After-School Energy Balls

After-School Energy Balls served with an apple make a great snack.

Makes approximately 24 balls

Recipe from KidsActivityBlog

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

These little no-bake treats make a healthful, filling snack when paired with a piece of fruit.  Pack a couple in your lunchbox or have some for an on-the-go breakfast.  Try different kinds of dried fruit and nuts for variety.  Begin with the recipe amount of almond butter and add just a bit at a time to make the balls easier to form.  Once you’ve made the balls, store them in the fridge front and center alongside a bowl of fresh fruit.

½ cup of almonds

½ cup of cashews

½ cup of dried fruit (such as dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots)

4 Tablespoons of dark chocolate pieces

½ cup of almond butter, room temperature or slightly warm (You may need a bit more almond butter*.)

2 teaspoon of coconut oil, melted

2 cup of toasted granola (For my test batch, I used New England Naturals Organic High Protein Unsweetened 5-Seed Granola with Apples and Raisins.  You can also try using homemade Balumku Granola.)

Put the nuts, dried fruit and chocolate into the food processor.  Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. Transfer nut mixture to a large bowl.  Add the almond butter, coconut oil and granola.  Mix all the ingredients until everything is well coated.  At this point, place 2 Tablespoons of the mixture in your hand and try forming a ball by gently squeezing it.  If it doesn’t stick together, place the mixture in the fridge to chill a bit.  Try making a ball again.  You can add a bit more almond butter* (starting with a tablespoon or so.)  As you form the balls, place them in an airtight container. Store in the fridge.

These After-School Energy Balls taste great with a hot cup of coffee!!