Super Energy Nut Balls

These absolute energy beasts are so quick to make (no baking required!) and they are the most wonderful thing to have at hand in the fridge if you’re feeling snacky between meals. You can even make a whole ton and freeze them!

Mix and match as you please

You can do all sorts of variations on these nut balls (I could call them nut bites or something cuter, but I think nut balls is the funniest name). Depending on how much you mix in of each type of nut, nut butter, seeds, sweetener and oats (if you add those at all), you will get slightly different versions, and it really can’t go wrong. The principle of the whole recipe is to mix a good bit of nut butter with chopped, toasted nuts and oats, a little bit of a sweetener to make it tasty and bind it all together, and rolled in shredded coconut (you can skip this too if you don’t love coconut!). As long as you’re left with a thick, sticky mix that you can easily roll in to small balls, you’re good!

Last Christmas I also made an advent calendar using these. My Christmas version consisted of covering them in melted dark cooking chocolate instead of shredded coconut. Yu-huuuum!

Super energy nut balls

Makes roughly 40 balls:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats

• 1 cup of finely chopped nuts - you can mix up whatever you have/prefer: peanut, walnut, hazel, pecans, cashew, almonds, pistachios

• 2 tablespoons ground seeds - choose between (or do a mix) flaxseed, chia seeds and/or poppy seeds

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (a pinch of nutmeg, ground ginger or cardamom is lovely too!)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup creamy nut butter - again, choose your favourite (or do a mix): peanut, almond, pistachio, cashew…

• 1/2 cup finely chopped dried fruit/berries - choose between cranberries, pitted dates, dried redcurrant, sultanas, apricot, peaches…

• 1/4 cup runny, sticky sweetener - choose between honey, maple syrup, golden syrup or similar

• 1/2 cup water

Topping:

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (you roll them in the coconut at the end)

  Place the oats and nuts in a pan over medium heat. Toast gently, stirring frequently, until the oats turn slightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on this, toasted nuts go from “nothing’s happening here” to “we’ve burnt!” in no time! Put the toasted nuts and oats in a bowl and stir in the seeds of your choice plus cinnamon and salt.

  Place the pan back on the stove over low heat. Add the nut butter, dried fruit or berries, sweetener, and water. Stir until evenly combined (you do not need to actually cook the mixture; you’re just melting it down so it is easier to mix, so keep the heat relatively low). Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the oats and nuts. Stir until evenly combined. Refrigerate the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes.

  Spread the shredded coconut out on a chopping board or a large piece of baking paper. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls in your hands, then roll in the coconut so it covers each ball. Place the balls in the fridge, for a few hours. They will keep in a covered container for up to a week in the fridge, or frozen for up to 3 months.

As I said above, these are just the perfect little snack to stop you from having something unhealthy when you’re feeling snacky. These are fantastic as a little addition to your breakfast to feel full at the start of the day, right before a run (energy without feeling stuffed!) or to take with you in a little plastic container on a hike (my favourite!).

Have you made the super energy nut balls? What nut/fruit/nut butter combo did you go for? Was it sweet enough - do you feel energised when you’ve had a couple? I’d love to hear and see how you got on, share your result with me on Instagram and tag @TheFromScratchBody and hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!