Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 18-20 Tablespoon-size balls**
Makes 18-20 Tablespoon-size balls**
Gingerbread energy balls are the perfect festive snack. Toasted nuts are key to that warm holiday flavor. Filling, simple, & delicious!
1 cup pecans, toasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted
1½ cup quick oats
½ cup raisins, softened in hot water
Sprinkle of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoon molasses
1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Cinnamon for coating (optional)
If the nuts you are using are not already toasted, toast the pecans and walnuts at 350 degrees F for 6-10 minutes. I find that pecans take a little longer to toast than walnuts so watch them closely and consider using two trays so you can remove the walnuts earlier.
In the meantime, soften the raisins in hot water for about 5 minutes so they will blend easily. *You will drain the raisins from the water for the next step but be sure to reserve some of the soaking water in case your energy ball mixture is a little dry.
Add the cooled nuts, oats, softened and drained raisins, and spices to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to break down the nuts and combine the ingredients.
Add the molasses and maple syrup. Blend until the mixture starts to clump and form a ball in the food processor. You want the dough to stick together between your fingers. *If your dough seems a little dry splash in a tiny amount of the water the raisins soaked in and blend again. Adding too much liquid will make the energy balls feel damp and oily so add any water in small increments.
Scoop Tablespoon amounts of your dough and roll it between your palms to create a ball. Roll the energy ball in extra cinnamon if desired for a little more festive flavor. Repeat with the remaining dough. Sprinkle or roll in ground cinnamon, if desired.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for longer storage. I love keeping my energy balls in the freezer because they stay quite soft and I usually only have to wait a few moments after taking them out of the freezer to enjoy them.
Notes:
Feel free to substitute the raisins in this recipe with dates.
If using a blender instead of a food processor, make sure to pulse the dry ingredients first to encourage them to break down before adding the molasses and maple syrup. You can remove the dough from the blender if it is clumping up too much and continue to mix it with a spoon or your hands. Adding small amounts of the raisin soaking water can help it stick if needed.
Almond flour will work really well. Even adding in a bit of flaxseed meal, ground sunflower, or ground sesame seeds would work too!
**I used my smallest scoop to make these and doubled the recipe as well. I was able to make 48 little energy balls.
Feel free to substitute the raisins in this recipe with dates.
If using a blender instead of a food processor, make sure to pulse the dry ingredients first to encourage them to break down before adding the molasses and maple syrup. You can remove the dough from the blender if it is clumping up too much and continue to mix it with a spoon or your hands. Adding small amounts of the raisin soaking water can help it stick if needed.
Almond flour will work really well. Even adding in a bit of flaxseed meal, ground sunflower, or ground sesame seeds would work too!
**I used my smallest scoop to make these and doubled the recipe as well. I was able to make 48 little energy balls.
Nutritional Information: (1 energy ball) 121 calories; 5.2 g fat; 0.5 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 5 mg sodium; 18.7 g carbohydrates; 1.1 g fiber; 13.2 g sugars; 1.5 g protein; 36 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 229 mg potassium
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