These Almond Butter Energy Bites are SO healthy and delish. They’re nutty and rich from the almond butter, chewy from the oats, and sweet from the maple syrup and dark chocolate chips!
I need these Almond Butter Energy Bites more than ever on this fine Monday, because it was quite a weekend! All good things, but I am t.i.r.e.d. for sure.
Luckily, I just whipped up another batch of these energy bites and am happily munching away while I’m watching the sun rise, sipping coffee, and listening to Teddy sleeping right next to me.
Speaking of which, one of the most common questions we get is “What do you guys do all day?” and honestly, sometimes I wonder the same thing.
Sometimes I feel as if I’m sitting at my computer and all of a sudden I look up, it’s 3 o’clock and I’m asking myself “What the heck did I just do for the last 8 hours?”
So today, I’m going to give you a little behind the scenes of what I actually do in a day.
All fueled, of course, by these ahhhh-mazing Almond Butter Energy Bites.
Let me start out by saying that not all days look like this, h.o.w.e.v.e.r., more often than not, this is what a typical day at SMTY looks like.
5:00 – 6:00 AM – Wake up, let Teddy out, grab an iced coffee, and play a game of Otrio. I’m not kidding, Trevor and I, lately, have started our days by playing Otrio: our latest obsession.
6:30 – 7:00 AM – Respond to comments on the blog and look to see if there’s any activity on social media (FB comments, etc.)
7:00 AM – Noon – Recipe development, photoshoots. . . and cleaning <– least favorite part of my job right there. Do you think I can train Teddy to do the dishes? I’m sure he’d gladly lick them all clean. 😉
Noon – 2:00 PM – Workout, grocery shopping. Yes. Working out and grocery shopping IS a part of my job. . . it has to be with all this food around. Helloooo did you SEE those S’Mores Cookie Cups? 😉
2:00 PM – whenever we call it quits, usually somewhere between 6 & 8 PM – Edit photos, social media, catch up on e-mails, write posts, do the budget, etc. Honestly, we’re still in the stage where we’re trying to grow SMTY and The Blog Village, so we’re working way more than 40 hours, and do work on weekends, but we’re hopefully going to be better at balancing work and life this summer… we’ll see. 😉
Of course, in there, we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner – ahem, leftovers, leftovers, aaaaand more leftovers – and take Teddy for a walk.
Oh yeah, and I literally munch on these Almond Butter Energy Bites #allday #everyday.
I make sure I eat one before my workout for a burst of energy and lately I’ve been having them for an after dinner sweet treat, because omg if you microwave one for like 15 seconds, I swear to you, it takes like a warm chocolate chip cookie that is actually good for you. Seriously. Do it.
If you don’t feel like eating these warm, these were actually meant to be eaten cold right out of the fridge.
I’ve been going through them like candy, so it’s a good thing they’re a cinch to make.
How do you make no bake almond butter energy bites?
- Stir together:
- dark chocolate chips (if you’re vegan, make sure your chocolate chips are, too)
- old fashioned oats
- flax meal
- chia seeds
- almond butter
- maple syrup
- Roll ’em into balls (I use this cookie scoop to make them even)
That’s it.
I mean, come ON, how easy was that?
But let me back up for a second, because these are ALMOND BUTTER Energy Bites, so let’s talk almond butter for a sec.
Make your own. If you want. 🙂
How do you make homemade almond butter?
I’ve listed my recipe below and I highly recommend you make it for these energy bites.
- 3 ingredients (almonds, vanilla, cinnamon)
- 5 minutes
- food processor
That’s all you need!
There’s no added sweetener or oil, so it’s super healthy and delish, and it’s just perfect for these, yes? Yes! 🙂
So once you’ve made your almond butter, then the Almond Butter Energy Bites, you’re going to store them in the fridge, and then casually sneak one out of the fridge every time you walk by. 😉
Are energy balls healthy? How many calories do they have?
I’d say these are healthy-ISH.
As in, are they the healthiest thing in the world?
No.
BUT they’re a great healthier snack if you’re craving something sweet and they’re still full of great for you ingredients like oats and almonds!
These almond butter energy bites are about 200 calories, so I LOVE these for fueling my workouts!
Plus, they’re little bites of heaven: nutty and rich from the almond butter, chewy from the oats, sweet from the maple syrup, and a little creamy/crunchy (or melty) from the dark chocolate chips.
Make a batch (or two) this week and have a healthy, easy, popable snack all week long!
– Jennifer
Have you ever made energy bites? Show Me the Yummy!
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips dairy free if you’re vegan
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup flax meal
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2/3 cup almond butter
- 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup same as 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
- 2 cups roasted salted almonds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients until well combined.
- Roll into 12 balls** (I used a cookie scoop to get 12 even bites and then rolled them in my hands).
- Store in tupperware in the fridge.
- Place all ingredients into food processor and blend for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and a little runny, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Use in the recipe above and store the rest in a sealed container in the fridge.
**If they're too sticky to roll immediately, place the bowl in the fridge, covered, for 30 minutes.
Totally making these before I go home on Friday, gotta have my plane snacks! 🙂 I love “working out and grocery shopping IS part of my job”. My two favorite things! Haha! 😉 Cannot wait to give these a try.
YES! Plane snacks are a must 🙂 Hope you’re going somewhere fun!
The picture of these grabbed me and what I like best about these is the simplicity of ingredients. I can’t tell you how many “energy bites” recipes I’ve tested, but if these end up tasting as good as they look I may have found a new winner. Thanks!
Aww thank you so much Kevin!! 🙂
What a cool post to read! I’m always fascinated to see what other people do with their days…wait does that sound stalkerish? 😁 I’m constantly struggling to fit my blog around my work and personal schedules. But I also think it’s Murphy’s law that no matter how many hours you have to get a job done, that job will take *all* the hours. No matter what. These almond butter bites sound like a great way to keep myself rocking! Thanks for sharing!
Aww thank you so much Liz! Hahaha not stalkerish at all 😉 Yes, these bites are perfect for when you’re working #allthehours. 😉
These look delicious Jennifer! I’m always looking for me tasty energy bite recipes! Can’t wait to try this one!
Thanks Mary Ann! Can’t beat energy bites 🙂
Well, hello again! I just finished making these and they taste awesome! I have a few questions. While I was trying to roll mine in a ball, they were starting to crumble, so mine are more like flattened bites. Has that happened to you? Is it normal? Should i have chilled it longer? What do you use to make 12 even bites or do you just eyeball it? I was thinking about putting some wax paper in a 9×9 dish and cutting them into square bites. Either way, they were great! Another awesome recipe! Thank you for sharing it. 😉
Hi Laura! You’re AWESOME! Thanks so much for making another recipe 🙂 I personally haven’t had a problem, but if they were crumbling for you, here are a few thoughts:
1. Did you use my homemade almond butter or store bought? The consistency of the almond butter could definitely affect the texture.
2. Did you use a cookie scoop? To make these, I grabbed a chunk of the “dough”, pressed it firmly into a cookie scoop, and then squeezed them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I then formed them into more “perfect” rounds by shaping them with my hands. I think firmly packing them into the cookie scoop really helps them hold their shape. This is also how I get 12 even bites!
3. If they’re still too crumbly, you could definitely add a little more maple syrup to help them bind a little bit better (maaaaaybe even a little almond milk, but I can’t vouch for that). 🙂
Also, I bet cutting them into squares would be absolutely perfect… and quicker 😉 …you’ll have to let me know!
Thanks again so much Laura and I hope that helps!
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for replying! Yes, I definitely made the almond butter fresh, first time too, maybe I didn’t let it process long enough? I scraped the sides and mixed everything and let it go even past the 5 minutes. I tried to read if you mentioned what you used to make them in a ball, but couldn’t find anything. If you put cookie scoop I missed it. 🙁 My husband suggested using one too, but after I was already done. Lol Next time I’ll get it right, because there will definitely be a next time! 🙂 I thought about adding more syrup, but I wanted to follow your recipe exactly. We’ll see next time for sure! Thanks again. 🙂
Darn! That’s my fault, Laura! I apologize for forgetting to add that I used a cookie scoop. I’m guessing that will fix your problem, but I’m so happy that they still turned out delicious! 🙂
Hi Laura! Ok. I just made these again (I’m a liiiiiittle obsessed). I’ve found that if you leave the “dough” in the fridge too long before rolling, it gets a little dry and crumbly. My suggestion? Roll them immediately. If they’re too sticky to do that, place the pre rolled “dough” in the fridge (covered) for MAX 30 minutes, and then roll it into balls using the cookie scoop. 🙂
Hi, Jennifer! That’s it! I made the dough before I started cooking dinner and I think they were in the fridge longer than 30 mins for sure! I can see how you are obsessed with making these! I’m already thinking about making my next batch! I will definitely make them during the day, so no distractions and use a cookie scoop to make perfect bites! Thanks again! 🙂
You’re so welcome Laura!! Thank YOU! 🙂
I just made these for my family and they were WONDERFUL! Looking forward to trying other recipes 😉
Thank you so much Leanne! I’m so glad you loved these 🙂
Had trouble making the almond butter. I processed it I. The food processor almost 9 minutes and it was still just like flour but a bit sticky. What did I do wrong? I did use store bought almond butter then and I didn’t have flax seed, so I added some shredded coconut. And I used soy free chocolate chips (have so allergy), but my husband asked if they could be all his. They are delicious. I was thinking of adding a little cayenne next time for a bit of spice to bring the flavors out more. What do you think?
Hi Kathleen! I’m so happy you loved these…LOVE the idea of adding cayenne… we love spice, so I think I’ll have to try that as well! As for the almond butter, what kind of food processor do you have? If it’s not powerful enough, that will make a HUGE difference. If you have a Vitamix, you can definitely use a Vitamix to make almond butter. Also, were your almonds roasted? Raw almonds are too hard and won’t break down properly. Let me know! Thanks again for making (& loving!!) the recipe, Kathleen! 🙂
What a busy schedule you have and I’m sure Teddy won’t mind cleaning all those delish dishes for you! 🙂
These energy bites are looking amazing.. I need to keep them in mind 🙂
Do you think 12 bites are enough for just me? 😉
Awww thanks so much, Amy!! <3
Hey! These look great, but what can be used instead of flax?
Hi Kim! You could use ground almond meal or ground oats (oat flour)… I hope that helps! 🙂
These are definitely delicious!! I made them tonight for my weekly meal prep/sweet treat/post workout snack. I did add an extra little something to give me that kick that I sometimes need…I added fresh ground hazelnut vanilla coffee (2 tbsp). It was really nice flavor add! Oh and a splash of vanilla (1/2 tsp).
I was also curious if there is a nutrient/fat/protein breakdown that you could provide? Thanks so much!
Thank you so much!! LOVE the addition of coffee 🙂 If you’re ever looking for nutritional information on any recipe, here’s a great calorie counter: https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
How many grams of protein is in ea. ball? If you’ve given that detail, I apologize. Missed it in the section above.
Oops, just saw your coloriecount.com reference. Will enter your ingredients, along w/ my slight modifications in their search.
Thanks so much! & never mind 🙂
You’re so welcome! Enjoy!!
Hi there,
I just made these.
Can you tell me whether they freeze well? I would prefer to freeze them as I am not sure they will be okay in the fridge until Christmas Eve.
Yordest, Toronto, Canada
They should freeze just fine 🙂
HI! These look wonderful! I’m wanting to switch out the maple syrup for honey. How much honey would you suggest?
Same amount 🙂 Enjoy!
If I want to use store bought almond butter, what amount should I use?
Same amount 🙂
Hi, Can you clarify how much store-bought almond butter to use? The recipe says 2 cups of almonds but I have no idea how much almond butter that makes – 1 cup? 1.5 cups?
Hi Suzie! Recipe says: 2/3 cup almond butter 🙂 Doesn’t matter if it’s homemade or not! The “2 cups almonds” is if you want to make it homemade.
These were really good, thank you for the recipe. I love the addition of the chia seeds they really add a nice texture. I think these will be a great snack before or after my cardio workouts.
Thank you so much!
Not sure what I did wrong but they came out wicked sticky and didn’t roll into nice balls. Was hard to eat with hands. They tasted yummy though.
Did you roll before or after refrigerating? They’re not the easiest things to roll, but if they weren’t sticking together I’d add more maple syrup. Did you use homemade or store bought almond butter?
Hello there I just made this recipe but swapped maple syrup for honey. I also had no flax meal. But mixed honey, granola, peanut butter and your recipe of almond butter and choc chips. Must say awesome recipe.
Awesome! Thank you!
I’ve been making something similar with PB but I found almond butter in my cabinet and I’m going to try these. The ones I make definitely help with my milk production for nursing.
Love it!! Hope you enjoy. 🙂