Nut Butter Protein Date Bites

Gluten-free, dairy-free (can be made vegan)  

One of the biggest things I struggle with is snacking. I don’t over snack, but the opposite. I can never find what I want to eat so I just don’t eat or I eat something that doesn’t exactly give me the satiety I need (hello potato chips and Pea crisps). 

And can we talk about how nasty some protein or nutrition bars are? They taste like a chocolate flavored chalk and don’t really leave me feeling full. I wanted something that had the protein, some fiber, but also tasted oh so good that I would feel good eating them. Say hello to date bites. 

First, these things are so easy to make it is amazing. All you need is a food processor or high powered blender. 

Second, you can add your favorite protein powder to this recipe for an added boost. For me, I added Vital Proteins collagen peptides for the protein and added collagen (I put these in my coffee every morning so this is just another way for me to eat them). 

Third, there is a whole lot of nut butter in here. I used unsweetened almond butter because I love LOVE almond butter, but cashew butter would be heavenly and if you used peanut butter (unsweetened) and you will end up with a healthy peanut butter cup basically. The possibilities are endless really so pick your favorite nut butter. 

Lastly, the sweetener. Since I used dates, which are inherently sweet, I used Lakanato Monkfruit Maple Syrup. Monkfruit is a zero calorie, keto-safe sweetener that I discovered while testing keto recipes. I found that using it on its own, I could taste the very floral aftertaste of the sweetener. However the Monkfruit maple syrup has no aftertaste and works as a 1 to 1 substitute for maple syrup. I used it in this recipe to lower the sugar count, but if you don’t have it, then maple syrup is great. 

These are perfectly kept in the fridge for the week (you will eat them all in that time, trust me). 

Recipe

2 cups gluten-free rolled oats

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup chopped medjool dates

1 cup almond butter

1/2 cup maple syrup (or Lakanato Maple Monkfruit Syrup, which I use a lot)

1 tbsp collagen peptides

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt 

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder 

Optional add-in’s:

1/3 cup of chocolate chips, your favorite nuts, dried fruit, 

Welcome to the easiest tasty treat that will be done in 5 minutes. 

In the bowl of a food processor, pour in the oats. Process on high for 2 minutes until they resemble a coarse flour. 

Add in the dates, almond butter, maple syrup, collagen peptides, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse for 1 minute and then process on high for another minute until the mixture resembles a dough (it is ok if there are still some chunks of dates). If you are adding mix-in’s, add them now and pulse again for 2 minutes. If the dough looks dry, add more nut butter. If it is too wet, add some more oats. 

Scoop into 1 tablespoon mounds, roll into a ball in your hands. Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Once you have rolled all the balls, combine the almond flour and additional cocoa powder in a small, shallow bowl. Coat each ball in the almond-cocoa mixture. 

Freeze the coated balls for 1 hour. Store in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to a month (they will not last that long by the way; you will eat them all way before that)

Eat them straight from the freezer or dip them in more almond butter. There is no wrong way to eat these.