Healthy Energy Balls with Medjool Dates

• Vegetarian
• Gluten free

• Produce

  • 6 Medjool dates, pitted

• Breakfast Foods

  • 1 cup Oatmeal, old fashioned

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/3 cup Chocolate chips, mini
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1/3 cup Coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup Flax seed, ground

• Dairy

  • 1/2 cup Sunflower seed butter

Found on dinner-mom.com

Description

Ingredients

• 6-8 pitted medjool dates, pits removed
• 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
• ½ cup ground flax seed
• ⅓ cup coconut flakes (preferably unsweetened)
• ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter)

Directions

• Fill a glass container with very hot water. (I heat about 2 cups in the microwave for about 1½ minutes.)
• Add dates to water, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 5-10 minutes. This softens the dates and makes them easier to puree, but may not be necessary if dates are very soft.
• Remove dates from water and place in a small food processor.
• Add to the food processor about 1 Tablespoon of the water the dates soaked in.
• Pulse until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add additional water to thin the consistency of the paste, if desired.
• Set date paste aside.
• Combine oatmeal, flax seed, coconut flakes and chocolate chips in a medium sized bowl.
• Add date paste, vanilla extract and sunflower seed butter to the dry mixture.
• Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
• Refrigerate dough for about 15 minutes if possible. (Its not required, but does make it easier to work with.)
• Form dough into Tablespoon-size balls.
• Refrigerate balls in an air tight container.