Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites

Made with just 8 ingredients, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites are a kid-friendly healthy snack that requires just one bowl and zero baking!

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Welcome to my secret snack weapon! These chocolatey peanut butter snack bites are super addictive, but with 8 wholesome ingredients you won’t feel any guilt eating a few of these tasty treats. I used to make a version of this recipe on the regular for quite a few years. I would bring them into the studio when I was a printmaker and my co-workers would swoop in and “try a few” every time I brought in a batch. They rarely lasted very long at home either. I wanted to make them again and decided to go poking around the internet to jog my memory on ingredients and was inspired by the simple approach to these Oatmeal Cookie Energy Bites by Epicurious. I swapped out a few ingredients to closer resemble to my original version, but kept it ultra simple and healthy.

These snack bites go by many names – energy bites, protein balls, bliss balls – they’re all one and the same. Like a healthier cousin to the chocolate truffle (distant cousin?). It’s the perfect kid-friendly snack for after school or a mid-day energy booster to keep you going (they’re also great before a workout!). They’re quick to make and require one bowl and NO baking (or cooking, chopping, peeling…). Plus, they’re healthy!

Super tasty, kid-friendly, energy-boosting, healthy, and I don’t have to bake or cook anything? Sign me up!

Why You’ll Love These Snack Bites

No Baking Required – Not a single oven or stovetop was used in the making of these chocolate peanut butter bites. A refrigerator or freezer will come in handy though!

Kid-Friendly – After school snack ideas are a must, but even in the summer kids need a quick snack on the go! These snack bites will feel like an indulgent treat. Shh, don’t tell them they’re healthy!

8 Ingredients – Yes, please, and thank you. And if you don’t have certain ingredients, there’s options below to do some swapping.

Healthy & Energy-Boosting – Finding a quick and healthy snack is a never-ending job. Thankfully this recipe includes healthy fats, protein, natural sugars, complex carbs (and fiber!), and omega 3’s. No junky sugars or highly processed ingredients here.

What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

• Old-fashioned oats – Oats provide structure to the snack bites and also gives it a nice crunchy texture. Rolled oats, steel-cut, or Irish oats are all good choices. No need to prep them in any way, just measure straight out from the container.
• Shredded coconut – Strips of coconut pair really nicely with the chocolate and vanilla extract. I love the hint of coconut in these, it’s not too much and the texture feels a little more complex and interesting.
• Creamy peanut butter – Peanut butter acts as the binder that holds the whole operation together. Creamy peanut butter works best in this recipe, but if you are looking to substitute out the shredded coconut you might be ok using crunchy peanut butter, but I haven’t tested it. If you do let me know in the comments!
• Flaxseed meal – Like the peanut butter, flaxseed meal helps with the binding of the ingredients. It’s sort of like the Robin in Batman and Robin. The peanut butter could fly solo but it works best as a duo with the flaxseed meal. It also provides lots of nutritional benefits so it’s best to sneak it in wherever you can.
• Vegan chocolate chips – I use Enjoy Life or Nature’s Promise brands but any dairy-free chocolate chip will work, the smaller the better.
• Maple syrup – This is usually my natural sweetener of choice. It delivers on the sweetness without tasting like a pancake. If you’re partial to stevia you could use that instead but I haven’t tested this recipe with it.
• Chia seeds – Another wholesome ingredient that packs a nutritional punch and worth sneaking in wherever you can. If you need to substitute, hemp seeds are also a great option.
• Vanilla Extract – Perfect way to enhance the flavor of the chocolate chips! Also pairs great with the shredded coconut.

How To Make The Snack Bites

This recipe comes together pretty quick. I recommend chilling the batter before attempting to roll it into balls because it’ll stick better, but if your ingredients are well combined and things are sticking together just fine, you could skip that step.

1. Combine ingredients: This is basically a dump and stir situation. Grab a large bowl, add all the ingredients, and stir until thoroughly combined.
2. Chill the batter: To help the batter stick together more easily when rolling, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until the mixture is completely chilled.
3. Make the balls: Now for the fun part, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place onto a serving dish or storage container. You can serve it right away or pop them back in the fridge to store.

Tips for Making This Recipe

Reduce chill time: To speed up the chilling time, you can spread the mixture on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or so until the mixture is completely chilled.

Add a little peanut butter to the batter if you need a bit more binding material to hold the balls together.

Add spices: This recipe will taste great on its own, but if you want a slight variation you can add a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin spice to the batter before forming the energy bites.

Frequently Asked Questions

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