Chocobanana Nut Butter Energy Balls
You know those “energy bars” that are supposed to be good for you? Most of them are sugar bombs. I’m looking at the ingredients in one of the most popular brands and of the twenty ingredients listed, several of them are sugar: cane sugar, honey, tapioca syrup, brown rice syrup — whatever you want to call it, it’s still sugar. No wonder we’re addicted, it’s in everything — even “health foods.”
Here’s a thought: make your own energy bar. Sueño de Vida has come up with an easy recipe using our cacao with half the ingredients, a fraction of the sugar, and a serious dose of nutrition combined with the goodness of homemade food. High in fiber, protein, healthy fats and minerals, these scrumptious snacks give your body sustained energy while giving your mind the satisfaction of knowing exactly what’s in them.
No plastic wrapper to leave you wondering, “is this recyclable?” either.
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour (for gluten-free varieties, use 3/4 cup)
2 very ripe bananas
2 Tbsp flax and/or chia seeds
6 fl oz water
1/2 cup cacao
1/2 cup nut butter of your choice. Almond and sunflower seed are great alternatives to peanut butter.
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or almond pieces. Hemp seeds work well here too.
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
dash of spices of your choice - cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom are all great options
Directions
An hour or so before (or the night before) you make these, hydrate the flax and/or chia seeds with water and let them stand - this will create a gooey moist water+seed mixture.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add hydrated seed mixture, nut butter, crushed cacao beans, salt & spices. Mix together until combined.
Add baking powder, combine.
Add oats and flour in thirds - combining entirely before adding next portion of flour & oats.
Drop tablespoons of batter onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F for approximately 15 minutes
Kristen Krash is the co-founder and director of Sueño de Vida, a regenerative cacao farm and reforestation mission in Ecuador. Sueño de Vida works to educate and inspire everyday people about permaculture, sustainable living, environmental activism and healthy living all in the name of living more in harmony with nature to create a better world for us all.
You can support the Sueño de Vida mission today by purchasing our cacao or contributing to direct reforestation.
Thank you.
Want your favorite cacao recipe featured on Sueño de Vida’s site?
Submit yours for consideration today to livewell@sdvforest.com.