Oatmeal Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites

Note: This post was originally published on my old lifestyle blog, monicadutia.com.

One of my favorite all-time recipe posts for this blog is this one for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bites–they're the perfect "healthy" sweet treat and are so easy to make with pretty simple ingredients. There are so many variations on these energy bites and I wanted to try something different now that we've added almond butter to our grocery list. While we'll definitely keep buying and enjoying regular peanut butter, it's nice to have a more nutritious option (even though I hated how almond butter tasted in a PBJ...never again!)

Just like the last batch, these are great as an afternoon snack, pre- or post-workout, or when you want something sweet but are trying to lay off the more processed varieties. If almond butter isn't your thing, you could certainly use regular PB instead...same goes for the chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and dried cranberries! It's easy to omit something and add more of another thing based on your preference. And if you've made something like this before, I'd love to know how you did it–I plan to make these more regularly in an effort to swerve past our office building reception's candy bowl each morning :)

Chocolate Cranberry Energy Bites

Makes 16 energy bites

• 1 cup oats

• 1/2 cup almond butter ((+ maybe an extra tablespoon if you need it))

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 cup cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup coconut flakes

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together all ingredients until well-combined (you may need to use your hands). If it’s not binding well, add an extra tablespoon of almond butter.

2. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture, roll into a ball, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat until you run out and refrigerate the balls for at least 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container for up to a week–I like to pre-portion them out into twos for the week!