No-Bake Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls – These delicious, bite-sized treats are packed full of nutrition, including walnuts, oats, and dates. Pop one or two in your mouth when you need a boost!
As a mom of four, I’m forever making food for one of the kids.
Luckily, Jade and Nat can make some of their own food, but with Sam and Miki, the kitchen door is constantly revolving.
No-bake treats come up often as a fast and easy way to get some nutrition in the kids’ bellies and still have them enjoy what they’re eating!
Energy balls with oats
I find that adding oats to an energy ball recipe helps to cut the fat a bit and add some fiber.
Oats also add a good amount of resistant starch, which is good for colon health.
I recently did a stool test that showed I had very little butyrate and small chain fatty acids in my colon, and one of the ‘remedies’ is to increase my resistant starch intake.
Raw oats, green bananas, and day-old rice are the primary ways in which I’ve been doing just that!
I mix the oats with walnuts, which are high in fat, and lend a creaminess to the recipe without adding oil.
Sugar content of energy balls
One has to take care when consuming these types of treats. Trust me, I know!
You can quickly go from, ‘oh, wow, I feel great!’ to ‘mehhhh, I’m tired…’.
Assuming you make ten energy balls from this recipe, each one is around six grams of sugar (a teaspoon is four grams, for reference).
Essentially, when you eat two of these balls, you’re taking in nearly one tablespoon of sugar grams.
Dates can be tricky that way. They have a high fiber content, but it is important to watch how many you eat. This is especially true if you have blood sugar or candida issues.
Savor each one like a delectable piece of chocolate!
Other energy ball recipes you might like:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls (NO Dates!)
Peanut Butter Quinoa Energy Balls
Low Carb Carrot Sno-Balls
No-Bake Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oats
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 9 large soft Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 Tablespoon cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Process oats into flour.
- Add walnuts and salt and process until fine.
- Add in the dates, along with the remaining ingredients (expect the chocolate).
- Process until well combined.
- Pulse in nibs or chips last so they retain their shape.
- Form balls (it is advantageous to use wet hands here, as the dough can stick to your fingers a bit).
- Freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
Use cacao nibs to keep your sugar content lower.
Lynn D says
Hi Lauren,
SOmeone linked to your cauliflower pizza. Was looking over other pages. I am on SCD (grainfree sugarfree) to regain health. This year after noticeing felt worse after healthy-spinach,beets…that they have oxalaic acid and after looking it up , its high in almonds which had been eating huge amounts. SO am slowly reducing . Noticed some ingrediants high in oxalates accoding to yahoo site are chocolate,chia seeds.
I might try the cauliflower in your muffin recipe. Thank you for the information.
Elizabeth says
I am highly allergic to buckwheat and wanted to make the GF flour mixture. What is a good substitution. I am also allergic to tapioca, corn, cornstarch. I can use arrowroot starch.
Lauren says
Try oats! 🙂
Gabby @ the veggie nook says
Lauren, these look great! I actually just tried the Sweet Cacao Nibs for the first time and they are so delicious- just the right amount of sweet.
Thanks for submitting to HVF! Any chance you could add a link back to the party? It would be wonderful if you could 🙂
Lou (@fridgescrapings) says
YUM – love this truffle recipe – bummer about being allergic to cashews (and Kiwi!) I wish it was Summer here 🙁
freshlifefindings says
Aw you guys look so cute by the pool! And hot bod alert! You look awesome, I hope I look as good as you after kids! These truffles look amazing, I’m buying a food processor tomorrow and I’m so excited to try recipes like this 🙂
Lauren says
Hahahaha! You crack me up! Thank you…it all takes work!
Alex @ therunwithin says
the gluten flour mix looks awesome!
Lauren says
Thanks Alex! Let me know if you try it!