It’s unofficially peanut butter week here on the blog. I haven’t hidden my love for peanut butter from you, but to do two recipes in a row that feature peanut butter as a primary ingredient isn’t my usual M.O. But both recipes are delicious. These homemade Ritz peanut butter crackers will take you back to your childhood (or at least back to mine), so I hope you’ll understand! and this super easy vegan peanut butter balls will have you happily snacking and fulfilled in no time!
Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Balls
These easy peanut butter balls are a friend’s recipe. She told me about them months ago, but I hadn’t made them yet. We made a date last Friday to make them and had such a good time. Her recipe is the basic version rolled in pecans, but you know I just had to play around with it.
The chocolate chip and coconut seemed like a no-brainer. And the pb+j version was a bit more innovative. I used dried fruit pieces as the jelly flavor in these tasty treats.
Peanut butter protein balls
T and I had friends in town this weekend, so we had a civilian food panel. Basically everyone loved them! T and our friends chose the chocolate chip coconut as their favorite, but my friend who baked these with me and I both choose the peanut butter and jelly as our favorite. You basically can’t go wrong with any one of them.
How to Make Homemade Protein Bites
Besides baking the oats, which I did the night before, these healthy treats are a no-bake option. You just mix the ingredients together, form them into balls, and keep them in the freezer, grabbing one or two as needed! They come together so quickly and are a great recipe for kids! Kid-friendly baking isn’t a norm around here, so that’s pretty exciting!
7 INGREDIENT PEANUT BUTTER BALLS | PROTEIN BITES
If there's one thing I can't live without in my diet, it's peanut butter. A friend introduced me to the peanut butter balls and because of my love, I've never looked back. Here are three delectable ways to enjoy this healthy, cold treat!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Oats
- 1 ¾ Cup all natural peanut butter
- ½ Cup honey/agave/maple syrup
- 2 bananas mashed
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅔ Cup pecans chopped
Peanut Butter + Jelly
- ¾ Cup dried fruit chopped (I prefer strawberry or raspberry)
- omit pecans
Coconut + Mini Chocolate Chip
- 6 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 2 Cups shredded sweetened coconut
- omit pecans
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Spread oats on a large baking sheet. Bake ten minutes. Can be done ahead of time.
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Combine all ingredients except pecans in bowl. Mix thoroughly. Roll into balls (roughly two tablespoons each). Roll in chopped pecans.
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Freeze for at least twenty minutes before enjoying.
Peanut Butter + Jelly
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Follow recipe as above, but mix in chopped dried fruit. Roll into balls and freeze for at least twenty minutes.
Coconut + Mini Chocolate Chip
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Follow recipe as above, but mix in mini chocolate chips. Roll into balls. Roll each ball in shredded coconut. Freeze for at least twenty minutes.
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To make all three flavors at once. Combine ingredients in Basic Recipe (except pecans). Divide dough in thirds, mix in or roll balls in ⅓ of called for amounts of remaining ingredients.
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Peanut Butter Balls must be stored in an airtight container in freezer!
Recipe Notes
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Ohhh, I am obsessed with peanut butter, so I have a feeling I'm going to love this week. These look so healthy and yummy!
This post got so excited, not only because I love pb and because of our post Thursday, but also because pb balls are one of my favorite snacks. I've always used raw oats and never added banana before so I definitely want to try making them your way next time!
Yum! All three varieties look super delicious and I love how versatile the basic recipe is.
Oh good! I am too and I can't imagine life without it. I think you'll LOVE Thursday's post!!!! It's been so hard not to preview it!
Yay and yes! The banana helps with moisture and keeping it from being too crumbly. The natural peanut butter makes is less sticky too than using a skippy or jif, so we had to play around a little!
The versatility is key and given how identical the recipes are, it's amazing how different they each taste with the small alterations!!
Thanks!
They're perfect for an after school snack! You can make mix in/make whatever flavors would work – they're really kid and adult friendly which is great!
These look amazing, love how you can totally change them up. Great pics too Luci!
Thanks, Matt! I have a feeling these will be a big hit in the Real Food by Dad household!
What are the oats? Quick cooking?
I used old fashioned oats, but quick cooking should be fine!