These raw & vegan chocolate cherry energy bites are made with dates, cacao, dried cherries, and cashews. They taste like the old school dessert but they're super healthy & perfect for quick snacks.
Course Snack
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 15bites
Ingredients
½cupraw cashews
¼cupdried cherriesunsweetened if you can find them
2tablespoonschocolate chips or cacao nibs
10-12large soft medjool dates*1/2 cup packed
1tablespoonraw cacao powder*
1tablespooncoconut oil*
¼teaspoonvanilla powder
⅛teaspoonsaltjust a pinch
Instructions
In the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment in place, chop the cashews, cherries, and chocolate chips into small pieces (if you're using cacao nibs, they don't need to be chopped). Add the dates, cacao, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pulse until the dates have blended and it's starting to stick together. If the dough won't roll into balls, add one or two more dates.
Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place them onto a plate or baking sheet that's been lined with parchment paper. Repeat this until it's all been used. Some pieces of cashew or chocolate might fall out, but you should be able to just stick them right back into the date mixture.
Once all the balls have been formed, put them in the freezer (on the parchment) for 30 minutes. If you want to roll them in extra cacao, now is the time. Store them in a sealed container in the fridge. They will keep for several days, or weeks if you keep them in the freezer.
You can also make small bars out of these (like larabars, which are hugely overpriced and you should just make these instead) by pressing the dough into a parchment-lined container and freezing it for half an hour before cutting in into bars.
Notes
1. If your dates aren't soft enough, soak them in hot water for about half an hour. Drain them well before using. 2. You can use regular cocoa powder instead of raw cacao if it's what you have. The raw stuff is higher in nutrients, though, and you'll have to double the amount if you use cocoa. I've tried them with both, and they both taste good. 3. I put coconut oil in all my energy balls. Healthy fat helps to keep your energy levels up, and it also makes them tastier and easier to roll.