It is no secret that I have been having tons of fun with my food processor making energy bars and chocolately treats. I had some leftover dates in the fridge, so I was excited to try out some new RAW recipes. I started off simple making Chocolate Covered Katie’s famous Fudge Babies, but instead of cocoa powder, I subbed in this tasty superfood.
I also used a walnut/cashew mix for the nuts.
Wow, these guys made quite a mess in my kitchen.
But it was totally worth it. I must admit, I wasn’t sure if this dough would come together. I checked it out after a few minutes in the food processor, and it was still really crumbly. I considered adding in some agave, but instead scraped the sides down and turned the processor back on. A few minutes later, I had what I was looking for. A thick, rich, sticky dough.
That I could roll into dessert bites.
You’ll notice that these balls are super shiny. I’m not sure what happened there. It may be because I kept them in the food processor too long.
But not to worry, I don’t think it impacted their taste. I placed the balls immediately in the freezer, and I look forward to snacking on them throughout the week.
Even after this recipe, I had a few dates left. I was feeling adventurous and thinking about the amazing Gingersnap Larabar I had last weekend when I spotted this recipe on Katie’s site. I know that I am not creative enough to make these adorable little gingerbread people, but I can roll a mean energy bite. I decided to throw in a little pumpkin too.
Sadly, things just didn’t blend together like I would have hoped, but with all of the incredible spices, it tasted sooo good. I tried adding a few sticky additions to help pull this into a dough, but no such luck. I couldn’t abandon it completely. Not because I don’t like failure (it happens quite a bit in the kitchen) but because it tasted like the kind of bar you want to be eating. I was about to dig out a pan when I spotted this adorable pumpkin.
With nothing to lose, I threw the mixture into the fridge. Who knows? I could end up with the perfect pumpkin shaped power bar!
No such luck! Just a pile of good tasting mush!
I’ll keep working on this recipe and get back to you! Feel free to link me any other fun energy bite recipes too!
I also wanted to follow up after this morning’s Home Workout. I had so much energy all day and was seriously in the best mood. I think this was a good lesson about how 15 minutes of exercise in the morning is worth getting up a few minutes early. And, my pecs are definitely sore from the burpees and pushups. Hooray! Speaking of hooray, I have just a few hours left of work before Thanksgiving. Can you tell that I am psyched?! Hip, hip hooray!
Fudge Babies
1 c walnuts (120 grams)
1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (220 grams)
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional: 1/8 plus 1/16 tsp salt
3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used 3 T Cacao)
Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor. Be patient and wait for everything to start sticking together. Roll into little balls. (Use plastic wrap if you wish, or smush it all together in a plastic bag so it’ll stay together better.) Or, if you want true brownies, shape the dough into bars! You can also use this as a pie crust.
