Energy Balls - Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip | Gluten Free

Energy Balls are life-savers. They're a great way to get some nutrients in you, and fast.

These no-bake energy balls are peanut butter and chocolate chip flavored. Oats and seeds make up the base of the filling, and it's sweetened and held together by honey. One of the things I love about this recipe is you can add as many varieties of seeds as you want. While I used black chia seeds at the time of photographing this recipe, I've used a combination of black and white chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and hemp seeds in the past. The more, the better, as it will help keep you fuller for longer.

Store them in a container in your refrigerator at the ready and then pop some out when needed as an easy breakfast or snack to-go.

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What are Energy Balls?

The name pretty much says it all - Energy Balls are an easy-to-make snack packed full of nutrients, protein, carbs, fat, and fiber. Eating a few of these balls in a pinch should provide you with an energy boost and hold you over until lunch or dinner.

Energy Balls are usually no-bake, making them something you can easily prep one morning and enjoy all week long.

A Chapter in My Life I Call the BB&C

I'm not typically the type of blogger to write about personal stories, as I tend to skip over them myself, but this recipe actually does have a good story.

One summer not too long ago, my husband and I worked for a bed and breakfast for a very short period of time. Everything about the experience was a disaster. The people were so horrible, and we were so overworked that we couldn't fit in a lunch break during our shifts. This was pretty manual work, so we'd be starving. After having to throw out a precious Chobani Flip yogurt because of my lunchbox getting too warm from how long it took to get to it, I knew I had to come up with something we could eat in less than 5 minutes.

That's where these Energy Balls come into play. We ate them for lunch on several shifts, and they quite literally were the only source of energy we had. They did the trick, though I would recommend still eating a proper lunch.

This horrible bed and breakfast experience ended up giving us COVID in a very inhospitable, remorseless way, and likely many others dining for breakfast that morning. It wasn't a B&B, it was a BB&C. Bed, breakfast, and COVID.

What Do I Need to Make Energy Balls?

• Certified gluten-free rolled oats *I like to use Thrive Market's brand because they are inexpensive.
• Energy mix-in's like chia seeds, ground flaxseed, hemp seeds, etc.
• Peanut butter *I use Member's Mark Natural - it has pretty clean ingredients. However, do not use a purely natural peanut butter as it will be too oily.
• Honey
• Chopped nuts *I used walnuts, but pecans, cashews, or peanuts would work great.
• Pure vanilla extract
• Salt
• Mini chocolate chips *I use Enjoy Life brand for their clean ingredients

How to Make Energy Balls:

• Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl: oats, mix-ins, PB, honey, nuts, vanilla extract, salt, and chocolate chips.

• Stir until combined.
• If the mixture is too dry, add a little more peanut butter. If it's too wet, add a little more oats.
• Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for about 30 minutes. This will make the balls easier to roll.

• Once the mixture is chilled, roll into 1-inch balls. I used a cookie scoop, but a good rule of thumb is about 2 tbsp. per ball.

• Enjoy!

Storage Instructions: Keep refrigerated up to 1-2 weeks. They will start to dry out after awhile.

Notes:

• After rolling, I prefer to chill these an additional 2 hours to overnight before eating. The moisture from the honey and peanut butter will absorb into the oats, making them nice and soft. Eaten immediately, the oats will have a slight bite.