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CRANBERRY PISTACHIO OATMEAL ENERGY BITES

head on view of freshly rolled oatmeal energy bites with pistachios and cranberries on a plate.
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These chunky and delicious no-bake energy bites with oatmeal, pistachios, cranberries, and chocolate chips are full of flavor and wholesome nutrition!

Ingredients

Scale

Date Paste

  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted and chopped (about 11 – 12 dates)
  • 1/4 cup water (or pure maple syrup)
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds, hemp hearts or flaxseed meal
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (or cinnamon), optional
  • pinch of mineral salt

Fold-Ins

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup unsalted pistachios (lightly salted ok too)
  • 1 cup cranberries (dried or fresh chopped)
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, cacao nibs, or a dark chocolate bar chopped into small pieces

Instructions

Paste: Place dates, water (or maple syrup), seeds of choice, optional spice and salt into the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender. Process until it becomes a paste like consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed to push the ingredients down.

Mix: In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the oats, pistachios, cranberries and chocolate chips, add in the date paste and mix well.

Roll: Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop up rounded tablespoons and roll into bite size balls. This mixture is somewhat loose and will need to be packed well into ball shapes. It helps to rinse your hands after every few balls, leaving a little moisture on your hands, to remove any excess date paste (otherwise it gets to be messy and the balls don’t roll as well).

Makes about 16 – 18

Store: Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week. For longer storage, keep in the freezer for up to 2 – 3 months. Let thaw before eating.

Notes

If you can, try using fresh chopped cranberries in place of dried. They a little tartness and pair well with the sweetness of some of the other ingredients without adding refined sugars that are usually in dried cranberries. You can find organic dried cranberries that use pure cane sugar or applesauce to sweeten the berries. Fresh is always best so give it a try sometime, you may be surprised how good they are in this recipe.

Find it online: https://simple-veganista.com/cranberry-pistachio-oatmeal-bites/