Get your Energy as naturally as possible with this simple Energy Balls Recipe

UPDATED APRIL 2022 perfect Ramadan Recipe

The original energy balls recipe is great but here’s another version WITHOUT the very calorific peanut butter AND without all the caffeine in the cocoa. I’ve also used a delicious coating of sesame seeds and fennel seeds making this version of energy balls a perfect after dinner sweet fix.

NEW FAVORITE ENERGY BALLS RECIPE GOES LIKE THIS

100 g of UNSALTED nuts – your choice I like cashews, almonds and pistachios all mixed

5 dates and 5 PRUNES no pips

1 tablespoon avocado or coconut oil

30 g flaxseed powder

40 g sunflower/pumpkin seeds ground to powder or you could us 70 g or dried coconut powder

1 tea spoon of water – if mixture is too dry

You pretty much make it as in method for the original recipe

ORIGINAL RECIPE FOR ENERGY BALLS USING PEANUT BUTTER AND COCOA

There are so many energy ball recipes being shared; this one was given to me by one of my uber fit and body conscious Australian gym buddies. It’s easy, uses simple, accessible ingredients and it works every time. Try some energy balls instead of your usual sweet fix!

Ingredients to make the Energy Balls

12 to 14 pitted or unpitted dates

1 tablespoon of cacao powder

3/4 of a mug of raw, plain cashews and or almonds

2 tablespoons of your favourite peanut butter

Equipment to make the Energy Balls

A good food processor OUR FAVOURITE IS THE THERMOMIX Read all about it or listen to a podcast on what a thermomix is and what it can do here.

Sharp kitchen knife and chopping board (to take the pips out of your dates if you need to)

Baking paper (not strictly necessary)

A large enough tray to lay out up to 14 to 18  made energy balls for setting

Prepared shelf in your fridge for energy balls to set on the tray

Metal tablespoon

One large bowl

Method to make the Energy Balls

1. Take the pips out of the dates if you didn’t purchase them pitted
2. Weigh out all your ingredients
3. Process the nuts in the food processor to the thickness you want them. Some people prefer them to be almost powdery and quite fine, others a little more course. Me? I like a little of each, so I put most of the nuts in the processor and whizz to a powdery consistency, then leave a handful to be whizzed up roughly. Set aside the processed nuts
4. Whizz up the dates to as small as you can get without them sticking together
5. Add the peanut butter to the processor with the cacao powder, mix well so you are making a kind of very chocolatey peanut butter
6. Add the dates to the mixture and whiz up again
7. Add the nuts and do a final whiz till the mixture all comes together in a rough ball
8. Switch off your food processor! Then take out your mixture and put in a mixing bowl
9. Shape the mixture into little balls and lay out on kitchen paper on a tray ready to set in the fridge
10. This quantity should make 12 to 14 small energy balls, set in the fridge for about an hour, or you could put in the freezer for less time.
11. Just eat from the fridge or store in an airtight bag in the freezer and take out a few minutes before you need to serve

These Energy Balls are great for those after dinner munchies 

You can add your ingredients together

differently if you prefer.

In my video I combined the nuts with the cacao

as they are both dry ingredients.

Experiment and see what you think.

*I do recommend you make the dates as small as possible first though. Don’t be tempted to use too much cacao, it has a very strong taste!

Try the energy balls recipe with different kinds of homemade or shop bought nut butters and see if you prefer the taste! I think  these would also be good to give to growing teens as a snack especially during exams. Also a great recipe to teach to any kids going to university, provided they had a basic food processor!

Hope you enjoy! Tell us what combination of ingredients you have tried.

Monica