If you’ve ever looked for a way to justify eating an Almond Joy, this might be the recipe for you. These coconut chocolate almond energy bites bring together all the flavors of the candy in a protein-packed, healthy snack that will keep you accountable to your fitness resolutions (if those are still a thing…) This recipe was ever so slightly adapted from Liz’s No-Bake Almond Joy Energy Bites shared over at The Lemon Bowl. I just swapped the honey for agave (we ran out of honey…) and added a few spices to jazz ’em up a little. There’s something about chili powder and cinnamon that really melds well with chocolate and brings out its flavor. Sign me up, every time.
This is, I think, my very first no-bake recipe! Milestone! Yay! Haha… I’m almost always turning the oven on for something, so this was a nice change. Scooping and shaping each little bite was rather therapeutic, too. Because agave is thinner than honey, you do have to chill these in the fridge so they set properly. Just 15 minutes will do it. If you’re lucky, there will still be some in the fridge after the 15 minutes has passed… I happened to make these on a day when Anthony was home with me and, well, let’s just say nothing seems to survive as long when that happens. 🙂
These are great for on-the-run snacks and easy enough to make at the beginning of the week to take to work or keep on hand as you run around during the days. Much better than snagging a real candy bar in those desperate, hungry moments! The sweet and salty, chocolately combo hits the spot for any sudden snack craving every time.
- 1½ cups oats
- 1 cup almonds
- ½ cup whey protein powder
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon iodized sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅓ cup agave
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small dry skillet, toast the almonds over medium-low heat until aromatic.
- Add oats, toasted almonds, whey protein, cocoa powder, sea salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chili powder to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until everything is blended together and the texture resembles wet sand.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the agave and coconut oil (melted and cooled). Add the oat-almond mixture to the bowl and stir everything together until fully coated with the agave-coconut oil mixture.
- Stir in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure equal-size bites and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the bites are set. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.