These oatmeal cookie energy balls basically taste like oatmeal cookie dough…that’s good for you! Everyone in the family is bound to go nuts over these!
Confession: whenever I’ve made cookies in my whole entire life, I’ve always sampled the (raw) dough. Oops! And yes, this held true even after I was taking all of my food safety courses in college and becoming ServSafe certified! It’s just so irresistible! But, alas, with pregnancy I’ve been trying to really be mindful of any potential food pathogens as baby comes first!
That said, when I was daydreaming about flavor combos for an energy ball recipe, it hit me! The texture of energy balls already resembles that of cookie dough so what more perfect flavor inspiration did I need?! I decided on a good ol’ oatmeal cookie energy ball. I used almond butter, but you can certainly use peanut butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, or whatever you have on hand!
I also tested out the oatmeal cookie energy ball recipe two ways: one with raisins (for that classic oatmeal cookie vibe) and one with chocolate (because….chocolate).
(If you can’t make up your mind which add-in you want, you can mix all the ingredients to form the “dough” then split into two batches. In one batch add 1/4 cup of raisins and in the other batch add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.)
These little oatmeal cookie energy balls make a pretty nutritious snack, too. You’ve got fiber (from the oats), protein (almond butter), healthy fats (unsweetened coconut, almond butter), and that sweetness from the raisins or chocolate chips and a little maple syrup that totally takes the edge off that afternoon sweet tooth.
Give these oatmeal cookie energy balls a try and let me know what you think! Snap a pic of your own creation and share on social media (tag @nutritiontofit and #nutritiontofit). Have a great day and be well!
Oatmeal Cookie Energy Balls
These oatmeal cookie energy balls basically taste like oatmeal cookie dough...that's good for you! Everyone in the family is bound to go nuts over these!
free from: gluten, dairy, soy, egg, shellfish, fish, peanuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup raw almond butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins or mini chocolate chips
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients together until an even consistency forms.
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Using your hands, roll dough into 18 energy balls.
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Refrigerate for one hour.
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Can be stored in the refrigerator (up to one week) or the freezer (up to one month) in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
The nutrition information below is calculated using raisins. If using semisweet mini chocolate chips, the nutrition information is as follows: 144 kcal, 12 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 2 g protein, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat.
Do you have any suggestion on eating raw versus cooked oats? Research suggests that raw oats do not digest well and also do not provide as much nutrition (starch) as oats that are soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.
Hi Kacie! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I haven’t done a significant amount of research into this topic, but the research I have done indicates the potential digestive concerns you mention may just be because of the amount of fiber that is found in oats. It’s going to require liquid to keep things moving! I’m not super concerned about that in this recipe, because the amount of oats you get when consuming a couple of these energy balls is relatively minor – you’d get far more oats when consuming them un-soaked in the form of something like granola. Additionally, they do absorb some moisture from the almond butter and maple syrup. And hopefully everyone is drinking water throughout the day. 😉 Another potential concern (which overall needs more research), is that not soaking the oats may lead to a higher amount of phytates which may impact absorption of some minerals. But oats will contain phytates whether they are soaked or unsoaked, and again – the amount ingested in a couple energy balls here is relatively insignificant. Thank you again for expressing your concern! I’m going to continue my research on this topic and will get back to you if I learn anything new! Have a great day! 🙂
Hey Lindsey. These energy balls are awesome! So easy to make and they hit the spot for those pesky cravings. I can’t wait to try them with peanut butter or other variations.
Thank you so much, Amy! Sorry I’m just now seeing this comment, but I appreciate it! Let me know what other variations you try!
The nutritional value does not indicate any sugar whether using raisins or mini chocolate chips? Is this correct?
Hey Jackie – good eye! I just added a plugin for nutrition labels to my recipes and I’ve been working my way through all of my old posts to update and edit the information (as they don’t always generate correctly, as was the case here). I just edited the nutrition information so it’s all correct now! Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention!