Do you wanna know what my eating routine was all last week? (Even if you don’t, I’m still going to tell you.)
Well, it’s pretty basic: eating at the Whole Foods salad bar and shoveling these no bake oatmeal peanut butter cookie energy bites into my mouth at an extremely fast pace.
From last week’s eating adventures, I’ve learned two things: 1) it is astonishing how much you can spend on a salad bar AND 2) I absolutely plan on making these energy bites every single week.
Initially I had planned on making these as granola bars, but as soon as I played with the consistency, they ended up working much better as energy bites. And I have to admit, I’m a HUGE fan. They were the perfect pre-workout fuel and basically an any-time kind of snack. And this girl’s got to have her snacks.
I know my love for peanut butter is out of control. Kind of like my love for Justin Bieber. Uhhhh did I just say that? #belieber
Ingredients in these peanut butter cookie energy bites
These peanut butter oatmeal cookie energy bites only need a few simple ingredients but taste like a giant serving of oatmeal peanut butter cookie dough. YUM. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Medjool dates: I love using dates in my no bake recipes because not only are they an amazing source of fiber and vitamins, but they also help to bind energy bites together. Bonus points for adding natural sweetness, too! You’ll need a little water to work with the dates.
- Maple syrup: we’re adding a little pure maple syrup to give these energy bites sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: a splash of vanilla really brings out that cookie flavor!
- Peanut butter: gotta love a classic peanut butter cookie. Be sure to use a natural, creamy peanut butter to get the right texture. Use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15‘ to get 15% off of my fav nut butter brand, Wild Friends!
- Oats: we’re using rolled oats (gluten free if desired) to get the proper texture and that peanut butter oatmeal cookie taste.
- Mix-ins: I love adding chia seeds for a boost of omega-3s as well as cacao nibs for rich chocolate flavor. You can also use mini chocolate chips if you’d like!
Customize your cookie energy bites
Because these peanut butter cookie energy bites are filled with simple ingredients, they’re also easy to customize! Here’s what I can recommend:
- For the peanut butter: feel free to use any nut butter you’d like. I think the energy bites are best with peanut butter because of the flavor, but any other nut butter should work as long as it’s all natural with no additives (i.e. just nuts + salt). It should be very runny/drippy.
- For the mix-ins: have fun experimenting with different mix-ins! As I mentioned, mini chocolate chips are a great replacement for the cacao nibs, and I think raisins or dried cranberries would be delicious for an oatmeal raisin flavor.
Easy oatmeal peanut butter cookie energy bites in 4 steps
- Stir the dry ingredients. Start by stirring together the oats, chia seeds and cacao nibs.
- Process the dates. Next, add your Medjool dates and water to a food processor and process a few times until the dates start to form a past.
- Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the maple syrup, vanilla and peanut butter to the food processor and process again until well combined and the mixture resembles wet cookie dough.
- Assemble the bites. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, then form into 1 inch balls. Store them in the fridge or freezer and enjoy them whenever the snack cravings hit!
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Storing & freezing tips
- To store: these peanut butter cookie energy bites will last for 5-7 days in the fridge.
- To freeze: feel free to add them to a freezer-safe bag or container and store them for up to 1 month. I actually eat them straight out of the freezer because they’re still chewy and delicious and taste like cold cookie dough that I want to live in. I don’t know?
More no bake snacks you’ll love
Get all of my delicious no bake snack recipes here!
I hope you love these oatmeal peanut butter cookie energy bites! Be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie Energy Bites with Chia + Cacao Nibs
No bake oatmeal peanut butter cookie energy bites that taste just like your favorite cookie! These delicious, easy oatmeal cookie energy bites are packed with fiber and protein thanks to creamy peanut butter, oats and chia seeds. Add cacao nibs for rich chocolate flavor in every bite!
- 6 large Medjool dates, pitted (about 1/2 cup packed pitted dates)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup oats
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs*
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In a large bowl, stir together oats, chia seeds and cacao nibs. Set aside.
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Add dates and water to the bowl of a food processor and process a few times until dates begin to break down a bit and form a paste. Next add in maple syrup, vanilla and peanut butter; process again until it begins to look like a wet cookie dough and ingredients are well combined.
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Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. I like to use my hands because it’s much easier to get everything mixed well. I know it’s a little messy, so my advice is to coat your hands with a small amount of coconut oil so that the dough doesn’t stick.
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Once the ingredients are well combined, form into 1 inch balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Balls will last for 5-7 days or can be frozen for up to a month.
*You can always use mini chocolate chips instead of cacao nibs, just know that the nutrition may be slightly different.
If you prefer a quicker way to make these energy balls: feel free to add the oats, chia seeds and cacao nibs directly to the food processor with the peanut butter mixture (step 2). You won’t get nice big oat pieces, but they’ll be just as tasty.
Nutrition
Servings: 14
Serving size: 1 energy bite
Calories: 149kcal
Fat: 7.7g
Carbohydrates: 17.6g
Fiber: 3.9g
Sugar: 8.6g
Protein: 4.6g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 19th, 2015, and republished on March 30th, 2022.
