Chocolate Cookie Dough Energy Bites

One of my favorite things to have on hand in my freezer or fridge are energy bites and today I am sharing with you these healthy no bake chocolate cookie dough energy bites.  They taste JUST like raw cookie dough. This recipe will be so easy for you to remember off the top of your head so you can make them all the time! They come together in one bowl in under 15 minutes.  There’s no food processor or mixer required,  just good ol’ arm strength! 

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup nut butter

1/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1 scoop vegan chocolate protein powder

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Place oats, nut butter, maple syrup, protein powder and chocolate chips in a large bowl and stir to combine.

2. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Getting the mixture to combine takes a little arm muscle it will come together as you keep mixing. 

3. Once combined, use a small cookie scoop to scoop and form the dough into balls. Roll in your hand to form balls and roll in a few extra oats. If the mixture is to dry, then add a dash of water.

4. Enjoy immediately or store in refrigerator (for a week) or freezer (up to 3 months).

Substitutions & Notes:

• Honey or Maple Syrup: I use maple syrup to make these vegan. Maple syrup is a little thinner than honey so you might need to add some more oats to the mixture to get the balls to hold together better.
• Nut butter: Any nut butter will work for this recipe. You can use almond butter, cashew butter, tahini or sunflower butter.
• Protein powder: I prefer the vegan chocolate shakeology as it pairs nicely with the peanut butter and chocolate chips, but feel free to use your favorite brand and flavor of protein powder for this recipe.
• Chocolate chips: You could always skip the chocolate chips and add a different mix-in. Some great examples include: dried cranberries, raisins, shredded coconut, crushed nuts, cacao nibs, chia seeds or ground flax seeds.

Energy Bites to dry or crumbly?

There are a few reasons why your protein balls might be dry or crumbly. Most likely it is that there isn't enough moisture in the mixture. Be sure to use a nut butter that is smooth and runny, and consider adding a bit of water to help bind the mixture together.