No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites

These No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites are the perfect healthy guilt-free snack to indulge in. Only takes four ingredients to make these. They come together in just five minutes so they’re great for meal prep too! Plus they’re a kid approved snack with a hidden veggie in them! 

No-Bake Cookie-Dough Bites

A few weeks ago we wrote a post about how to swap unhealthy snacks for healthy and nutritious ones. In this post, it was mentioned how energy bites or energy balls as a great swap for store-bought cookies. A lot of you guys mentioned how you love energy balls and your kids do as well. That means it was time to bring some to the blog.

Along with these energy balls I am adding a new category to the blog dedicated to snacks. We are big into snacking in this house and they are mostly homemade with real ingredients. It’s only right to share them with you guys on this blog.

Eating healthy and nutritious snacks is as important to me as healthy and nutritious meals are. Most kids love to snack so feeding them snacks that consist of real foods ensures they are getting health benefits from these too. Some kids even prefer to eat snacks over real meals. Giving them healthy snacks can give us a peace of mind as parents that they’re still consuming enough nutrients from the foods they’re eating.

What makes these Energy Bites Healthy?

These No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites are absolutely amazing! You literally would think you are eating a tube of raw cookie-dough just like you probably did as a kid. The good news is these won’t give you a really bad tummy ache after. Actually, you probably won’t even realize these are made out of chickpeas.

Yes! You read that right. These little balls of deliciousness are made with a chickpea base. I promise they taste nothing like chickpeas. Instead, they taste like a wonderfully sweet treat. Best way to satisfy that sweet tooth. These are also great for toddlers and kids as a nice and healthy snack.

These energy bites are completely packed with protein along with other nutrients. It’s the perfect snack for you and your kids to indulge in absolutely guilt-free.

What you need to make these No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites:

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas
• Smooth-Unsalted Peanut Butter
• Pitted Dates
• Dark Chocolate Chips

Equipment:

1. Food Processor
2. Large Baking Sheet Pan
3. Parchment Paper
4. Large Mixing Bowl

How to make No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites:

1. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Drain and rinse chickpeas then dab dry using a paper towel. 
2. Place chickpeas and dates in food processor bowl and pulse for about 30 seconds to start breaking them down a bit. Drizzle in peanut butter and pulse again for 40-60 seconds until ingredients are well combined and dough like consistency has formed. Transfer dough into a large bowl then fold in chocolate chips. 
3. Using a spoon or your hand, scoop out chunks of dough at a time and roll into balls. Make each ball about 2-3 inches wide. Line all the chickpea balls on prepped baking sheet pan next to each other. Continue until all dough has been rolled into balls. 
4. Place baking sheet pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow energy balls to harden. Remove energy bites from freezer and transfer them from sheet pan to a zip bag or silicone bag. Keep frozen for up to 4-6 months. Enjoy!

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Break down chickpeas and dates first before adding peanut butter- This will make it a lot easier for chickpeas and dates to combine with peanut butter resulting in smoother and rounder energy bites.
2. Line baking sheet pan with parchment paper- This will prevent energy bites from sticking to pan.
3. Substitute for peanut butter- You can use any other nut-butter like almond butter. Just make sure that it is also smooth and unsalted. You can even use tahini for a nut-free option.
4. Give peanut butter a good stir before using it- Some nut-butters tend to set and separate the oils from the paste. If this is the case, give the PB a good stir. You want to make sure you get the oil into the energy bites.

Meal Prepping them:

The key to a good meal prep is to have a good variety of foods prepped for the week ahead. Foods for every meal, including snacks. These No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites are great for meal prep as they are so easy to make and require no cooking or baking. They are kept frozen which is also great because they will last for 4-6 months in the freezer. These are perfect to make ahead and keep in your freezer to have a go-to snack.

Did you like this No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites recipe? you may also like these other healthy snacks recipes:

• No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
• Black Bean-Tahini Brownie Bites

5 from 3 votes

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No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites

These No-Bake Cookie-Dough Bites are the perfect healthy guilt-free snack to indulge in. Only takes four ingredients to make these. They come together in just five minutes so they’re great for meal prep too! Plus they’re a kid approved snack with a hidden veggie in them! 

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 16 balls (depending on how big you make each ball)

Calories 114 kcal

Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can of chickpeas (drained and rinse)
• 1/2 cup smooth-unsalted peanut butter
• 5 pitted dates
• 1/3 cup mini semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Drain and rinse chickpeas then dab dry using a paper towel.

2. Place chickpeas and dates in food processor bowl and pulse for about 30 seconds to start breaking them down a bit. Drizzle in peanut butter and pulse again for 40-60 seconds until ingredients are well combined and dough like consistency has formed. Transfer dough into a large bowl then fold in chocolate chips. 

3. Using a spoon or your hand, scoop out chunks of dough at a time and roll into balls. Make each ball about 2-3 inches wide. Line all the chickpea balls on prepped baking sheet pan next to each other. Continue until all dough has been rolled into balls. 

4. Place baking sheet pan in freezer for at least 30 minutes to allow energy balls to harden. Remove energy bites from freezer and transfer them from sheet pan to a zip bag or silicone bag. Keep frozen for up to 4-6 months. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Break down chickpeas and dates first before adding peanut butter- This will make it a lot easier for chickpeas and dates to combine with peanut butter resulting in smoother and rounder energy bites.
2. Line baking sheet pan with parchment paper- This will prevent energy bites from sticking to pan.
3. Substitute for peanut butter- You can use any other nut-butter like almond butter. Just make sure that it is also smooth and unsalted. You can even use tahini for a nut-free option.
4. Give peanut butter a good stir before using it- Some nut-butters tend to set and separate the oils from the paste. If this is the case, give the PB a good stir. You want to make sure you get the oil into the energy bites.

Nutrition Facts

No-Bake Cookie-Dough Energy Bites

Amount per Serving

Calories

114

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Cholesterol

 

0.04

mg

0

%

Sodium

 

84

mg

4

%

Potassium

 

162

mg

5

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

4

g

8

%

Vitamin A

 

16

IU

0

%

Vitamin C

 

0.05

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

30

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.