal? Yes, we’ve all been there & done that:) And if you’re like me & you also need small doses of food every 2 hours to maintain your sanity & wellbeing, then I’m sure you also make it a point to have a snack in your bag at all times:) At first, I used to buy a constant supply of energy bars, to deal with my hunger pangs. But I quickly realized that this was not only expensive & bad for the environment (avoid plastic packaging!), but in fact, a lot of these store bought bars were also quite high in their sugar & calorie content. And so, I decided to become self sufficient & make myself some healthy homemade energy snack bites:) And I have to say, they turned out to be quite delicious:) I recently had a long flight/journey from LA to Mumbai, via Germany, & these snack bites kept me company, all throughout the long airport layovers & my mid-flight hunger cravings:) These scrumptious Nutty Dark Chocolate & Granola Vegan Energy Bites need just 5 Ingredients, are ready in 15 Minutes & are perfect for your healthy to-go snack pack:) A healthier, more affordable & eco friendly snack idea:) Fudgy. Nutty. Healthy. Chocolatey. Homemade Goodness:) Enjoy:)
Time: 15 minutes
Serving Size: 13 Energy Bites
Category: Snack
Author: Animagus Eats
Ingredients:
• 2 cups Pitted Dates (I used Medjool Dates)
• 1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats (uncooked)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup Pecans/Walnuts (to taste)
• 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks (Vegan)*
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp Salt (to taste)
Method:
1. Spread out the uncooked oats evenly on a baking tray & toast them in the oven for 8-10 mins at 425 F/220 C. Take them out of the oven, once they are slightly brown & crunchy:)
2. While the oats are toasting away, add the pitted dates to a blender/food processor & blend them till they form a giant dough like ball. It’s best to use a big food processor for this process. Make sure you use soft & fresh dates, so that you can get the right consistency. If your dates have hardened up, then first, soften them in hot water for 30 minutes, drain them & then add them to the blender/food processor. The dates are the most important ingredients because they add a natural sweetness & a fudgy/chewy structure & texture to the energy bites:) Once the dates have been blended, set them aside & clean the blender.
3. Next, add the pecans/walnuts to the blender & pulse them into tiny pieces; almost like a coarse nut flour. Don’t make the mixture too fine, because then the nuts will start releasing oils & will make the snack quite oily. The quantity of the nuts depends on how nutty you would like your energy bites to be:)
4. Add the dates back into the blender, along with the coarsely ground nuts, & a pinch of salt (to taste), & blend again till the mixture is well combined.
5. Take the toasted oats out of the oven & add them to a a large baking tray, along with the date/nut mixture & the dark chocolate chunks. Use your hands to bring the ingredients together & shape the mixture into small/medium sized balls. And voila! Your Nutty Dark Chocolate & Granola Vegan Energy Bites are ready:) Store them in an air tight container (do not refrigerate) & they should taste good/fresh for a whole week:) Happy Snacking:)
Notes:
*You can also use Vegan Chocolate Chips or Cocoa Nibs instead of Dark Chocolate Chunks:)
Nutritional Information:
Approx. 132.61 calories per serving (total 13 servings)
Animagus Eats 