I was inspired to make these when I was making a batch of healthy donut holes for a presentation last week.
Mmm delicious!
I had some dried cranberries left over from another recipe for a grain-free apple tart that I made recently, and I had one or two oranges in my fridge.
Oranges and cranberries go well together, especially with a hint of ginger, so I did a little experimenting and ended up with these little hunks of yumminess!
These are a quick and easy option for a grab-and-go breakfast, pre or post workout snack, afternoon snack, or even dessert, just like last week’s Paleo Pecan Pie Poppers!
These could also be called “Energy Bites” because of the combination of healthy fats and protein from the nuts and almond butter, fiber from the dates, and blood-sugar stabilizing cinnamon. The orange zest is also energizing and adds a little something special.
They are SO GOOD! There’s just enough orange flavor from the zest, and it pairs nicely with the tartness from the cranberries and mild bite from the ginger.
These little treats are addictive. You’ve been warned 🙂
Yield: 16-18 Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (Try to use cranberries sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (Use a microplane or other fine grater to grate the skin of the orange…AKA the “zest”) OR 3 drops therapeutic grade Wild Orange essential oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup raw almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Optional: shredded, unsweetened coconut
Directions
- In the food processor fitted with the “s” blade, grind the almonds and walnuts until finely ground.
- Add the dates, cranberries, spices, orange zest and salt and grind until blended.
- Add the almond butter and vanilla extract and process again until completely mixed.
- Form into balls about 1 inch in diameter, and, if you like coconut, roll in shredded coconut.
KathernBly
Rachel! LOVE THESE! Made them as part of my holiday gift baskets and they were one of the faves! Thanks for creating! Kathern
racheldruck
I’m so glad Kathern!! They’re one of my favorites, too 🙂 A happy experiment, I would say. I’m experimenting with another flavor now, and once that’s ready, I’ll post it, too! So glad you were able to use these over the holidays and share them with friends 🙂
kathernaj
Super! I keep an eye out! Great job!
Shannon
Rachel, these are fantastic! Thank you for sharing the blog post again.
racheldruck
Oh, I’m so glad you like them, Shannon! You’re welcome!
Brenda
Love these, but do you know of any of these type of recipes that DON’T contain any nut products, or sunflower or pumpkin products? My son is allergic to these ingredients and I am trying to find modifications. I use Tahinni paste in place of nut butters, and roasted garbonzo beans for a substitute for crunch of nuts in a recipe. Any suggestions would be great!
racheldruck
Thanks, Brenda. I’m glad you like them. To be honest, usually sunflower seed butter is the major swap to use that is non-allergenic, so I’m not too sure what to do instead of what you’ve already tried with tahini, but you’d need to add more sweeteners, most likely, since tahini is more bitter than the other nut and seed butters. That would be the main substitution I would make. It depends on what you are trying to make. Chickpeatos is a company that makes crispy chickpeas made with less than 6 ingredients (really good!), so they might be an option. I’ve also used coconut butter or coconut oil in certain recipes to help bind them like the one for coconut chai bites under the Snacks & Sweet Treats page. If you have a specific questions about a particular type of recipe, let me know. Thanks!