CACAO COCONUT ENERGY BALLS (PALEO)
Last year when I did Whole30, I made collagen energy balls that tasted like cookie dough! Then, I made some in carrot cake flavor (my favorite cake of all time). Now, enter my cacao coconut energy balls, made with whole30-approved ingredients and 100% paleo, grain-free, and dairy-free! If you’re not a fan of coconut, you can totally leave it out… but I absolutely LOVE cacao and coconut together. These energy balls are naturally sweetened with dates, no added sugar or sweeteners.
Did you know? Dates are a great source of vital minerals such as potassium, magnesium, copper, and manganese. Eating dates daily has been studied to prevent late-term pregnancy and induction, as well as ease labor! (source)
I used unflavored collagen protein as a healthy source of protein in these cacao coconut energy balls. If you don’t have collagen protein, you can substitute half a cup of coconut flour instead, or use a protein powder of choice. Depending on the type of protein powder used, you may need to add some liquid (water or nondairy milk) to get a thick, doughy consistency.
The base of this recipe is no sugar added almond butter and deglet noor dates. Medjool dates will work too, they’re just bigger. Feel free to use cashew butter or sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter too.
I used 100% organic unsweetened cacao to add rich chocolate flavor without any added sugar. For extract richness and coconut flavor, I added both pure vanilla extract and coconut extract (both are optional). A little sea salt makes these even more crave-worthy!
Here’s the printable recipe for these Paleo Cacao Coconut Energy Balls – I hope you’ll rate and comment below if you try it 😉
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Cacao Coconut Energy Balls (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 250 g 1 cup almond butter*
- 150 g 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract optional
- 1/4 tsp. coconut extract optional
- 100 g collagen peptides*
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut optional
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt optional
*See blog post above for substitutions.
Instructions
- Add dates, almond butter, and extracts (optional) to a blender. Blend, scraping down the sides intermittently, until you have a thick paste.
- Add remaining dry ingredients and blend again, scraping down the sides intermittently, until you have a thick dough that sticks to itself. If your ingredients are completely blended but the mixture seems crumbly, add a couple tablespoons of water or non-dairy milk.
- By tablespoon, measure out dough and roll into 20 balls, placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet or flat plate. If desired, roll in additional shredded coconut.
- Place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes for a firmer texture, or enjoy right away for a more gooey texture!
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container up to one week, or in the freezer up to one month.
Notes
Also in Blog
CHOCOLATE PEANUT PROTEIN CANDY BARS (VEGAN)
PUMPKIN CHIP PROTEIN BREAD (GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE)
This Pumpkin Chip Protein Bread has a rich, tender texture full of pumpkin spice and chocolate chips (no dry protein bread here). The kids and I can't get enough! Best of all, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and easily made egg-free and vegan.
