Apple Maple Pecan Energy Bites

Apple Maple Pecan Energy Bites are simple to make, and a delicious on-the-go snack or lunchbox item! They taste like a mini pecan pie without the calories or junk. Packed with healthy fats and protein with no refined sugar, feel great about feeding these to your loved ones or chowing down yourself!

Energy bites……Oh how I love you so! Guess what? So do my kids. These little bites of goodness are making their way into our weekly rotation of lunchbox snacks. They also make a quick and easy breakfast for those of you who have a hard time finding something easy to eat in the morning. They also make a fabulous dessert! Did I mention Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Paleo yet? My little Miss Carbivore who loves her sweets, thinks these are a dessert……Shhhh……..We’ll just keep it that way.

So what are inside these balls of yumminess? Dates, dried apples, pecans, hemp seeds, cinnamon, and maple syrup:

As you can tell from the ingredients, they do have plenty of natural sweetness, but I just have to mention again: NO REFINED SUGAR. I’ve tamed down the sweetness a notch by pairing it with the unsaturated fats of both pecans and hemp seeds. The hemp seeds and pecans help to balance out the way your body processes the sweets, and keeps your blood sugar in check. Why hemp seeds? Because I’m kind of obsessed. They remind me a bit of crumbled up pistachios, but they are PACKED with protein! Also delivering some healthy Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s, a tablespoon of these guys should be part of your regular diet. I find it very easy to sprinkle them on salad, and they always make an appearance on my ice cream. You can pretty much find them in every grocery store. I buy them by the pound for only $10 at Costco, and they last for months!

So just how easy are these to make? Throw all the ingredients together in a food processor, pulse until the ingredients are well blended and sticky, then mold into little balls. That’s it!! 5 minutes tops!! This makes me feel better than spending $20 on a batch of fruit bars that taste like cardboard. I mean, these little guys actually taste like pie!! Try them out for your kids and I’m sure they will be loved just as much as they are in my house.

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Apple Maple Pecan Energy Bites

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 20 1 inch balls

Author Amy

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Ingredients

• 1 cup dried apples*
• 1 cup pitted medjool dates about 10 large dates
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp real maple syrup
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients into a large food processor. Pulse until pecans are completely chopped, and batter is sticky and begins to clump together. Scrape along the sides with a rubber spatula, and continue to pulse if needed to ensure mixture is well blended.
2. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls.
3. Place inside a sealed container and store in the refrigerator, or dry dark place.

Recipe Notes

Do not used freeze dried apples, use real dried apples. I find mine at Trader Joe's.