Home made energy bites or bars are so much more healthier than the store bought ones. You can control what goes in and play around with toppings and its easy on the wallet too. You’d be surprised how many Lara bars you can make at home for less than $10. These coconut cream pie bites is a Lara bar inspired recipe. The nicest thing about these bites are that you can use any kind of nuts and if you want to make it nut free, use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds and they would still be delicious. A money saving tip on buying nuts, hit the bulk bin section at your local grocery store, sometimes even the organic ones are cheaper than you’d imagine. I coated some of these bites with unsweetened cocoa powder, some in toasted coconut flakes and the coconut flakes got a double thumbs up from everyone who ate them. They make a great mid morning snack or in my case even dessert.
Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cashews or pecans or any nut of your choice ( I used toasted pecans)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
Method
1. Soak cashews and dates in warm water for at least one hour if you don’t have a powerful blender.
2. Blend all the ingredients until the mixture is well blended and begins to stick together.
3. Transfer the mixture on to a cutting board and use your hands to form a big ball.
3. Using 1 tablespoon measurement, scoop the mixture and roll them into balls. Alternatively, you can cut them into rectangles or squares and wrap individual portions in plastic wrap.
4. Coat the balls with unsweetened cocoa or toasted coconut (optional)
5. The balls store well at room temperature for 2 days and in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.