Easy Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Energy Balls Recipe | Healthy & No-Bake
These healthy peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls are easy to prepare and helps boost energy instantly. The no-bake energy balls are moist, soft, delicious and enjoyable. Made with only 4 ingredients, you can enjoy them as a snack or as a pre-or post-workout snack.
AUTHOR : KHUSHALI PATEL
PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes
CHILLING & ROLLING TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
*For the best results, read the entire post & follow the instructions.
Can you believe tomorrow is the first of September already?!
The festive season is just a month away and you may know that for a baker, the festive season is the busiest season of the year with the planning, purchasing of ingredients, storage, preparations and not to mention the endless hours spent baking delicious treats for your friends and families.
At such times, with all the work, it can get extremely exhausting because we spend endless hours on your feet and eat anything that you can get our hands on.
So, this year, I thought of making a special yet healthy treat to help you (and me!) get by this busy season. Because I mean who wants to eat chips out of a packet to fill up our tummies, right? So, this is why I created this fun and healthy peanut butter & chocolate energy balls.
They are easy to prepare, absolutely delicious, moist and stay fresh for really long. And not to mention the delicious flavour combination of peanut butter and chocolate. The best part is that it isn’t too sweet but sweet enough to boost your energy immediately and fill up your tummy for long.
So, let’s make this delicious treat for ourselves.
What are energy balls?
Energy balls can also be called bliss balls or healthy truffles. They are on-the-go sweet treats that are easy to prepare and are healthy. It’s usually consumed when you need an instant boost of energy, as a pre-or post-workout snack or a treat when you are on the road.
The best part about energy balls is that you can make a large batch and easily store it so you always have a delicious treat to eat or offer to a visitor when you just don’t have the time to prepare something sweet.
Why is this the best peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls recipe?
Am I the only one who loves eating healthy sweet treats that not only taste good and provide nourishment but also are so enjoyable to consume?
Well, if you are just like me, this recipe is just what you will enjoy.
Let me tell you why.
Flavour
Peanut Butter and chocolate are known to be one of the best-paired flavours in the dessert world. No wonder, I decided to pair these two heavenly ingredients together to give the most enjoyable healthy treat to you.
Stuffed with peanut butter
These energy balls are stuffed with natural peanut butter to give double the peanut butter flavour. It also helps the energy balls stay moist for longer.
No-bake
This energy balls recipe is easy and quick to prepare. All you need to do is blitz the ingredients in a mixer or food processor till combined and then roll them. You can stuff the energy balls with peanut butter for extra flavour.
4 ingredients
This recipe uses only 4 ingredients that are readily available in stores. Make sure to use trusted ingredients to ensure that you are using the best quality ingredients without any unhealthy additives.
Moist & Smooth Texture
Initially, I used cocoa powder for these energy balls but found them to be dry and a little bitter. But after switching the cocoa powder with melted dark chocolate, the energy balls not only became moist, but the flavour was irreplaceable.
Key ingredients in these peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls recipe
Dates
These peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls are sweetened with moist and soft dates giving them a lovely earthy sweet flavour. The dates also help to bind the dough so it’s easier to roll. To make them have a minimum amount of sweetness, I used lesser dates than usual which helped to achieve the right amount of sweetness and moist texture.
Natural Peanut Butter
To make these healthy energy balls use natural high-quality peanut butter. By natural I mean, peanut butter that is made with only peanuts, but with no oil or sugar. You can find the right kind of peanut butter by checking the ingredient list on the label. Always check the label! Natural peanut butter also releases oil when stored as the peanut separates from the oil naturally present in nuts.
Dark Chocolate
There are a variety of chocolates found in the market with different percentages of cocoa. But always use pure chocolate while baking. Read more about this here. For this recipe, use dark chocolate with 50% or more cocoa content. But always remember the high percentage of cocoa the bitter it will be. So, I recommend using 50%-55% dark chocolate.
Oat Flour
Oat flour helps to provide structure to the energy balls. You can use store-bought oat flour or simply blitz whole rolled oats at home to make oat flour.
Vanilla
Vanilla not only provides flavour but also boosts the flavours of peanut butter and chocolate. For this recipe use good-quality pure vanilla extract.
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What makes these peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls recipe healthy?
Natural Peanut Butter
Natural peanut butter is a great protein source which makes it the first choice for many individuals. It also provides vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. It also helps in weight loss. I have found that peanut butter also helps me feel full faster and for longer so there is less chance of over-eating.
Dates
Dates are a natural sugar substitute that is full of healthy nutrients. It is high in fibre which makes it great for digestion. They are also high in disease-fighting antioxidants. It protects and promotes health for various organs of the body making it the perfect sweetener for these healthy peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls.
Oat Flour
Whole Rolled Oats that are ground to make oats flour are incredibly nutritious for healthy bodily functions. They aid in digestion as they are high in fibre. Oats also help to control blood sugar and increase immunity. It helps in weight loss as it makes you fuller faster.
Dark Chocolate
Good quality pure dark chocolate is extremely good for health when eaten in moderation. It is high in antioxidants, improves blood pressure levels, is great for heart health and improves brain function. Not only this, but it also improves our mood and relieves stress. To help you consume it in moderation, I used less amount of melted chocolate in these energy balls but enough to give a nice flavour to them.
05 tips to make the best peanut butter stuffed chocolate energy balls
Add in the peanut butter in batches
The last thing you want is to have a sticky and extra moist dough that does not roll. To avoid this, add the peanut butter in batches till the dough comes together completely. What I love doing is, rolling a bit of dough while preparing. If it rolls into a smooth energy ball then it is good to go.
Use good-quality ingredients
As I mentioned above, always use good-quality ingredients while making energy balls. If not, it will not serve the purpose of being a nourishing and healthy sweet treat.
Pipe the peanut butter while stuffing and then chill
For stuffing the energy balls to prevent leakage, I prefer using a piping bag. While rolling make a well in the dough and pipe the peanut butter in. Then pinch the dough together to seal. I like chilling the rolled energy balls for 15 mins before consuming them.
Stir the peanut butter well before using
As I mentioned above, natural peanut butter always splits when stored. So before using, stir the peanut butter till the oil blends in again, to avoid a sticky dough.
Soak the dates in hot water for 10 seconds
Sometimes, dates can be dry which minimizes their binding abilities. For this reason, I soak the dates in hot water for 10 seconds only, after which I squeeze out the water completely to avoid making a sticky dough. If your dates are moist, you can skip this step.
Preparation
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring before each to melt evenly or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
- Weigh the oat flour or whole rolled oats (if using). Blitz if using the whole rolled oats.
- Weigh and mix the salt with the oat flour.
- Weigh your peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl. Stir and set aside.
- In a piping bag, add in the peanut butter filling and set aside.
- Weigh and deseed the dates.
- Soak the dates (if needed) in hot water for 30 seconds. Squeeze out the water before using it.
Healthy Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Energy Balls
Equipment
- 01 Food Processor
- 01 Knife
- 01 Chopping Board
- 01 Spatula
- Bowls
Ingredients
- 150 grams Moist Pitted Dates
- 100-150 grams Natural Peanut Butter, Creamy
- 50 grams Dark Chocolate. Melted
- 75 grams Oat Flour
- 05 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
- 01 gram Salt
- 100 grams Natural Peanut Butter, Filling
- Crushed Peanuts Optional
Instructions
Preparing the ingredients
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring before each increment to melt evenly or over a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
- Weigh the oat flour or whole rolled oats (if using). Blitz if using the whole rolled oats.
- Weigh and mix the salt with the oat flour.
- Weigh your peanut butter and vanilla in a bowl. Stir and set aside.
- In a piping bag, add the peanut butter for the filling and set aside.
- Weigh and deseed the dates.
- Soak the dates in hot water for 30 seconds. Squeeze out the water and transfer into the food processor.
Making the energy balls
- In a food processor, blitz the dates till smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate and blitz till combined.
- Add in the oat flour and salt. Combine completely.
- Little by little add in the peanut butter and combine till it comes together. The dough should be soft, moist and easy to roll into a smooth energy ball without being greasy. The dough will be firm. Avoid adding any more peanut butter or overmixing.
- Chill the dough for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Weigh the dough into 25-gram balls.
- Make a well in the centre and pipe in a little peanut butter using a piping bag. Seal.
- Optional - Roll the energy balls in crushed peanuts to coat.
Notes
- Dates – You can use any type of dates available. For e.g. Medjool dates. If the dates you are using are a bit dry, soak them in hot water for 30 seconds and then squeeze out the water completely. If they are moist and fresh you can skip soaking them.
- Oat Flour – If you don’t have oat flour on hand, blitz whole rolled oats till it resembles an even powder.
- Dark Chocolate – I love using 45-50% pure or couverture dark chocolate. Avoid using chocolate chips or compound chocolate (read more about this here)
- Peanut Butter substitute – In case you are allergic to peanut butter, you can use any other type of natural nut butter, preferably almond butter. Depending on which nut butter you are using, you might need a little lesser than mentioned above. So, add the nut butter a little at a time, till you reach the desired texture.
- Storage – Store the prepared energy balls in an air-tight container. They stay fresh for about 2 weeks.
- Ingredient Substitution & Weighing Guide - Read it here
HI! I'M KHUSHALI
Hi! I'm Khushali Patel, a cookie-loving professional pastry chef, recipe developer and content creator whose aim is to guide you to find more happiness in your baking journey every step of the way.
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