Gluten free chocolate and granola energy balls
Firstly I should say I LOVE chocolate. It competes for first place with Coffee. I have given both of the big C’s up many times. I always go back to them though and I’ve got to a point in my life where I honestly don’t really deprive myself of much.
We have a pretty healthy diet in our house. Well, me and my partner do! My son is more of a challenge and I’m afraid like most busy mums I just cook him the same things which I know he will eat. Fortunately , he loves fruit and vegetables and most of our plates are made up of mostly veggies.
Because we eat well most of the time I’m not too strict about sweet treats. Since I started Rock my bowl there are always opportunities to try amazing cakes, cookies and brownies from other people I meet in the food world. We tend to share stuff between us. That way you get a bit of everything! I try and don’t always succeed to limit these rich things to a couple of times a week .
It goes without saying that there is always granola around. We eat it as a snack straight out of the bag, sprinkle it on smoothies, yoghurt or add it as a deluxe porridge topper. You can see all my creations and suggestions on instagram.
The other thing I make all the time are energy balls. We have 2 flavours that are available at a few cafes in London and at our pop ups. The perfect mix of nuts, dried fruit and or oats are a brilliant snack to tide you and the whole family over. These delicious balls are fab for kids because they can get involved with making them. Much more fun and so much better for them than processed treats like fruit bars, cereal bars and sweets.
Here I’m sharing my recipe for Gluten free chocolate and granola energy balls
Gluten free chocolate and granola energy balls
Ingredients
1 cup of Rock my bowl double chocolate granola*
1/2 cup of walnuts ( or any other nut)
1 cup of dates *
1/4 cup of chia seeds
2/3 cup oats
1/4 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
Method
If you have a food processor or blender thats great but at home I just use my old faithful Kenwood mini chopper which I got when I was weening Jude. It works just fine as you actually want there to be some texture in the balls. i use this for dips, salad dressings and for chopping all sorts. If you are using a food processor make sure you don’t over mix.
- Put the walnuts and the granola in the blender. Pulse a few times.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and mix until a dough ball starts to form.
- Use a table spoon to scoop out some of the mixture.
- Roll into 10-12 big balls or use a smaller spoon and make bite size balls.
- You can leave the balls plain or you can roll them in coconut or cocoa powder.I made a cool video of these balls with the talented people at Bosh TV watch it here ….
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Recipe notes
The balls will keep for three weeks in the fridge. You can freeze them though and they will keep for months. You can take them out of the freezer first thing and they will be ready to eat in under an hour. I actually eat them frozen. *I have used our double chocolate buckwheat granola here but you can use any chocolate granola and you can even just use more oats instead but they won't be as yummy. If you have Medjool dates these are the best but any other date will work fine. Just soak them in boiled water for 15 minutes or so before using them. Really there are no rules as long as you use enough of something to bind them.
Some other combinations of flavours in energy balls I like are
- Peppermint essence and dark chocolate
- Orange zest and rosemary
- walnuts and dried fig.
Please tag me @rockmybowl if you make these balls..
Enjoy Love Rebecca x
