Exactly one month ago, I woke up, groggily reached for my iPhone, and just about fell out of bed. On the lock screen, a notification from Twitter read that I had received a tweet from @gooddaymelissa: Hi I’m a reporter with @GoodDaySac love your blog! Would you be interested in coming on our show?
No longer asleep after that adrenalin rush, I jumped out from under the covers, opened my laptop, and started browsing through the TV show’s website before typing out an excited response.
We exchanged emails, settled on a few recipes, and set the date for Saturday, November 8. Now fast forward to this past Friday, where I spent hours in my kitchen baking, staging ingredients, and whispering lines to potentially say to the camera. As my first real time on TV, I wanted it to go as smoothly as possible!
Bright and early on Saturday, I packed up my car and drove to the TV station’s building. After loading up my boxes onto a cart, I cautiously maneuvered it around the electrical wires on the studio floor to their kitchen set and began arranging treats on the counters.
One of the camera operators handed me a microphone, and just a few moments later (well, really more like 20 minutes… but the time flew by in there!), Cody, one of the anchors, walked over and started to chat with me about my blog and the skinny pumpkin pie smoothie I planned to make. The next thing I knew, the camera was rolling and we were live!
Half an hour later, Melissa, the anchor who originally contacted me, dashed over to film the second segment. She interacted with me as I talked about my peppermint drizzled chocolate fudge brownies, and she even ate an entire one at the end!
Oh my goodness… That was the experience of a lifetime! Melissa, Cody, and the rest of the Good Day Sacramento family were so warm and welcoming. They immediately made me feel at easy and right at home.
And to everyone who watched, whether on TV, streaming live online, or either of those two video clips above… THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart. I truly cherish every comment, like, and tweet that I’ve received from you. Your interest and support means the world to me, and it enables me to continue living this dream and turning my greatest passion into my livelihood. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ♡
After the segments finished and I drove home, the adrenalin wore off, and I really needed a pick-me-up to stay awake the rest of the afternoon! Preferably something with chocolate… So I made these Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN ENERGY BITES
Healthy snacks really don’t get any easier than this. Just one bowl, one fork, and a handful of ingredients you probably already have at home! The only one you may need to purchase is the protein powder. I prefer Plant Fusion Vanilla Bean.
I’m sensitive to the taste of whey, and for those of you like me, there aren’t any funky aftertastes from Plant Fusion’s at all — just pure vanilla flavor. Even better, it’s gluten free and vegan friendly, so these pumpkin energy bites are too!
These snack bites are fairly small. I rolled out 30 balls from the mixture, all less than 1” in diameter. They’re meant to be bite-sized and pop-able, ideal for grabbing whenever your stomach growls or a chocolate craving hits.
If you crave pumpkin chocolate chip cookies all the time during the fall like me, these are the perfect solution for avoiding that sugar rush — and for sneaking in some protein too! They’re lightly sweetened, with a cozy pumpkin and cinnamon taste, and packed with rich chocolate flavor.
So fuel your workouts, satisfy those afternoon snack attacks, and curb your chocolate and pumpkin cravings with these Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy pumpkin energy bites!
Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) old-fashioned oats (gluten free if necessary and measured like this)
- 2 scoops (60g) PlantFusion vanilla bean protein powder (see Notes!)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp Truvia (or adjusted to taste – and see Notes!)
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, protein powder, cinnamon, and Truvia. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Fold in the chocolate chips. Divide the mixture into 30 equal parts, and roll each into a ball.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
♡ Healthy Snickerdoodle Energy Bites
♡ Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites
♡ Healthy Dark Chocolate Blueberry Energy Bites
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy energy bite recipes and healthy pumpkin recipes!
Hi Amy! I made these the other day…. I liked them but did not love them. I think it’s the vanilla protein powder because I put too much in a smoothie one time and it made it taste awful! But my VERY PICKY 4 year old will eat them and my 2 year old loves them! My husband also likes them a lot so I will be making a bunch more today!!! Can I freeze these? Has anyone tried to freeze them? I’d like to make a bunch so I can just grab and go as I thaw them out. Thank you!
It took me a long time to find a vanilla protein powder that I loved, so I can relate Jess! 🙂 Yes, the energy bites freeze really well! Your kids and husband are so lucky to have you — that’s so sweet that you’re making a big batch for them!
I made these tonight. I can’t say I liked them. The 2 tablespoons of cinnamon made my mouth burn. Is that a typo, by chance? Yours look light in color and the amount of cinnamon in mine made them very dark. Maybe I made them wrong.
I’m sorry the energy bites didn’t turn out like you expected Georgia; that must have been disappointing. I’m a really big fan of cinnamon, which is why the recipe includes so much, but it could also be that the protein powder that I used was sweeter than yours. I’ve updated the recipe, and I hope that they turn out more to your liking the next time you try them! 🙂
Crud… I should have read the whole recipe before making these. I used a whey powder and now I have a bowl of mush. Any ideas of what to do with it. I hate to throw away all of these ingredients.
Some readers have reported luck with transferring the mixture to a parchment paper-lined loaf pan and freezing it, but I haven’t personally tried that. I hope you’re able to find plant-based protein powder and try them again Nicole!
Any substitute for the protein powder? I am super sensitive to the aftertaste ( have tried all different forms) thanks for the awesome blog! I just found it and am a bit obsessed 🙂
You’re so sweet Joanna — that means a lot to me! 🙂 Unfortunately, this recipe is pretty dependent on the protein powder. You can try substituting coconut flour, but I can’t guarantee how that will turn out or how much you’d need. If you’re mainly looking for something healthy and pumpkin-y, you can find all of my pumpkin recipes here!
These look wonderful! We have some super early mornings (farm life <3) and these would be perfect for a grab and go breakfast. I think my boys would really love these.
Great recipe!
Thanks Jess! I’d love to hear what you and your boys think of these energy bites if you try them!
Hi there! Mine are coming out super wet, what am I doing wrong? They don’t seem doughy enough to roll into balls at all! Help!!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Pam! What protein powder did you use? Was it the same one that I shared in the Ingredients list?
Hi! I read that you said not to sub whey protein powder. So these won’t work with whey protein?
Thanks!
Kara
That’s correct! Whey protein powder will not work in this recipe. However, you can use whey in these recipes or these recipes instead! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these energy bites — or any of those other protein powder recipes!
Hi Amy! I just made these for my personal training clients for completing a fall workout challenge. I saw the recipe and thought it would be a perfect little treat! I followed the directions and they seem like came out right, but is it normal that they are still a little moist or should they be completely dry to the touch when done? Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Cassie! They’ll still be a bit moist and not completely dry. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed these energy bites!