Toasted Coconut Fruit and Nut Balls
Something I love about energy balls is that they can be eaten whenever and wherever. *Cue Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever”
I often have mine after dinner or a snack in between my meals! So let’s make snack time easy this week and make a batch of these toasted coconut energy balls.
Are you always looking to munch on something a little sweet? I gotchuuu!
If you’ve been following me for a bit, you’ve probably tried my Cranberry Coconut energy Balls. They were one of my favorite coconut energy balls I’ve made thus far that inspired me to keep testing out different recipes. Thus, I thought I’d make a little differently now with some toasted coconut and dried fruits and nuts!
WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE ENERGY BALLS?
- Perfect on the go snack: Is there anything better than having a grab-n-go snack when you’re having a busy day? UMM NO GIRLFRIEND. Pop and energy ball in your mouth and i promise it will hold you over for a bit
- Energy balls are naturally sweetened: Typically you make energy balls with dried fruit or dates, so there is not any refined sugar!! (WHOOP WHOOP)
- BEST meal prep snack EVA: Having healthy snacks like this in the home can make you snack SMART during the week. You can even make another batch of these and stick them in the freezer for longer storage.
HOW TO MAKE TOASTED COCONUT ENERGY BALLS
Making any type of energy balls is much easier than you really think.
First of all, it’s important to remember that when you make them they don’t HAVE to be perfectly shaped. You can make them in all shapes and sizes and have them taste just as awesome! 🙂
Now there are a few things you need to keep in mind when you are preparing a batch of healthy energy balls …. KEEP ON SCROLLING FOLKS!
CHOOSE YOUR NUT
For this toasted coconut energy all recipe, I did a combination of two of my favorite nuts: almonds and cashews. You can do whatever nuts you prefer, but these seemed to work best for me 🙂 Just make sure not to over blend your nuts in the food processor. Some nuts release more oils than others and you will eventually turn these nuts into nut butter!!
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR MIXTURE
Since this recipe didn’t need dates, I needed to get a little creative. The unsweetened shredded coconut was a great place to start but I needed some dried fruit to make this even better!! Adding in dried fruit can make all the difference so this time I added dried cherries and raisins.
Therefore, don’t be afraid to add in any of these other delicious add-ons to make this recipe your own!!
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- Some dates
- Chia seeds
- Other dried fruit
- Rolled Oats
- Flax seeds
- Mini chocolate chips
STORE FOR FUTURE SNACKING
I don’t know about you, but I am ALL ABOUT storing my extra energy balls in the refrigerator or freezer because they last longer and stay fresh. Generally, I make the balls and store them in the refrigerator to get cool. If I make extra and I will place some in a bag in the freezer for safe keeping.
THE CLEAN EATER ENERGY BALL RECIPES:
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- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup unsalted almonds
- 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp agave
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread your coconut on your prepared baking sheet and toast for 7-9 minutes, or until light brown. Remove from the oven and set aside
- Place your other ingredients in a food processor or blender.
- Pulse for 15-20 minutes until a thick "dough" is formed. Make sure all the nuts are broken down nicely.
- Once the dough is good enough to be shaped, start making small balls. Roll these balls in the toasted coconut.
- Chill and store in the regrigerator.
