Tuesday, July 3, 2012

No bake "Energy Bites"



No-Bake Energy Bites Recipe
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
  • 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Method:
Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like.  (Mine were about 1″ in diameter.)  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Makes about 20-25 balls.
Ali’s Tip:
Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients!  Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter.  And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed.  I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.
Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:
  • chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
  • dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
  • chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
  • other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
  • other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients.  The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible.  If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats).  If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter.  It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better.  And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled.  Enjoy!!
Source: Slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.



Source:  http://gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

4th of July Strawberries!

Happy Independence Day!



 Directions:
1.  Don't wash strawberries, or if you do, wash them a DAY ahead of time and air dry them.

2.  Melt white chocolate candy coating, because it melts fast in the microwave and dries fast on the strawberries.

3.  Dip the strawberries into the candy coating and place on wax paper.

4.  Use REAL white chocolate for the blue coating.  (Otherwise, if you put blue dye in the fake candy coating it clumps up instantly.)  Melt it in the microwave, add blue food coloring, and re-dip the strawberries.

5.  Dry on the wax paper again.

6.  Enjoy!