There’s just something about strawberries that scream springtime to me. Strawberries are available year round in our local supermarket, but come springtime, the gorgeous, red gems start appearing at my local farmer’s market. This farmer’s market also happens to take place right outside of my front door, which makes me one happy, shopping-local girl. I’m not sure what it is, but spring-time farmer’s market berries taste completely different than their store bought sisters. And that special strawberry taste is exactly what I was reminded of when I first tasted these Strawberry Vanilla Energy Bites.
It’s definitely not a secret that I love a good energy bite. They’re the perfect snack, packed full of healthy fats + fibre. I love to throw them in my bag when I need something on the go, as a pre-workout boost or even as a sweet nibble after a meal. There really isn’t anything that an energy bite can’t do. There are already two freaking delicious recipes on the blog: my Paleo Snickerdoodle Energy Bites and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bites, but my fruit loving heart needed its own version. Thus, these Paleo Strawberry Vanilla Energy Bites were born.
Just like any decent energy bite recipe, these start with real food ingredients like dates and nuts. Almonds add great crunch + cashews, creaminess. It’s honestly the perfect texture base for these snack bites. The nuts add fibre to help with digestive health + all sorts of really beneficial fats. Sticky dates add sweetness + bind the nuts together to form a rollable dough. They’re also rich in antioxidants and are believed to promote brain health + to ease the challenges of natural labour. So, there’s that! #bonus
To turn these from basic energy bites into Strawberry Vanilla Energy Bites, I added freeze-dried strawberries to the mix. Freeze-dried berries deliver a TON of strawberry flavour and are the perfect partner to some lovely vanilla extract. This flavour combination is off the charts. It’s tart + sweet, satisfying + fruity. (Don’t worry, if you can’t find freeze-dried strawberries, regular dried strawberries will work too, just be sure to read the recipe notes.)
These Strawberry Vanilla Energy Bites are Paleo, Whole30 and SO GOOD. They’re easy to make + even easier to eat. They’re perfect to throw into your bag for an on-the-go snack or to pop when you need a mid-afternoon sweet treat. Your family and friends won’t even realise they’re healthy, so feel free to swap your children’s processed desserts with these babies. They’ll never guess that they’re good for them, ha! That is if you don’t eat all of them yourself…
Making these energy bites is sure to be the best 10 minutes you’ll spend all week. They require just a handful of real food ingredients, but they’ll bring you more strawberry goodness than you can possibly imagine. I promise you won’t regret having these on hand!
If you do make these gorgeous gems, let me know what you think of the strawberry sweetness in the comments below. Or, tag me in your photos on instagram – I love to see what you’re cooking!
Strawberry Vanilla Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup dates
- 2 cups cashews
- 1/2 cup freeze dried (or dried*) strawberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, melted (optional)
Instructions
- Add the almonds and cashews to a high speed blender or food processor. Process until they have a fine ground texture.
- Remove all of the stones from the dates + add them to the ground nuts, along with the strawberries, vanilla + salt.
- Pulse the mixture until a cohesive dough forms.
- Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling into balls.
- Dip the balls in melted coconut oil + sprinkle with more freeze-dried strawberries (*optional).
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- ** If using DRIED strawberries, decrease the amount of dates to 3/4 cup and add 1/2 dried strawberries.
