Time for a new energy bites recipe!
You all know how much I love a good salty and sweet combo. So I’m excited to introduce to you my new version — Trail Mix Energy Bites!
I was actually spring cleaning-out my pantry when the idea occurred to me to use up some leftover nuts, pretzels and dried fruit to make some trail mix. But at the last minute, I decided to mix them with some natural peanut butter, puffed brown rice cereal (or you could use oats), wheat germ, a pinch of chia seeds, and behold — these trail mix energy bites were born!
It’s a good thing that they are shaped into portion-controlled little bites, because I’m pretty sure I could have eaten the whole bowl. These turned out SO tasty!!! I especially loved having the salty crunch of the pretzels in there too. And even after a week in the fridge, my pretzels didn’t get soggy at all. It’s like they were meant for these bites. ;)
As with any of these energy bite recipes, the options for substitutions here are endless. Energy bites are a great way to use up any ingredients you might have on hand. You can sub in any nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, etc.), any nut butter (PB, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.), any dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, apricots, cherries, etc.), or chocolate (dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, cacao nibs, or sans chocolate, etc.) that sounds good. And if you don’t want to shape the mix into little balls, you can also just press it into the bottom of a baking dish and then cut them into bars.
However you make them, have fun and don’t be afraid to get creative! Enjoy!!
Trail Mix Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain crispy puffed rice cereal or old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup peanuts or almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped pretzels
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. (This step is important — it makes the mixture easier to shape.)
- Remove and shape into small 1-inch balls, or press into the bottom of a parchment-lined baking pan to make granola bars.
- Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
- **It is not essential that these be refrigerated, but it helps the balls to keep their shape.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
These look so tasty :) my husband would go crazy for these!
These look so good! And so simple, too. Thanks for sharing! x
I Love these but am having trouble making them stick together in balls. Any suggestions??
Lynn, I had the same problem. I couldn’t make them stick together in balls so I pressed the mixture into a baking pan so I could make bars. It still didn’t stick together. I was really disappointed because the mixture has very good flavor. I’d love some pointers so I could try this again.
You make these little balls look SO good. Nobody can make them look as appetizing as you can. Really!
They look awesome. :)
My family would be all over these! Delicious! Happy weekend, friend!
How in the world does the peanut butter not get everywhere when you eat them?
One word…. Awesome! My kids would love these.
These look awesome, Ali! I absolutely love how portable they are for snacks on-the-go. Yum!
These could be my favorite bite yet… love the trail mix!
This look amazing! Perfect little balls of pick me up!