no-bake gingerbread energy bites
nothing gets me as excited about the holiday season as fresh baked gingerbread cookies!! they're one of my favorite cookies all year round, but for some reason, they just taste even better around this time of year. but once i start with the gingerbread cookies, i tend to have a hard time stopping.. ya know what i mean?? so i whipped up some of these to help guiltlessly curb my cravings! these are great because they have all the essential gingerbread flavors, but also offer up a nice serving of healthy fats and sugars that will give you a nice little boost of clean energy. the ginger in them also helps get rid of some of that pregnancy related heartburn i've been getting lately. winning!! they are super easy to whip up.. just toss everything into the blender and roll into balls. they are deliciously chewy and a little on the softer side, so i like to store them in the fridge.. then the consistency is perfect--like biting into a piece of fudgy caramel! so go ahead and make some!!
p.s. if you don't have any almond flour available, you could always go ahead and make some by blending up some blanched almonds.
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 balls | 10 mins. | 0 mins. | 10 mins. |
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 6 pitted medjool dates
- 1 tblsp. maple syrup
- 1 tblsp. molasses
- 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground clove
directions:
- place the almond flour, pecans, ginger, cinnamon and clove in the blender and blend until the pecans are ground (a few remaining pieces are fine).
- add dates, molasses and maple syrup to the blender.
- pulse until a dough forms. everything will become incorporated and a ball of dough should form in the blender.
- remove dough from blender and roll into teaspoon size balls.
- for best results, store in the refrigerator for up to a week. or freeze.
Toddler Tip:
the gingerbread spice in these may be a little too overpowering for the little ones, but you could always make a spice-free version by simply blending up the above amount of dates and nuts. then let them roll the balls in shredded coconut, chia seeds or some other superfood!
