Omg, we had the coolest lightning storm last night!!! In case I've never mentioned this before, I'm a weirdo and I LOVE storms😆😆⛈⛈ Also, the weather has been really hot recently so I'm thinking I need to hit the beach soon. Of course, every fun summer day needs plenty of snacks and I'm thinking these would be the perfect thing to take along!

Alright, about this recipe -> So you start out with a really simple base recipe that then can be made into any of these flavors, isn’t that great? Yeah, and there are only 5 main ingredients! Okay, then I guess if you want to get technical each flavor has 1 or 2 little extras to make them even better, but the point is that you only need the 5 main ingredients and the rest is optional based on the flavor you want.

These make a great snack when you don’t have a lot of time for a meal and you need a pick-me-up. They also last really well at room temperature compared to so many other homemade snack options. Plus, did I mention that they are almost entirely made of superfoods??? Yes, they’ve got nuts, oats, dates, and then your choice of all natural sweetener and some coconut oil. That’s it, the 5 main things. After that you get to mix and match as you please and I bet you can come up with some delicious new combinations too. I tried replacing the dates with some dried fruits like raisins and figs in some of my test batches and, while I prefer the dates for their extra sweetness and easy to blend texture, the results were still good alternatives. Just an option to note.

I spent a long time trying to narrow down my favorite flavor ideas because once I started playing around with ingredients I realized how versatile these can be. I have so many more flavors I wanted to do but I didn’t want to overwhelm you guys too much so I limited myself to choosing just 5. Hey, it was way harder than you might think. That’s okay though, I’m already planning to do a second edition of this post eventually so that I can share the other great flavors with you!

So yeah, these are like revolutionary little bites. I mean, they taste like you’re eating spoonfuls of cookie dough but you’re actually getting some really solid nutrition to fuel up all throughout the day. Happy snacking!

5-Ingredient Simple Snack Balls 5 Ways

Have you ever wished cookie dough could be healthy? Well you're in luck because that's exactly what these energy bites taste like and they're so simple to make.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 20 (2 teaspoon-sized) bites

Ingredients

Base Recipe:
1 cup shelled nuts raw (or toasted if you want)
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt optional
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
White Chocolate Almond:
1 cup shelled almonds raw (or toasted if you want)
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt optional
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
1 teaspoon almond extract optional
1/3 mini white chocolate chips or finely chopped white chocolate check brands to make sure that it fits your dietary restrictions if necessary[optional]
Coconut Cashew Lemon:
1 cup shelled cashews raw (or toasted if you want)
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
Zest from 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of juice
1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes plus more for coating
1/2 teaspoon pure coconut extract optional
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt optional
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
Walnut Fudge Brownie:
1 cup shelled walnuts raw (or toasted if you want)
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt optional
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
1/3 mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate check brands to make sure that it fits your dietary restrictions if necessary[optional]
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip:
1 cup shelled peanuts raw (or toasted if you want)
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener such as maple syrup or honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt optional
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
1/3 mini chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate check brands to make sure that it fits your dietary restrictions if necessary[optional]
Maple Pecan:
1 cup shelled pecans raw (or toasted if you want), plus more for topping each ball if desired
1 cup pitted dates
2 cups rolled oats be sure they are gluten free if necessary
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt optional
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract optional
1 teaspoon pure maple extract

Instructions

Combine the nuts and oats in a food processor or blender (a small one works best) and pulse together until finely ground. Add the remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips for the flavors that add them, and pulse again until as smooth as you'd like. (I left mine a bit gritty for texture but if you'd rather, you should probably be able to get it completely pureed.) For the recipes using it, pour in chocolate chips/or chunks and pulse just to combine.
Roll the mixture into small bite-size balls (about 2 teaspoons each). If you're mixture seems a bit sticky or too soft, place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes and it should be easier.
For the coconut ones, roll in extra coconut shreds and for the maple pecan top with some extra whole pecans. That's it, enjoy these on-the-go or as a quick snack whenever you need an energy boost or you have a late night craving! Store in an air-tight container at room temp for up to 1 week or in the fridge for as long as 2 or 3 weeks (though they'd probably last even longer).

ALL CONTENT IS MINE AND ORIGINAL! All of these food photos were taken with my Nikon D750 and my favorite Lens, the Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G. You can find out more in my INTRO POST.

Also, a huge shoutout to @rigaronib for designing my logo!

If you're looking for more recipes check out some of my other recent posts!

1. Fruity Summer Splash Smoothie
2. Sprinkled White & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Crunchy Sweet Crumble Muffins
4. Colorful Veggie & Hummus Appetizer Board
5. Grill Time! Sweet Spicy Tofu Skewers