This past Friday, after consulting our town’s fireworks schedule, we hopped in our truck at 8 pm to navigate across town to the big grassy field behind the high school. With last year’s scarring experience of circling for 20 minutes desperately searching for a parking spot in the neighborhoods nearby—and nearly missing the spectacular show—we planned on arriving over an hour early to score a spot for the truck next to a curb close to the park.
We eased into one just over two blocks away (much better than our previous year’s half mile trek!) and slowly strolled towards the high school, along with half of the town. We spread out our oversized polka dot beach towel towards the edge of the field for a quick exit and sank down. I tightly zipped up my worn hoodie; despite reaching a scorching 105° during the day, our crazy weather quickly cooled off in the evening with a nippy breeze.
Although fairly quiet when we first arrived, the park slowly began to fill with families and college kids. The teenagers and twenty-somethings ran around barefoot tossing a football, nearly clobbering a few innocent passersby with a couple of wayward throws. Once convinced our blanket lay outside of their danger zone, we turned our attention to the small toddlers wriggling in the grass on our other side.
With their red, white, and blue outfits and star-spangled sunglasses, those tiny kids melted my heart as they rolled around and waved glow sticks in each other’s faces in their friendly childhood way. They exuberantly dashed around in casual games of chase, tagging each other with their flexible neon wands, and eventually collapsing next to their parents before squirming around like dogs on their backs in the cool grass.
At last the much-anticipated fireworks began, bursting in the sky with their rainbows of gracefully streaking speckles of light and igniting a few car alarms with their deafening booms. Although mesmerizing and incredible, the fireworks memory failed to stick with me as well as those adorable kids, so the next morning, I set out to make a delicious snack that was just as sweet and full of energy as those toddlers.
Rich and tangy, these healthy Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites completely capture those precious personalities with their cute little size and bright fruity flavor. With the chewy texture of oatmeal cookie dough, these fun bites taste almost as decadent as dessert! Although I may have found them a little too chocolaty and irresistible… I refused to share a single one!
This skinny recipe is incredibly simple; you only need 5 ingredients! The most important one (well, other than the chocolate of course!) is the protein powder, which puts the “energy” in these energy bites. I used Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean protein powder. Unlike whey protein powder, this plant-based one carries no funky aftertaste—just pure vanilla flavor with a subtle sweetness. Plus it’s gluten-free, vegan, and clean-eating friendly too! I found my canister at Whole Foods, but you can also find it at other shops and online as well.
(And no, this isn’t a sponsored post… I just really love this protein powder!)
Once hydrated, the dried cherries act as the glue that holds together these energy bites. But because we quickly hydrate the cherries by zapping them in the microwave, we need to cool down the paste before mixing in the chocolate chips. Otherwise those little morsels melt, and it’s not quite as satisfying as biting into a nugget of chocolate!
Just pop the cherry paste into the fridge for 10 minutes to allow the hydrated fruit to cool off. If you remembered to plan ahead (unlike me!) and have enough time to let it rest on the counter, that’s fine too.
Shaping the bites is a slightly messy affair. It’s not quite as bad as my favorite healthy truffles, but you’ll still end up with some of the chocolate mixture stuck to your hands.
Once shaped, store the little round balls in an airtight container. They’re fine on the counter; no need to refrigerate! But it’s slightly dangerous leaving them out… I found it a little too easy to nibble on a few every time I walked through the kitchen!
Bursting with chocolate and tangy fruit flavor, the entire batch of these low-calorie Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites disappeared within 48 hours after I rolled them out. And since my guy hates chocolate, you know I was the only one sneaking them! I even ignored my gourmet dark chocolate stash after dinner one night just to savor a few more of these bites…
Yes, they’re that good!
P.S. Don’t forget to enter my CVS Gold Emblem Abound Giveaway by midnight on June 9! With how many healthy snacks we’re giving away, you don’t want to miss it!
These energy snacks are packed with protein and two types of chocolate. They basically taste like fruity brownie bites! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days—if they last that long!
- Add the cherries and water to a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes before adding the hydrated cherries and 1 tablespoon of leftover water to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Let the mixture cool completely to room temperature. (Place in the refrigerator to speed up the process.)
- Add the oats, protein powder, and cocoa powder to a medium bowl, and stir until thoroughly combined. Mix in the cherry paste until fully incorporated, adding 1 teaspoon of the reserved water at a time as necessary to bind everything together. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Lay a sheet of wax paper on a large plate. Shape the chocolate mixture into 32 balls, placing each on the wax paper after rolling.
I am really enjoying your recipes and nutritional info. Thank you so much. I am making these energy bites today, and the PB mini cheesecakes for my husbands birthday Friday.
I hope you enjoy both recipes Jean! So sweet of you to make your husbands treats for his birthday. Happy early birthday to him! 🙂
Amy — these look and sound fabulous! Love the combination of cherry and chocolate!
Thank you so much Sheila! It’s one of my favorite flavor combinations. 🙂
There is something wonderful about fireworks, hoodies, and chocolate no bake bites. That sounds like such a fun evening!
I am all over this rich and tangy treat. Dried fruits, oats, and chocolate chips are a terrific trio! Props to you for making them without nuts. Pinning!
Thanks for both your sweet comment and pin Mary Frances! Hoodies in the summer are basically my favorite thing, especially paired with shorts. There’s something fun about it being slightly nippy out in the evenings but still warm enough not to wear jeans. Oh how I wish it could be summer all year round!
Yum yum yum! I love how simple these are. Glad you had a fun fourth of July- it’s such a great holiday! I’ve only come to really appreciate it in the past few years. It’s such a fun celebration of summer!
Thanks Andrea! So happy to hear that you love the 4th of July, and your festive red nails were so cute! 🙂
These look delicious but is there any alternative to using protein powder?
I’ve never tried making them without the protein powder, but I’m guessing you could probably substitute more cocoa powder instead. Try adding another 2-3 tablespoons, and increase as necessary until you can shape them into balls. I hope you enjoy them!
How may I make these with 1) unflavored egg white protein powder; 2) grain free; 3) with nuts; 4) with vanilla bean powder?
What am I missing? I would use 65% or higher cacao chips. Do I need to add more cacao powder?
I have no experience with egg white protein powder, so I’m not sure if that substitution will work. The oats are necessary to hold the energy bites together, so I do not recommend omitting them. You could easily add in a small amount of finely chopped nuts nuts and vanilla bean powder without greatly affecting the recipe. I hope you enjoy the energy bites if you try them Robin!
Thanks for your speedy and helpful response!
Could I sub quinoa flakes or cooked quinoa in them.
Or do you supposed the sliced almonds, for example, might hold the ingredients together?
My pleasure Robin! The sliced almonds will not hold the energy bites together. Oats are absorbent and soak up moisture, which is why they hold the bites together so well. Either quinoa product may work, but I can’t guarantee that the bites will stick together as well as with oats.
Ok. One last question! I’m gathering all my ingredients – expecting the unsweetened dried cherries tonight! – so now I’m wondering: can I make these now and freeze them to take with me when I travel to my in laws’ for the holidays?
Yes! You can definitely freeze these. I hope you enjoy the energy bites Robin!
I substituted dried cranberries for the cherries because they were so much cheaper. Very delicious! I will be making these again and again and again…
I’m so glad you enjoyed the energy bites Christina! Thanks for sharing your dried cranberry twist — I love hearing what substitutions work! 🙂