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No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Balls

I have a super simple (and delicious) recipe for you today!

Chocolate chip peanut butter energy balls on a white plate.

I saw this recipe on Money Saving Mom‘s menu plan last week, and decided to give it a try.

As I said yesterday in my confession post, I’m sort of a slacker when it comes to making homemade desserts (especially in the summer when I don’t much feel like turning on the oven).

But this looked so easy, I thought even I could get motivated to make it.

Three peanut butter energy balls on a white plate.

The first batch I made was just ok…it had sort of a weird flavor, and after a bite or two, I realized that the problem was a super-strong vanilla taste.

The recipe called for two teaspoons and that much vanilla in an unbaked product produces a really unpleasant vanilla overload.

a teaspoon of vanilla.

I didn’t have a picture of vanilla for this post! This photo is from my strawberry-banana ice cream recipe.

So, for the next batch I made, I reduced the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon, and the results were waaay better (and cheaper, too! Vanilla’s kind of expensive).

This recipe is fairly customizable…you can use any type of nut butter you like, and you can vary a number of the other ingredients too.

And since these are so simple to make and don’t require any heat, they’re a great project to do with kids.

Overhead view of a plate of energy balls.

Here’s how to make ’em.

First, mix the nut butter, honey, and vanilla together.

Peanut butter and honey mixed in a stainless steel bowl.

As I’m sure you know, measuring nut butter is kind of a pain since it sticks to everything.

To make this simpler and less messy, I put 1/2 cup of water into a measuring cup, add peanut butter until the water level reaches 1 cup, drain the water, and dump the peanut butter into my bowl.

This process looks exceedingly unappetizing, but it’s very not messy.

Peanut butter and water in a glass Pyrex measuring cup.

This measuring cup also makes peanut butter and honey measuring easy.

Ok.

Moving on.

Add the coconut, chocolate chips, and oatmeal to the peanut butter mixture.

If you have mini chocolate chips, I’d use those because they distribute better. Regular chips work fine too, though.

Energy ball ingredients in a stainless steel bowl.

Stir until it’s all nicely combined.

Energy ball dough in a metal bowl.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator for a half-hour to make the dough easier to handle.

Take a tablespoon of dough, compress it into a ball shape, and roll it between your hands until it’s smooth.

Energy balls in a glass container.

If they’re still pretty sticky, or if you just want to make them look fancier, you can roll them in coconut or wheat germ.

Three peanut butter energy balls, rolled in coconut.

And that’s it! You just eat these unbaked…it’s sort of like eating peanut butter/oatmeal cookie dough, except without the worry of raw eggs.

My kids love them, and as far as desserts go, I feel pretty happy about them eating these. They may not be health food, but they’re definitely more nutritious than a lollipop.

I store ours in the fridge, but I don’t know if that would be completely necessary in the winter or in a colder air-conditioned house.

Energy Balls

Scroll down for the printable recipe!

1/2 cup nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
1/3 cup honey (I use a scant 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt if using unsalted nut butter
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat germ)
1/2 cup other add-ins (whole or roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.)

  1. Mix nut butter, honey, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir in oats, coconut, and add-ins. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes to make dough easier to handle.
  2. Shape dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Store in an air-tight container either at room temperature or in the fridge.

Scroll down for the printable recipe.

Three no-bake energy balls in a white plate.

No-Bake Energy Balls

Yield: 20 balls
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

These no-bake treats come together in just a few minutes. Gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free oats!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
  • 1/3 cup honey (I use a scant 1/3 cup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • pinch of salt if using unsalted nut butter
  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat germ)
  • 1/2 cup other add-ins (whole or roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Mix nut butter, honey, and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
  2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients until combined.
  3. Let dough sit for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
  4. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls. Store in an airtight container, in the fridge if desired.

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(recipe originally from FoodDoodles, originally posted here in 2011; updated with a recipe card in 2021)

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EngineerMom

Monday 24th of May 2021

That looks really yummy!

I measure nut butters (and other messy things like yogurt or condiments) by weighing them out. If you look at the nutritional information, it shows how many grams equal the servings size (usually 2 tablespoons for nut butters) and then multiply by the amount I need (8 tablespoons in half a cup, so peanut butter that weighs 32g for 2 tablespoons, I'd weigh out 32x4 = 128g).

I started doing that for mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in my salmon burger recipe and others because I found scraping out the measuring cup or spoon so annoying.

WilliamB

Sunday 23rd of May 2021

You can also weigh the peanut butter right in the bowl - less messy measurement and fewer dishes to clean up. At this point I weigh almost all my ingredients, including oil and thick liquids such as oyster sauce.

Becky

Sunday 23rd of May 2021

I make this exact recipe for my granddaughters except instead of honey, I soak 8 dates in warm water than whirl them in the food processor and they form a paste to hold things together. They love them.

priskill

Saturday 22nd of May 2021

Yum! But as a vanilla fan, am shocked to hear there can ever be too much. Good to know!

Kristen

Sunday 23rd of May 2021

I think this is especially possible when it's not cooked! I think you taste the alcohol more then.

April

Saturday 22nd of May 2021

Real Mexican vanilla tastes infinitely better than any other vanilla I've tried. The others aren't worth the money, IMO.

I buy on Amazon.

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