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Recipes

These Healthier Energy Balls Are Made With Medjool Dates

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Chapman chapter.

If you’re a fan of any of the delicious energy ball recipes that have been surfacing the internet lately, then you’re in for another treat.

I’ve been a huge fan of the sweet and energizing oat balls, but after indulging in dozens and dozens of them (no shame), I decided that I wanted to try and make them a touch healthier (mostly to calm my guilt while still satisfying my sweet tooth). So instead of adding sugar or honey to the mixture, I decided to use Medjool dates.

Dates are considered the oldest cultivated food in the world and have been eaten as far back as 5,000-6,000 B.C.E. Medjool dates are softer and make for a perfect, nutritious sweetener for these energy balls. They provide an excellent source of dietary fiber and contain almost no fat. Although Medjool dates are a good sugar substitute, one should still be mindful and eat them in moderation as they do contain a high sugar content.

This simple recipe requires little time, no baking, and makes for a perfect midday snack!

Energy Balls with Medjool Dates

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 15 minutesServings:10 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Lilly Pandis

    Remove the pit from about 6-8 dates (depending on sweetness preference) and place them in a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of water and begin to pulse the blender to eventually puree the dates. You might need to add some water to create the right consistency.

  2. Lilly Pandis

    Once the right smooth consistency is reached, scrape the date puree from the blender into a bowl and set aside.

  3. Lilly Pandis

    Combine oats, flax seeds, coconut flakes, cinnamon, and chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl. Mix well.

  4. Lilly Pandis

    Add sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter), date puree, and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir fully until all ingredients are combined. (You might want to use your hands for this process as it can get sticky.)

  5. Lilly Pandis

    Refrigerate dough for about 15-20 minutes to harden dough. (This isn’t required, but will make it easier to roll up the dough.)

  6. Lilly Pandis

    After 15-20 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge and form it into tablespoon-sized balls.

So there you have it—delicious energy balls that only take about 15 minutes to make and contain no added sugars. The Medjool dates add the perfect touch of sweetness to these simple energy balls. The best part about this sweet snack, though, is that you can easily mess around with the ingredients to better match your taste and satisfy that sweet tooth while boosting your energy.

Hi! I'm a senior Television & Broadcast Journalism major with a minor in English and a deep-rooted passion for nutrition. If I'm not in class or at work you can find me exploring new places to eat, hanging at the beach, cooking, or hiking! Also, poke is my guilty pleasure.