Strawberry Energy Bites Recipe
A good snack is easy to prepare, a delight to eat, and provides just enough nourishment to hold you off until your next meal. Bonus points if the snack food is homemade. Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished concocted a snack food that checks all the boxes with her mouth-watering strawberry energy bites recipe.
Shelbert describes this treat as "a favorite snacktime favorite," which is hard to argue when she also said that these energy bites are easy to make. Even better, this recipe is versatile, as it can be eaten by itself or used as a hearty topping.
"I like to put mine as a topper on a yogurt and fruit bowl or a smoothie bowl," Shelbert said. "They're so good to have with a piece of fruit on the go."
Breakfast might be commonly referred to as the most important meal of the day, but snacks come up clutch any time of the day. Get ready to add a new favorite to your rotation, as this strawberry energy bites recipe is quick and simple and makes 12 delicious servings.
Gather the ingredients
First, you'll need to gather your ingredients for the strawberry energy bites. You'll need dates (packed and pits removed), hot water, old-fashioned oats, and unsweetened shredded coconut. Finishing off the ingredients list, you'll need maple syrup, freeze-dried strawberries, and hemp seeds.
Optional flavor blast: If you desire, you can also use extra freeze-dried strawberries and crushed or extra shredded coconut for coating. Other freeze-dried fruits, such as raspberries or blueberries, can also be used for this recipe if you're craving different fruit flavors. Don't be afraid to get creative here and try something different — the possibilities are endless!
Soak the dates
First, you'll place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Next, let the dates soak for about 10 minutes in the bowl. While you can use room-temperature water to soak the dates, it will take them longer to soften if you go that route.
And before you forget, make sure to save two tablespoons of water that the dates are soaking in. This water is necessary for later steps in the recipe, so don't forget about it.
Blend the oats and coconut
While the dates are soaking, you'll place the oats and the coconut in a food processor. Then, blend this mixture for 30 seconds until a coarse meal forms.
If you don't have a food processor, a blender might work, but it's not the ideal option. "I think a blender could be a possible alternative, although I've never tried," Shelbert said. "A food processor is definitely best here." If you want to follow this recipe to a tee, then using a food processor is a necessary step.
Blend the soaked dates
After the 10 minutes of soaking the dates have passed, you can add them to the blended oats and coconut mixture in the food processor. Next, you'll add two tablespoons of the soaked date water and maple syrup to the mixture. You'll then blend all of this together for 15 seconds until combined. Make sure to not over-process, or the mixture will become mushy.
Finally, add the strawberries and hemp seeds to the mixture in the food processor, and blend for another 20 to 30 seconds until combined. The dough for the bites is now finished.
Assemble the strawberry energy bites
Soon enough, you'll feast on these appetizing strawberry energy bites. But before you can dive in, you'll need to form the energy bites. To do so, pinch the dough apart, about two tablespoons at a time, and roll it into balls. This recipe yields 12 energy bites.
You can now serve your strawberry energy bites and, of course, enjoy your new favorite snack!
If you want to add even more flavor, you can roll the finished energy bites into crushed dried strawberries or coconut.
- ½ cup dates (packed and pits removed)
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons water (from the soaked dates)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- Extra freeze-dried strawberries, crushed, for coating
- Extra shredded coconut, for coating
- Place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let the dates soak for 10 minutes. You can use room-temperature water, but it will take the dates longer to soften.
- Place the oats and the coconut in a food processor. Blend this mixture for 30 seconds until a coarse meal forms.
- Add the soaked dates, two tablespoons of the water from the soaked dates, and the maple syrup. Blend for 15 seconds until combined. Don't over-process, or the mixture will become mushy.
- Add the strawberries and hemp seeds. Blend for another 20 to 30 seconds until combined.
- Pinch the dough apart about two tablespoons at a time, and roll it into balls.
- Optional: You can roll the balls into crushed dried strawberries or coconut for even more flavor.
- Serve and enjoy!
| Calories per Serving | 136 |
| Total Fat | 6.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17.4 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 9.2 g |
| Sodium | 4.1 mg |
| Protein | 2.9 g |
