Name: Sunflower Nut Butter Energy Bites
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 22
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups pitted medjool dates; 1 cup almonds; 2 tbsp sunflower nut butter (no sugar added); 2 tbsp coconut butter; 1 tbsp cocoa powder; 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp sea salt

Looking for a healthy and super tasty treat? These tasty sunflower nut butter energy bites are the perfect after work out pick me up. They are sweetened only with medjool dates and are sinfully delicious.

These little balls of chocolatey bliss are crazy delicious and are paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. They have a peanut butter taste that comes from the sunflower nut butter and are nutty and crunchy.

I just made a batch of them in about 10 minutes and they are in the fridge calling my name as I type!

Are you trying to lose weight? Be sure to also be sure to check out my 80 calorie peanut butter oat balls and my 88 calorie chocolate peanut butter energy bites. They taste amazing too.

Making the sunflower nut butter energy bites.

I have a cooking tip to share with you. Use Sunflower nut butter and use it often! This nut butter has a taste that is amazingly like peanut butter. I prefer it over almond butter in my energy bites and love to come up with other combinations to make each batch taste a little different. For today’s bites the extras are cocoa powder, coconut butter and almonds. The only thing that sweetens these amazing bites is medjool dates!

Combine everything in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is thick, crumbly and very sticky – about 2 minutes or so.

Roll the batter into 1 inch sized balls, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Into the fridge they go to set, which takes about a half hour. (if you can wait that long!)

My whole family loves these, including my husband who normally doesn’t like “healthy recipes.” He actually asks me to make another batch as soon as we are getting low on these!

Tasting time!

I have a confession. I am a recovering sugar addict. As in…I ate sugar daily until I figure out that it was the culprit for all the inflammation that my body was experiencing. So…..when I make healthy versions of some of my favorite sweet treats, I am looking for flavor. I don’t want a light version. I don’t want a tasteless version. I want FLAVOR. Not over the top sugar rush flavor, but nicely blended ingredients that say to me “aren’t you glad you are taking care of yourself?” with every bite, as I nod my head in agreement.

These sunflower nut butter energy bites are deliciously rich tasting. It is hard to believe there is no added sugar in them. I LOVE medjool dates! The peanuty taste of the sunflower nut butter combines with the cocoa powder and coconut butter to make a taste that is my Paleo version of a Mounds bar without all the guilt that comes from eating a big ole bar of sugar.

Enjoy them for breakfast, as a snack or after work out snack. I like to have one with some sliced fruit after dinner to satisfy my desire for dessert. One is enough to tame the sugar dragon that would be roaring its head off if I fed it refined sugar!

I keep my energy bites in the fridge in an air tight container. It keeps them set, keeps them cold and makes them easy to keep for a few weeks. (IF they last that long!!)

Nutritional info:

They work out to just under 100 calories of delicious energy.

Do you like healthy energy bites: Why not try one of these recipes as well?

Pin these sunflower nut energy bites for later

Would you like a reminder of this recipe for energy balls made with sunflowers? Just pin this image to one of your recipe boards on Pinterest.

Yield: 22

Sunflower Nut Butter Energy Bites

These sunflower nut butter energy bites are easy to make and healthy too. They are gluten free, vegan and Paleo.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups pitted medjool dates
1 cup almonds
2 tbsp sunflower nut butter (no sugar added)
2 tbsp coconut butter
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly, thick and very sticky. (don't over mix or it will end up greasy.)

Roll the mixture into balls about 1 inch thick.

Place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97.5Total Fat: 4.8gSaturated Fat: 1.1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2.8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 54.9mgCarbohydrates: 13.9gFiber: 2.4gSugar: 10.8gProtein: 2.1g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.