A Healthier Way to Get Your Mint-Chocolate Fix
Why is it so hard to resist that Snickers bar when the 3pm hunger craving strikes? Lunch was a happy memory, dinner is another four hours away, plus we’ve still got to fit in a workout and two more hours of work. Every brain cell is telling us we deserve a treat (oooh maybe one of these white chocolate treats), meaning that the sole purpose of those gym visits is to work off the afternoon snacks! Well today, we’re sharing our favorite healthy-ish chocolatey afternoon snack. It’s chewy and sweet with a hint of mint chocolate chip that satisfies those sugar cravings. It’s also full of goodies like dates, oats and chia seeds, all nicely balanced with chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Wrap ’em up, stick them in your handbag (we like these crossbody bags) and you’re good to go.
Ingredients:
Makes 30 balls
— ¾ cup cashew nuts
— ½ cup rolled oats
— ½ cup chocolate chips
— 2 Tablespoons honey
— ½ teaspoon American peppermint extract
— ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
— 10 Medjool dates or 25 sayer dates that have been soaked in warm water for 10 minutes (save 1 Tablespoon of the soaking water)
— 1/3 cup cocoa powder
— ¼ teaspoon salt
— 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions:
1. Place the cashew nuts into a food processor and pulse until they turn to crumbs (don’t over-process or they’ll clump and go greasy). Add in the oats, half the chocolate chips, honey, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, dates, cocoa powder and salt. Pulse again until the mixture clumps together. The mixture needs to be sticky enough to roll into balls. If it’s not, add the reserved tablespoon of water from soaking the dates and pulse again. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and the chia seeds.
2. Place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in your hand and roll into a ball. Place on a plate or tray and repeat until all of the mixture is used up. You should get around 30 balls.
3. Eat straight away or store in an air-tight container at room temperature. The balls should keep for at least five days.
Place the cashew nuts into a food processor and pulse until they turn to crumbs (don’t over-process or they’ll clump and go greasy). Add in the oats, half the chocolate chips, honey, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, dates, cocoa powder and salt. Pulse again until the mixture clumps together. The mixture needs to be sticky enough to roll into balls. If it’s not, add the reserved tablespoon of water from soaking the dates and pulse again. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and the chia seeds.
Place a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in your hand and roll into a ball. Place on a plate or tray and repeat until all of the mixture is used up. You should get around 30 balls.
Eat straight away or store in an air-tight container at room temperature. The balls should keep for at least five days.
What naughty snack would you replace with these energy balls? We’d love to hear. Tweet us @BritandCo!
