Have you ever tried to find cheap, healthy granola bars? Every time I scour the options at the grocery store, I’m greeted with either a small price and a list of processed ingredients as long as the aisle, or a short, less-processed ingredient list with a huge price. I’m tired of playing the either or game, and so (with no coupons to tempt me to buy a box of them for almost free) I like to make Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites instead.
Not only are they cheap and easy, but they are highly customizable to fit your particular mood (or the ingredients you have on hand). Want to make them healthier? Replace the sesame seeds with ground flax seed and use carob chips. Don’t like chocolate? Simply leave out the coco powder and replace the chocolate chips with raisins. Allergic to peanuts? Use almond or sun butter. You get the idea.
These cost a lot less than any healthy granola bars I’ve found, and their ingredient list is still pretty healthy and basic. We eat them as a slightly indulgent snack and a much healthier dessert. If I’m looking for a healthier festive treat, I can use colored M&M’s instead of chocolate chips, or I can roll them in coconut flakes.
No-Bake Energy Bites don’t require any special skill. I’ve tried several granola recipes in the past and they’ve always been flaky – sometimes they worked; sometimes they didn’t, and they never tasted as good as regular granola bars. But these? If you can stir ingredients and roll play dough, they should be easy. And they are delicious.
My search for a cheap, healthy granola bar has ended. For now.
Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites
These are adapted from a classic recipe that has probably been circulating for years, but I originally found them on Smashed Peas and Carrots (which I found via Anne’s pin)
Serves 3 (or 6, if you’re not as in love with these as we are)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup rolled oats*
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (sweetened works fine)
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds (or ground nuts or flaxseed)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or raisins, mini chocolate chips, M&M’s or ground nuts)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
- Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl
- Cover and chill for about an hour
- With clean hands, roll the dough into little balls about 1-inch in diameter
- Store bites in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 1 week
*My only disappointment with these is that they use uncooked oats, which according to my research aren’t the easiest for your body to digest. I’m sure these can be replaced with something healthier, but up until now I’ve just been thankful for a frugal treat that doesn’t have an ingredients list a mile long.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What’s your favorite cheaper, slightly indulgent snack?
Cheers,
51 comments
7 pings
Jessica
12/02/2011 at 7:05 PM (UTC -6)
I just made a similar recipe and added chocolate protein powder and ground flax seed to get the texture I wanted. After I rolled them into balls, I rolled the balls in ground coconut.
MMMM! Chocolate and filling!
Melissa Huizinga
12/04/2011 at 8:35 PM (UTC -6)
I wonder if you could soak the oats overnight in warm water and a tablespoon of plain yogurt in order to break down the phytic acid.
Steph
12/04/2011 at 10:00 PM (UTC -6)
Melissa – I thought of that, but wasn’t sure how to make up for the wetness that would result from soaking the oats. Good suggestion – I’ll see what I can find!
michelle
12/07/2011 at 6:00 PM (UTC -6)
What if you soak the oats with the yogurt and redry it in the oven on low then use it? It will break down the phytic acid and have the dry texture.
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:56 PM (UTC -6)
Michelle – Good idea!
Tiffany
12/07/2011 at 8:12 PM (UTC -6)
I love chocolate no-bake cookies and was so excited when I found this healthified chocolate no-bake cookies recipe that I slightly tweaked. They are super yummy and use honey instead of sugar to sweeten them
http://healthynbalanced.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/healthified-chocolate-no-bake-cookies/
Josette
12/07/2011 at 9:54 PM (UTC -6)
I really do like chedder cheese drizzled with honey on top of a wasa cracker…yum!
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:58 PM (UTC -6)
Josette – Wow, that sounds delicious!
Wendy Leal
12/14/2011 at 5:39 PM (UTC -6)
YUM! My Aunt made something like this when I was growing up. She called them Space Balls. I do not recall it having coconut in them though.
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:08 PM (UTC -6)
Wendy Leal – Space balls? What a fun name!
Jan
12/14/2011 at 5:41 PM (UTC -6)
How do you not end up with a gooey mess all over your hands? I can’t stand having goo on my hands- it’s a texture thing.
Steph
12/14/2011 at 5:45 PM (UTC -6)
Jen – I just end up with a gooey mess, but a good wash does the trick. You could try a cookie scoop and just have less compact cookies. Someone here in the comments also suggested spraying your hands with non-stick spray!
Jenn
02/26/2012 at 12:21 PM (UTC -6)
I use the latex-free gloves you can find in the Pharmacy Department or a Pharmacy Store. You don’t need the expensive ones and they provide you with the hands-on feel without having to deal with the ooey-gooey mess sticking.
meaganne
12/14/2011 at 6:32 PM (UTC -6)
I make some similar to these. I spread the mixtire into a wax paper lined pan, pressing down firmly, and then I precut the mixture into bars and store in the freezer. So much faster for me and with five kiddos under eight, this mama needs fast!!
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:05 PM (UTC -6)
Meaganne – I like it! I’ll keep this idea in mind!
Jessii
12/14/2011 at 6:55 PM (UTC -6)
Just out of curiosity, you said this serves 3… But how many balls do you get out of the mix?
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:10 PM (UTC -6)
Jessii – Good question. I probably get about 20-30 balls, but I make mine kind of small.
Laura
12/14/2011 at 7:28 PM (UTC -6)
If you don’t want to soak them, you could make a homemade granola without the extras (like almonds, raisins, etc…), then mix it in.
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:04 PM (UTC -6)
Laura – Good idea! I thought of trying that.
Kara
12/14/2011 at 8:08 PM (UTC -6)
I love it! And so what I need for our Christmas outing on Friday. But I hate hate HATE coconut flakes. Do you think it would work with just more rolled oats or do I have to find something else to substitute?
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:03 PM (UTC -6)
Kara – It should totally work with extra oats, but instead of just doubling the amount of oats, I would probably use 1 1/2 cups oats and 1/2 cup chopped/ground nuts. If it helps, you can’t really taste the coconut in these cookies. Someone I know who hates coconut tried these the other day and told me he thought they were great!
Megan
12/14/2011 at 8:21 PM (UTC -6)
I made these yesterday!! But used sunbutter and left out the coconut. So good!!
Bethany
12/15/2011 at 5:24 PM (UTC -6)
Just made these–YUM! I’m going to try a soaked-oat version. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Bethany
12/15/2011 at 5:44 PM (UTC -6)
Added bonus, it kind of feels like I’m eating cookie dough–which I LOVE.
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:53 PM (UTC -6)
Bethany – I love cookie dough too! And yes please let me know how the soaked oats experiment goes!
SugarFreeMom
12/15/2011 at 6:12 PM (UTC -6)
I love this recipe but my boys are allergic to nuts, and actually hate sunbutter made from sunflower seeds, any other ideas to substitute?
Steph
12/15/2011 at 8:17 PM (UTC -6)
SugarFreeMom – I don’t have a lot of experience in nut allergies, but are they allergic to coconut as well? I know there is coconut butter (or I’ve heard you can just run coconut flakes through a juicer to make it yourself!)
Kathleen
12/16/2011 at 4:42 PM (UTC -6)
I bet if you lightly sprayed your hands with cooking spray first it wouldn’t make such a mess!
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:50 PM (UTC -6)
Kathleen – Great idea!
Arwen
12/16/2011 at 4:53 PM (UTC -6)
I’m not a peanut butter fan (or other nut butters for that matter…..it’s just the taste I don’t like)……can you think of any other substitute that would work? I love the idea of making them in a pan and cutting into bars!
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:50 PM (UTC -6)
Arwen – One substitute option is coconut butter (not oil – butter is made of the actual coconut flesh). It’s expensive, but I’ve heard that you can make it yourself by running coconut flakes through a juicer!
Robin
12/16/2011 at 5:03 PM (UTC -6)
I make these but use quinoa. I chill the quinoa after it’s cooked before I add all the other ingredients. Quinoa is awesome because it is high in protein so it keeps you satisfied longer. And high in fiber.
Robin
12/16/2011 at 5:04 PM (UTC -6)
I meant to say that I use quinoa in place of the oatmeal.
Steph
12/19/2011 at 2:46 PM (UTC -6)
Robin – Quinoa, what a great idea! That sounds like it would definiely increase the health. Do you need to increase the amount of dry ingredients when you use quinoa?
Rebecca
02/20/2012 at 12:02 AM (UTC -6)
Robin – My son is allergic to oatmeal and I like your idea of making the snack using quinoa. Did you use whole quinoa or quinoa flakes? You cooked it and then you let it cool before assembling? Just don’t want to mess up, make something gross, and then have to throw out food…
Linda
12/16/2011 at 8:04 PM (UTC -6)
Maybe something like this mixed in it would be good.
http://www.food.com/recipe/budget-friendly-homemade-cereal-398169
Sugarfree mom, what about Peabutter or a soy butter? My daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. We use Sunbutter.
Coconut is considered a tree nut by the FDA for labeling purposes, but it isn’t a tree nut. However, there are people who are allergic to it.
Linda
Steph
12/19/2011 at 3:15 PM (UTC -6)
Linda – Good suggetions! Thanks!
Lorilee @ Loving Simple Living.com
12/19/2011 at 6:13 PM (UTC -6)
great idea. I am going to try this out. I have tried to do granola bar type things before but with the bar shape and it is harder to get them to turn out. Balls look easier and are probably even better servings for the little hands.
Gina
12/19/2011 at 7:42 PM (UTC -6)
I can’t wait to try these! I hate paying big bucks for gluten-free granola bars. Thanks for sharing!
mollie jones
12/19/2011 at 8:19 PM (UTC -6)
gooey hands? use rubber gloves…
Petra
12/20/2011 at 9:24 PM (UTC -6)
Here is a way to Make “Soaked and Ready” Oats.
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/04/08/how-to-soak-and-dehydrate-oats/
Steph
12/21/2011 at 12:50 AM (UTC -6)
Thanks, Petra!
Megan
12/29/2011 at 2:47 PM (UTC -6)
Omg I just made these with quinoa for my almost 3 year old and it didn’t even get to chill in the fridge before we had to “test” it:) I used unflavored protein powder instead of cocoa and my quinoa wasn’t completely chilled. It melted some chocolate chips and made chocolate goodness
I love that these are delicious and so good for us. I am now imagining all the options…marshmallows, cranberries, even adding bananas! Yummy:)
Heather
02/20/2012 at 5:36 PM (UTC -6)
Steph,
My family follows GAPS diet, but love the idea of these little yummy chocolate bites!!
I think we will try them tomorrow but instead of rolled oats, we will add 1 cup crushed (soaked and dehydreated) nuts and some flaxseed.
I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Thanks for all the yummy ideas!
Heather
Steph
02/20/2012 at 8:27 PM (UTC -6)
Good idea, Heather! I know the GAPS diet fairly well, so I know raw grains isn’t an ideal component of a healthy diet. I do love me some flaxseed, but my toddler is allergic. Please let me know how they turn out! I have some soaked and dehyrated nuts just waiting to be used in something.
Babara Weirich
03/12/2012 at 12:57 PM (UTC -6)
How about a good crushed cereal, “Fiber One” is a favorite of Hungry Girls recipes, to replace the oats? Good crunch and good fiber.
Rachel Haught
03/15/2012 at 6:48 AM (UTC -6)
My mom used to make these with wheat germ instead of oatmeal; it gave them a nutty kind of flavor. That may be a good substitute if you don’t like oats and aren’t allergic to wheat, but it’s more expensive.
Iris
03/20/2012 at 7:27 AM (UTC -6)
These are delicious! I loved them. In my next batch, I’m going to use dehydrated blueberries for raisins. I may even add some whey protein.
Georgi
04/03/2012 at 1:56 PM (UTC -6)
Have you tried freezing these? How did they turn out?
Steph
04/03/2012 at 10:10 PM (UTC -6)
I think I’ve tried but they’ve never lasted long enough to really tell. I want to try it again soon, though.
Karen @ Abundance on a Dime
04/04/2012 at 10:03 AM (UTC -6)
I, too, have yet to find a good homemade granola bar recipe that we really love. A big hit around here is these No-Bake Ancient Grain Snacking Squares, similar ingredients to your recipe but they can be cut into bars.
http://abundanceonadime.blogspot.ca/2012/03/recipe-no-bake-ancient-grain-snacking.html
I have made them with my homemade granola in place of the puffed kamut and millet, and they are very good that way, too.
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