White Chocolate Cranberry Protein Energy Balls

by Christiane Matey
Easy Recipes, Healthy Recipes

Energy Balls

For those inevitable times when you’re hungry on the go, it’s energy balls to the rescue! Energy balls are an extremely versatile, nutritious and convenient snack for busy days. They’re packed full of healthy fats, fiber and protein to keep you full. Protein in particular prolongs satiety by reducing levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. Protein also increases muscle mass and bone health, boosts metabolism and keeps cravings at bay by stabilizing blood sugar. The plant-based energy from the nut butter in energy balls is a good source of healthy fat. Energy balls are gluten-free and vegan. Best of all, they’re easy to make (no baking required). And did I mention versatile? Depending on your flavor preferences, play around with different nut butters, seeds, natural sweeteners, nuts and dried fruit. All you need is creativity!

INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 24 energy balls.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats
½ cup vanilla protein powder
1 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup white chocolate chips
¼ cup unsweetened dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. The mixture should resemble a somewhat sticky dough. If it seems too wet, add more oats. If it is too dry, add more nut butter.

2) Put the bowl in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours to firm up.

3) Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. As an alternative to rolling the dough, you can press the mixture into a square baking dish to make bars.

4) Enjoy immediately! You can store the leftover energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

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