Full disclosure: I’ve never tried making energy balls (do people still call them fat bombs?) before. Not even someone else’s tried and true recipe. Is that why, on my first attempt, my energy balls ended up more like truffles? I’m not complaining and I have a feeling you won’t either. I think I ended up rolling mine in even more deliciousness because I was afraid people might be a bit put off by the tiny little kale specs. Personally I love those little bursts of health and flavor, but I realize that that’s not everyone’s thing when they are trying to enjoy a little snack or treat. I’m of mind that the more greens the better, and this is just another way to sneak just a few more greens into my day.

Speaking of sneaking ingredients into energy balls…do you take collagen peptides? I discovered collagen about two and a half years ago and my skin, hair, and nails have never looked better. In truth I was far more attracted to collagen for the joint benefits. Since I am very active running and hiking constantly, my knees used to become very sore whenever I ran or hiked. My knees still do hurt when I’m hiking downhill for long periods of time, and I don’t think that will ever change due to the nature of the activity. However, I will say that collagen has helped with my knee pain immensely, so much so that I now swear by it. I’m only getting older and I need all the help I can get, okay?! I love adding collagen to these energy balls but if that’s not your thing, you could sub for your protein powder of choice.

Will you eat these for a snack? Will you have them for dessert? Will you eat them like they’re crack? Will you stress eat them at 4:00 pm at your day job like I do? Let me know!

thehungryhungryhiker

Brownie Batter Energy Balls

A simple recipe for energy balls that will get a few extra fruits and vegetables into your day!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 balls
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup cashews
  • 1 cup kale packed
  • 8 dates pitted
  • ½ avocado
  • ¼ cup collagen peptides sub protein powder of choice
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut plus more for dusting, optional
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder plus more for dusting, optional
  • ¼ cup mini chocolate chips plus more for coating, optional

Equipment

  • Food processor

Method
 

  1. Line a small pan with parchment paper.
  2. Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate chips into a food processor and pulse until combined. When combined, remove mixture and place into a medium sized bowl. Fold in the chocolate chips.
  3. Roll mixture into 1.5" balls.
  4. If you want to coat your energy balls with coconut, cocoa powder, or chocolate chips, now is the time to do it! Put a small amount of your topping of choice into a small bowl and roll the ball until covered. For the cocoa powder, you might want to use a spoon to lightly dust the energy balls instead of rolling the balls in the powder.
  5. Place the balls on the parchment paper lined sheet pan and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Yay tasty chocolate balls!