Natural peanut butter bliss balls are the ultimate healthy treat! They're packed with nutritious ingredients and made in just 10 minutes. You won't regret having this snack stashed in the freezer for quick on-the-go snacks or an easy breakfast.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Easy healthy snack. Switch up your afternoon snack meal prep this week and try these healthy bliss balls. They're packed with healthy fats, protein, and naturally sweetened with fruit (no maple syrup or added sugar!). Grab 1 or 2 straight from the fridge to get you through that afternoon slump or as the perfect pre-workout snack!
- No expensive ingredients. Oftentimes we associate healthy recipes to require complicated, expensive ingredients. But that's not the case here! These bliss balls are made with basic ingredients that are not only affordable but easily accessible. Find what you need at any large chain grocery store.
- Nut-free option. Although these are peanut butter bliss balls, they can be made nut-free (with a seed butter) and are the perfect protein bites for your littles' school lunch box.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Old fashioned oats - I find rolled oats or old fashioned oats to create the best, chewy textured bliss balls. Oats such as quick oats or steel cut oats are not recommended. Steel cut oats will be difficult to chew and digest in this recipe. Quick oats, on the other hand, are very processed and will make very soft, gooey bliss balls.
- Peanut butter - Natural, creamy peanut butter is the ideal choice. It's more runny and moist than conventional peanut butters. For best results, your peanut butter should be pourable. If it's incredibly thick, you will likely need additional water to add back that missing moisture.
- Medjool dates - Dates add natural sweetness and their sticky consistency helps hold the bliss balls mixture together into bite-sized snacks. If you can't find Medjool dates, deglet noor dates are another good choice. Deglet noor dates are smaller, so you'll need more dates to fill a full cup.
- Chocolate chips - While optional, you can't go wrong pairing chocolate and peanut butter! In my experience, mini chocolate chips work much better than regular-sized chocolate chips as they blend into the mixture better.
If you love chocolate and peanut butter, try my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Treats and these similar Date Balls.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Peanut butter substitutions: Any natural, creamy nut butter will work well. Try cashew butter, almond butter, or even macadamia butter. If you have a peanut allergy, try sunflower butter for a nut-free option.
- Roll them in seeds/nuts: If you'd like to give these bliss balls an additional protein boost, roll them in hemp seeds (hemp hearts) or finely chopped peanuts.
- Dip in chocolate: If you're craving the perfect healthy sweet treat, dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate, as desired. You can even sprinkle them with a pinch of salt for the final touch.
- Swap the chocolate chips: If desired, replace the mini chocolate chips with cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips for a more rich, nutrient-dense snack.
📓 Instructions
- Pulse the main ingredients. Place the oats, peanut butter, vanilla extract, pitted dates and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until a fine crumble forms.
- Add water. Pulse again until the mixture turns sticky and starts to combine into one large ball.
- Incorporate chocolate chips. Scoop the date mixture into a mixing bowl and pour in the mini semisweet chocolate chips. Use your hands to incorporate chocolate chips into the mixture.
- Form into balls. Using a cookie scoop, form small balls, about 1 to 2 tablespoons each.
- Refrigerate. Place the date balls on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set.
- Enjoy! Once chilled, enjoy these date balls immediately or keep stored for meal prep.
❄️ How to Store
To store: These energy balls will keep for up to 10 days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
To freeze: For longer term storage, store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Keep them in a freezer bag with excess air removed or an airtight container. You can eat them frozen, or let them soften a little on the counter first!
🔍 Recipe FAQs
Nope! Energy balls are a no-bake recipe and require no heat. They're the perfect healthy snack to make in the summer months or when you're avoiding using the oven.
These peanut butter balls should be sticky so that the mixture holds together when pressed together, but not so sticky that it is difficult to roll. If your mixture is overly sticky, don't be afraid to add a bit more old fashioned oats until they're the right consistency.
If your mixture is too wet, it's possible you added too much water or your peanut butter was excessively runny and oily. Luckily, this is an easy fix. Add in old fashioned oats a bit at a time until the consistency thickens up.
💭 One More Tip
Invest in a cookie scoop! If you make cookies, muffins, or tasty peanut butter bliss balls on a regular basis, having a 1 or 2 tablespoon cookie scoop can be incredibly convenient. Not only will you be able to scoop the balls into identical sizes, but it makes the process much faster.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Bliss Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pitted dates (about 12 dates)
- pinch of salt, if there is no salt in your peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients besides water and chocolate chips (if using) to the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it forms fine crumbles.
- Add water. Pulse again until the mixture turns sticky and starts to combine.
- Scoop date mixture into a mixing bowl. Pour in chocolate chips. Use your hands to incorporate chocolate chips into the mixture.
- Using a cookie scoop, form small balls of the mixture, about 1 to 2 tbsp.
- Place balls on a cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
Notes
- If you can, use a 1 or 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to make these peanut butter bliss balls. Not only will you be able to scoop the balls into identical sizes, but it makes the process much faster.
- For a more dessert-like treat, you can melt chocolate and drizzle it over top of the balls.
- If allergic to peanut butter, you can use other natural nut butters or seed butters.
Nutrition
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