Ever thought energy balls fell apart a little too easily, or looked a little too dull? I certainly have, and I’m here to change that, because balls of energy should be anything but boring!
I love the idea of balls of energy, since I am consistently searching for more than a smidge of extra energy in my life. I’ve made quite a few that we’ve liked enough to eat, but these are the first ones I feel hit all the marks to become a staple: easy, no-bake, hearty, healthy, sticky enough to form easily but not so sticky you leave 6 balls worth of dough on your hands, and full of cheerful, grab-me-and-eat-me-because-I’m-fun colour! They also last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, freeze well, and happen to taste super delicious right out of the freezer.
These are very flexible, adapted from the ultimate base recipe on WellPlated.com, one of my favourite food blogs. Grab all the healthy ingredients you can find and throw in a bit of each, up to the recommended add-in ratios to ensure they still hold together well. If you don’t have M&M’s, chocolate chips will suffice despite their lack of cheery food colouring :)
If I put M&M’s in things all my kids will eat them, except the weird one who doesn’t like chocolate. (Unsurprisingly, the same one who won’t eat meat, eggs, or chewy cookies).
These are addictive, but I’ll warn you…let them settle. If you eat a bunch at a time you will be soooo full a little while later because they are packed with lots of filling things. Let me know what you throw in yours and what your favourite combinations are! Have fun :)
- 2½ cups oats (quick oats, rolled oats, or a mixture of the two)
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds or hemp seeds
- 1 cup nut butter (I used ½ cup peanut butter, ½ cup pumpkin seed butter)
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup mini M&Ms
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- Place all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. If the mixture seems too wet, add ¼ cup more oats. If it's too dry, add a Tablespoon more nut butter. It should hold together when lightly squeezed or pressed against the edge of the bowl with a spoon. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes to set to make it easier to shape.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and portion the dough into balls of desired size. I scoop them all quickly onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, then roll them into nicer balls.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for longer storage.
Oooo, these are definitely getting added to my baking list!