Paleo Snickerdoodle Energy Bites

I hate to admit it, but I am a bit of a chronic snacker. I’ve never been a “3 meals a day” kind of girl. I like to pretend that it’s because of my lightening fast metabolism that I need some sustenance between meals, but I’m not really sure. I just know that every 3-4 hours my tummy started rumbling, and I need something to put in it. These Paleo Snickerdoodle Energy Bites have become my new favourite way to scratch my snack-time itch.

I’ve started seeing energy bites popping up all over the place, from the supermarket to the local coffee shop. It seems that everyone has their own version of these sweet, little balls. (I even have another version already on the blog!) And it’s for good reason! Energy bites are simple to make, easy to grab, and chock full of all sorts of goodness. And while I love that they’re more readily available pre-made, I prefer to make my own at home so that I can really control what types of ingredients are inside

Many energy ball recipes contain oats. And while delicious, oats aren’t appropriate for those of us on a grain-free diet, so I’ve skipped them here.(If you’re looking for an oats based version, these might be more your style.) Instead, the base of these Snickerdoodle Energy Bites is made entirely from whole ingredients: just nuts and dates.

Creamy cashews + crunchy almonds + sweet, sticky dates = energy bite perfection.

This combination of nuts + dates offers a hefty dose of healthy fats to keep you full, a good hit of plant protein, as well as some quick digesting carbs for energy from the dates. It literally couldn’t be more simple. 3 ingredients. If you are looking for a more protein heavy snack, if you’re an avid exerciser for example, feel free to add in some protein powder. I prefer to add collagen because it’s a pure, complete, hypoallergenic protein. Feel free to add whatever you’d like, just beware that whey or vegan protein blends will change the flavour and texture slightly.

To be honest, the nut + date mixture is completely delicious on its own, but I like to add a few things to “spice” it up. A good sprinkling of cinnamon, which just happens to be loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, adds a nice hit of warmth. To really enhance all of the other flavours, I threw in a pinch of salt as well. (If you’re trying to increase your adaptogen intake, feel free to throw in some maca powder here. It would be delish!)

To make the bites, simply throw all of the ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender. Process until a grainy dough forms. (It may look like it won’t hold together, but it should squish into a ball in your hand!) I chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to make the rolling process easier, but you could skip this if you were feeling really impatient. Feel free to roll these into whatever size bites you prefer – I made 16 good sized balls, but you could happily do 8 GIANT ones or 20 or so smaller ones. They’re your balls!

To really push these Snickerdoodle Energy Bites over the edge, I roll them in some coconut sugar. This does two things: firstly, it tastes amazing + really adds to the “snickerdoodle” factor, secondly it keeps the balls from sticking together! Feel free to roll them in coconut, crushed nuts, cocoa, etc. Again, they’re your balls.

One or two of these sweet nuggets of energy are just enough to hold me over between meals or as a the perfect finisher to any meal. They’re perfect for meal prep + will keep in the fridge for a week or so, if they last that long, ha!

These Paleo Snickerdoodle Energy Bites are current snack obsession. They’re simple + easy to make, but even easier to eat. They’re made from real, whole food ingredients, so you can feel good about eating and serving them! If you make them, I’d love to hear if they really do remind you of a snickerdoodle cookie. Let me know what you think in the comments below or tag me in your photos on  Instagram!

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