When it comes to snacking, there’s so much on offer it’s hard to pick something that actually satisfies.
When I was studying, the mid-afternoon break could not come soon enough. However, with dinner in sight and a potential gym trip to fit in, it was a challenge to find the perfect snack. Enter power bites. Admittedly they’re not cake, and there is always a time and a place for indulgent afternoon treats, but they are a delicious afternoon snack if you want something nutritious to power you through that late afternoon. Especially if straight up dried fruit and nuts doesn’t do it for you.
The Simplest Snack Recipe
Packed full of flavour, these bites are as tasty as they look, and not to mention they’re pretty fun to make. If, like me, you like to change it up, these are perfect as you can play around with different flavours and textures every time! They also keep really well, so you can make a mix of flavours and stick them in the fridge to snack on over the week. Sometimes I even make them into bars if I’m in a rush and need to grab something filling on the go.
I’ve created a chart below to show how you can mix and match ingredients and flavours and cater your power bites to fit your tastes and moods! Don’t fancy using nuts? If your looking for a lighter, or nut free options, make like my carrot cake wonders and use oats instead!
| 1. Choose your dried fruit… | 2. Chuck in your nuts, seeds and/or oats… | 3. Add your flavours… | 4. Something to hold it all together… | 5. Roll them in… | ||||
| – Dates – Apricots – Raisins – Sultanas – Figs – Sour cherries – Goji berries |
– Oats – Pistachios – Hazelnuts – Walnuts – Brazil nuts – Peanuts – Almonds – Chai seeds – Sunflower seeds – Pumpkin seeds |
– Cinnamon – Nutmeg – Cacao powder – Ginger – Turmeric – Vanilla – Mint – Orange zest – Carrot |
– Honey – Agave Nectar – Banana – Coconut oil |
– Crushed pistachios – Coconut flakes – Freeze dried fruit – A little salt – Sesame seeds – Cacao powder – Banana chips – Goji berries |
How To Use This Chart
I’m constantly asked what are the best ingredients for the mixes, and how to make sure the recipe still works when changes are made and additions are added. It’s really up to your personal taste, so you can’t go too wrong with a bit of trial and error. From my experience, though, here are a few tips:
- Nearly all dried fruit works if you don’t fancy using dates.
- Pistachios are great for adding a bit of colour.
- Hazelnuts with raw cacao powder taste exactly like Nutella!
- I love using Medjool dates since they are naturally very sweet, eliminating the need to add any sugar to your mix (although a little honey tastes delicious).
The mixtures you see in the photos are carrot cake and chocolate pistachio power bites. These recipes are great since the nuts in the mix are packed with heart-healthy fats. The raw cacao powder is also rich in vitamins and minerals and is a real mood booster!
Variation 1: Carrot Cake Power Bites
Ingredients:
| 100g oats 75g chopped nuts 1 carrot 6 Medjool dates 1 tsp vanilla extract |
1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp ground ginger 1 tablespoon agave nectar Shredded coconut (for rolling) |
Method:
- Blend the oats until they reach a rough flour consistency, set aside.
- Blend the carrots and dates, along with the vanilla and spices. If your dates aren’t fresh, soak them for a couple of minutes in boiling water to allow for easier blending.
- Slowly add the oat flour and chopped nuts — choose whatever you like, but I prefer almonds with a few walnuts! If the nuts aren’t chopped, chuck them in after you have blended the oats and pulse them a few times.
- Chill the dough for about 20 minutes in the fridge before rolling in the coconut flakes.
- Place back into the fridge to chill for another hour or so before tucking in or packing into your lunch box!
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Variation 2: Chocolate Pistachio Power Bites
Ingredients:
| 8 Medjool dates 125 of chopped nuts 1 tbsp. coconut oil |
2 tbsp. cacao powder 1 tbsp. agave nectar Handful of chopped pistachios for rolling |
Method:
- Blend the dates and nuts (I recommend hazeulnuts) together in a blender, remembering to soak your dates in boiling water beforehand if they aren’t fresh and juicy.
- Add the coconut oil, cacao powder and agave nectar.
- When the ingredients are fully incorporated, remove the dough from the blender and chill in the fridge for around 20 minutes before shaping into bites and rolling in the chopped pistachios.
- Chill for an hour in the fridge before tucking in.
Over To You
These are just two of my favourite variations, but the possibilities are endless! Mix, match and experiment with different combinations to find your favourite rendition of the power ball, and then share them with us in the comments below!
