energy bites Archives · Rachel's Nourishing Kitchen

No-Bake Gingerbread Cookie Bites

On December 2, 2016

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Holidays, Paleo, Paleo, Recipes, Savor, Vegan, Vegetarian

I’d been wanting to come up with a new holiday recipe (and I absolutely love dessert!), so when my friend, Brenda, suggested that I try the Gingerbread Larabar, I was inspired to make this recipe.

The first time I tried ginger, I wasn’t a fan, but over the years, I’ve grown to love it! It’s one of my favorite ingredients because it’s versatile, flavorful and full of some serious health-promoting benefits, including digestive support.

Gingerbread recipes take things one step further with the addition of the blackstrap molasses. Of all of the sweeteners out there, blackstrap molasses is one of the few that has some serious nutritional value.

Even though blackstrap molasses is a form of sugar, it has a better nutrient profile than its counterparts. Check out a few of the reasons why blackstrap molasses is an upgrade when you’re looking for something sweet:

Good source of bone-building minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and manganese, and the energy and blood-boosting mineral, iron.
Packed with heart-healthy potassium.
It has greater antioxidant activity and a lower glycemic index (blood sugar-spiking potential) than cane sugar, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar and agave.

It has a very distinct flavor, but in this recipe, I only use a little bit, and it brings everything together and adds a hint of the signature molasses flavor you’ve come to expect from gingerbread.

I’ve taste-tested these treats with coworkers, friends, and family, and everyone is on board, so I know you will love them! If you want to get fancy, you can roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and use little gingerbread cookie cutters to make shapes!

No-Bake Gingerbread Cookie Bites

If you like the flavors of gingerbread, try these delicious no-bake bites for a sweet treat balanced out with some fiber, healthy fats and protein.

1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch clove
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3/4 cup Medjool dates (pits removed)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses

Combine nuts, spices and salt in food processor until finely ground.
Add dates, vanilla and molasses and process until everything starts sticking together.
Form hunks of dough into 1-inch balls and roll or flatten to make cookies. Store in glass container in the fridge or freezer.

Pecan-Coated Pumpkin Spice Bites

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On November 5, 2016

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Holidays, Nourish, Paleo, Recipes, Savor, Vegan, Vegetarian

Isn’t pumpkin the best?

Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin-spiced anything. If I can find a way to get pumpkin or pumpkin pie spice into it, I will.

I’ve made this delicious pumpkin spice dip multiple times over the past few weeks and have been trying for the past two years to come up with a pumpkin energy bite recipe.

It took me a half a dozen attempts before coming up with this winner 🙂

I like to think of these no-bake bites as triple pumpkin bites because I used just about every component I could – pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and a teeny bit of pumpkin puree.

They’re like a taste of fall in every bite – pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and all things pumpkin.

Pecan-Coated Pumpkin Spice Bites

For a sweet and salty, chewy and slightly crunchy bite of fall, you have to try these no-bake bites!

Coating

1/4 cup pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dough

1 cup pecans
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (shelled)
1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Medjool dates
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

Combine 1/4 cup pecans and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in food processor until small hunks of pecan remain. Pour into medium bowl and set aside.
Combine pecans, pepitas, spices and salt in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a fine meal.
Add vanilla, dates and pumpkin puree and process until everything is combined. Remove from food processor and shape into a large ball.
Tear off 1-inch hunks and roll into a ball between your palms. Roll ball in pecan mixture and store in glass container in the fridge. You can also freeze them!

Easy Peanut Butter Oat Energy Bites {Video}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On February 18, 2016

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, How To, Vegan, Vegetarian

My coworkers are the best taste testers. When I’m experimenting with new recipes, they are the brave ones who often try them out and give me feedback before I post them on here.

So far, this is the feedback I’ve gotten about these tasty bites:

YUMMMMMM

Delicious

Such a good treat 🙂

Sooooooo good!

Making these Peanut Butter Oat Energy Bites is super simple, fun (and messy!), and they are easy to take and eat on the go. You can enjoy these as part of breakfast, a snack or even dessert!

Most oat energy bites have coconut in them, and I know a lot of people aren’t the biggest fans of coconut, so I thought I would do some tinkering to make this recipe coconut-free.

The subtle saltiness from the peanut butter, sweetness from the maple syrup, nuttiness from the flax seed and crunch from the cacao nibs make these treats fun to eat.

I made this video to show you exactly how to make them!

https://youtu.be/LoRp7VJiXCc

Because you really need to get in there and get your hands sticky and messy, if you have kids (or just want to feel like one!), this is a recipe you’ll want to try.

For the full list of ingredients (and more mouthwatering pics), see below.

PB Oat Bites Cover

No-Bake Peanut Butter Oat Balls

These delicious peanut butter oat balls make a great snack or part of your breakfast! I use cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips to keep the sugar content down, but you could also use mini chocolate chips if you’d like!

2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 cup natural peanut butter
2/3 cup honey (You can use 1/2 cup for a lower sugar count!)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw cacao nibs (or mini dark chocolate chips)
Pinch fine grain sea salt

Set the peanut butter and honey at room temperature for about 15 minutes to warm up and for the PB to soften. If the peanut butter is too hard, you can also soften it by gently heating it in a small pot on the stove top with the honey.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir with your hands to combine. It will be messy (but fun!).
To help the mixture “set,” put the dough in the fridge about an hour, so it is easier to work with. It’ll seem too wet, but don’t worry, that will make it easier to work with once it’s had time to come together. It’s easiest to start making the bites using a cookie scooper, but you can also shape them into balls using your hands and then gently roll them. Store them in a glass container in your fridge or freezer.

I use raw cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips because they add a nice crunch and don’t have all the sugar from chocolate chips.

No-Bake Orange Cranberry Breakfast Bites {Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On December 15, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Holidays, Nourish, Paleo, Paleo, Products I Use, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

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.

Healthy & Homemade Donut Holes! {Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan}

By Rachel Druckenmiller

On March 19, 2014

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan

“These satisfy my sweet tooth without eating Little Debbie Donut Bites!”

“These won’t make it home!”

And finally, “So, there’s no sugar in these?”

These were just a few of the comments made by a donut-loving friend last night as he was enjoying a new treat I prepared for our church small group that we host each Tuesday.

I had never made them before, so I didn’t know what to expect. They were a huge hit, so you can bet I will be making them again, given the response! I never thought they would be compared to donut holes in terms of taste and texture, but I’ll take it!

They are SO easy to make, too. They’ll become a new staple in your house, I’m sure!

Healthy & Homemade “Donut” Holes

Mmm delicious!

The recipe is adapted from this one on the Nourishing Meals blog. Tom and Ali have some awesome gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free recipes, so I will be featuring more of them in the future.

Ingredients (see notes below regarding substitutions & where to find ingredients*)

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup raw almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
unsweetened, shredded organic coconut

Directions

In the food processor fitted with the “s” blade, grind the almonds and walnuts until finely ground.
Add the dates, raisins, spices, and salt and grind to a fine meal.
Add the almond butter and vanilla extract and process again until completely mixed.
Form into balls and roll in shredded coconut.

I put mine in the fridge for about an hour, so they would firm up a little bit, but you can enjoy them right away, if you’d like!

Ground “meal” prior to rolling them into balls

*Ingredient & Substitution Notes

Can’t have walnuts or almonds? Use any other nuts or seeds in this recipe instead!
You find Medjool dates in the produce section of the grocery store OR online. We buy ours at BJs Wholesale club in a big container. Trader Joe’s also sells them.
If you don’t have cardamom, you can sub in ground ginger, more cinnamon or a combo of nutmeg and cinnamon instead.
The cheapest place I have found almond butter is at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t have almonds, sub in Sunbutter.
You can find unsweetened, shredded coconut in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or online here. We buy ours at MOMs in bulk.