By Reeva Ripley, Bulk Buyer, Marketing Assistant
Looking for a great organic, cheaper, easy to eat, and nutritionally well-rounded snack this summer? Try making your own energy bites. Hit up the bulk aisle at your friendly local Co-op to get your supplies – we have what you need to personalize your tasty treats. Let’s break down what goes into energy bites to make them a satisfying, and filling, snack on the go:
Binder: Nut or seed butters, coconut oil, or sticky moist fruits such as medjool dates, apricots, cherries, cranberries, or figs.
Fiber/protein: Seeds (chia, ground flax, hemp), coconut shreds, quick or rolled oats, raw nuts, or protein powder.
Flavor: Cocoa powder, vanilla or almond extracts, etc.
Spices: Salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, etc.
Add-ins: Small or chopped dried fruits (blueberries, raisins, craisins, goji berries) chocolate chips, cacao nibs, matcha green tea, etc.
There are two basic formulas which can be employed while making energy bites, one uses honey, agave, or a sweetener of your choice, the second uses fruit in lieu of sweeteners. Depending on your nutritional needs (or likes and dislikes) you can make tasty, filling bites that will help keep you feeling energized throughout the day.
Formula 1:
4 parts dried fruits, 4 parts nuts, 2 part seeds, 1-2 parts nut butter, spice and flavor to taste (typically no more than .25 part)*
Formula 2:
1/2 cup Nut butter
1/3 cup Sweetener (agave, honey, or maple syrup)
1 cup Rolled oats
1 cup Shredded coconut, seeds, ground flax, ground nuts, or wheat bran
1-2 tsp flavoring, like vanilla or almond extract
1-2 tsp Spices
1/2 cup add-ins (cacao nibs, dried fruit, chocolate chips)
For Formula 1, begin by adding dried fruits and nuts to food processor then pulse until well combined, add nut butter, then spices, seeds and flavoring until all ingredients are incorporated into the mixture.
For Formula 2, mix together nut butter and sweetener, if it is difficult to stir, let the ingredients come to room temperature, or add a splash of warm filtered water. Onceit becomes easy to mix, add remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly.
If you want to roll either mixture into balls, refrigerate for 30 minutes then use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to portion out and roll into balls. If you desire to make bars or bites instead, press the mixture out evenly into a cookie sheet or 9×13 pan lines with waked paper. Refrigerate for thirty minutes then cut to a size you would like and remove from pan. If mixture is still sticky after cooling, add more seeds, oats, or other add-ins until it is workable. Your balls or bites can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
In the hot summer heat these no-bake energy bites are a great alternative to cookies or expensive protein bars!
*Cooking with “parts” just means choosing your own batch size. A single part can be a tablespoon, a half cup, a cup, anything you like! For example, if you choose a half cup as your unit of measure, one part equals 1/2 cup, two parts equal one cup, three parts equal one and one half cups, and so on.