These Almond Joy Energy Bites are easy to make and provide a touch of sweetness with protein. Store them in the freezer and eat them on the go, or when you need a burst of energy. 

Updated on January 29, 2020.

The first energy bites I ever made while living in Vietnam were a total flop. We had a complete lack of kitchen appliances and I tried to mix whole, raw oats, peanut butter, honey, and M&Ms together by hand. They were pretty chalky and awful.

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These Almond Joy Energy Bites are the completely opposite of that first energy bite attempt. Chewy, flavorful, and the perfect mix of sweet and salty.

Not to mention I actually had a food processor to mix everything together.

In fact, I brought a few of them in to work one day for a snack and one of students tried one. For the rest of the school year (about three months), he kept asking me to make them again and bring them in. Or to make him his own batch that he would pay me for.

A 15-year-old asking for something kind of healthy on an almost daily basis? That is a win in anyone’s book.

I have learned after making these Almond Joy Energy Bites at least 10 times to just double the batch. If you are going to get the food processor messy, you might as well go for it.

Once you make them, you will see what I mean. They will not last.

My favorite way to eat them is to store them in the freezer in a freezer bag and eat them frozen. The cold dates, chopped almonds, and crunch of chocolate make it the perfect little chilled treat.

Freeze the energy bites first on a baking pan so they do not stick together. Use a Slipat so they do not stick to the baking pan either.

Substitutions

While I listed the regular recipe I use here, you can easily customize it to suit your tastes. I have made changes like:

• Using mixed nuts instead of just almonds
• Adding in a tablespoon or two of chia seeds
• Adding in a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseeds 
• Let’s be real: Adding in at least a half cup of chocolate chips
• Using coconut oil instead of avocado oil 
• Pulsing in a touch of nut butter
• Adding in a bit of vanilla extract

While these are super simple to make, they do take a touch of time to roll into balls. Make sure you give yourself a few minutes to get this done when you will not need your hands for something else (wiping a nose, referring kids, or feeding a baby).

Quick Tips

If your dates are a bit dried out, you can soak them in water for about 15 minutes to help soften them up. We buy our dates in bulk from Made in Nature and store them in the fridge. This soaking in water trick helps so much!

Also, when your hands start to get too sticky with rolling the mixture into balls, just get them wet. The mixture will roll so much easier with the moisture barrier. You may have to do that a few times throughout the process, but it goes much quicker once you do.

While I have not tried it myself, I have heard that you can generally press out energy bite mixtures into bars if that is more your thing. These might fall apart in a larger bar form, so opt for smaller bite sized pieces when cutting them.

Almond Joy Energy Bites Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Almonds (I actually used salted mixed nuts from Costco)
• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened Coconut
• 10-12 Dates
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
• 1 tablespoon Avocado Oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons Honey (more if needed to stick together)
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

Instructions:

1. Process the almonds and coconut in a food processor until they are fine.

2. Add the dates, almond extract, avocado oil, and water. Process until combined and dates are chopped small.

3. Add honey and chocolate chips. Pulse until a dough is formed.

4. Roll into balls and place in freezer to firm up. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.