While in 7th and 8th grade, my middle school concert band went to Disneyland for a special spring trip each year. We loaded our suitcases onto three charter buses, plus all of the larger instruments like tubas and timpani onto a trailer, and drove 6+ hours from our Northern California town to the Marriott hotel in Anaheim.
Since we only performed a single concert in the theme park, we spent the rest of our two days running around from ride to ride, from the Matterhorn and Teacups to Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean to Space Mountain and Star Tours… And checked in with our chaperones at the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue in the center of the park every three hours too!
Although we had to pay for our own theme park tickets, Disneyland offered our band an extra $10 food voucher for every student on each day. For most energetic preteens, that barely covered the cost of an entrée and drink… But for the short and small kids like me who required less food and preferred water (which was free!), that amount easily paid for a full meal plus a dessert.
My friends and I almost always chose Pizza Port for our meals, a space-themed restaurant located in the far back corner of Tomorrowland. As a slightly picky eater back then, I opted for a humongous slice of plain cheese pizza (and as the least expensive option, it left me with the most money for my dessert!), and to this day, that pizza is the best I’ve ever had!
As I stood in line to pay for my slice, I very seriously contemplated my dessert choice. Jumbo-sized rice krispie marshmallow treats, decadent fudgy brownies, chocolate drizzled caramel apples…
But whenever I spotted them by the register, I always snagged a snickerdoodle cookie! Perfectly soft and chewy, covered in crispy cinnamon sugar, and at least the size of my hand… I slowly savored every bite of that sweet treat—and it gave me more than enough energy to run around the park for the rest of the afternoon!
Yet as an adult, I now know I probably shouldn’t depend on sugary treats as my energy source… No matter how tempting they are! So instead, I compromised with these Snickerdoodle Energy Bites! They have the same cozy cinnamon flavor as those Disneyland cookies I adored, but they’re made with just 6 healthy ingredients and have 12g+ of protein!
To make this healthy snack, you’ll start with oats and protein powder. This recipe was designed for PlantFusion’s vanilla bean protein powder. It’s a plant-based protein powder with very few ingredients, almost no fat or carbs, and a whopping 21g of protein per serving. Although you can find it in some health-oreinted stores, I buy mine online here, and you’ll use it in many of these energy bites recipes of mine, too!
Note: It’s possibly to substitute other plant-based protein powders, although they may require minor tweaks to the amount of oats or milk. However, do NOT substitute whey-based protein powders. The mixture will be a sticky mess, and it will be impossible to roll out the energy bites into little balls.
You’ll add milk to the mixture to hold the oats and protein powder together, and you’ll sweeten the bites with one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. You just need ½ teaspoon for this entire recipe! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I buy mine online here because it’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
For the classic snickerdoodle flavor, you’ll mix in cinnamon and butter extract. I’m a huge cinnamon-aholic, and I love it almost as much as chocolate! This kind is my current obsession. I find that variety has a better flavor than the traditional brand with red lids I grew up with. (Did you grow up with that kind too?) As for the butter extract, it’s completely optional, but it helps provide that iconic buttery flavor that snickerdoodles are known for!
Time for dessert a healthy snack! 😉 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 snickerdoodle energy bites!
Snickerdoodle Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 3 scoops (90g) PlantFusion vanilla bean protein powder
- ½ cup (50g) instant oats (gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- ½ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
- ½ tsp butter extract (optional, but highly recommended!)
Instructions
- Add the protein powder, oats, and cinnamon to a medium bowl, and stir until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk, stevia, and butter extract. Stir until completely incorporated.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Working with a small amount of the mixture at a time, shape into a ball, and place on the prepared baking sheet. (The mixture doesn’t roll very easily, so I recommend squishing it into a spherical shape instead!) Repeat with the remaining mixture. Transfer the energy bites to an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bites
♡ Brownie Batter Energy Bites
♡ Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
♡ Lemon Poppy Seed Energy Bites
♡ Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bars
♡ Mocha Brownie Protein Bars
♡ Apple Pie Protein Bars
♡ Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Protein Bars
♡ Fudgy Brownie Batter Protein Bars
Amy, these looks so delicious! And your photos are gorgeous! Can I ask you what is the camera and the lens that you used to take these pictures? Thanks a lot
Thanks so much Oli! I have a dedicated Photography Resources Page (here … located underneath my “About” menu, then “FAQ”) where I share the exact photography equipment that I use. I highly recommend my camera, lens, and macro filters — they’re three of the best investments I’ve ever made! 🙂 If you have further questions not answered on my FAQ Page, I’d be happy to answer them as well.
Thanks a lot, Amy!
My pleasure, Oli!! 🙂
Aw, I loved imagining little Amy in Disneyland enjoying a snickerdoodle cookie! Now I am glad I got to enjoy a delicious coffee with you in Downtown Disney! These protein cookies look so good, and you’ve used two ingredients that I’ve never used – butter extract and vanilla cream stevia!
Me too — I’m SO happy that we got to meet Andrenna! (And that the Starbucks didn’t have snickerdoodles so I wouldn’t embarrass myself… 😉 ) I highly, HIGHLY recommend the vanilla creme stevia! It’s one of my all-time favorite ingredients! 🙂
These look amazing!
Those Disney deserts sounds amazing but these look even better! x
Izzy |http://pinchofdelight.com
Thank you so much Izzy — that means a lot to me! 🙂
I made these today and they are wonderful ! I used the Vanilla cream stevia and butter extract ! Delicious ! I put some in the freezer . I often make protein balls similar to these and love them frozen ! I am sure these will be just as good ! Thank you for your wonderful website, Face Book page and blogs !
I’m so glad you loved these energy bites Julie! It means a lot to me that you’re enjoying my website and Facebook page — thank you! 🙂 I’ve actually never tried freezing my energy bites, but I love the sound of it. I’ll have to try that the next time I make some!
I made the snickerdoodle bites and ended up throwing them away. Guess I must have done something wrong. Does the liquid stevia cause a nasty aftertaste in some recipes? I used Almond Breeze in place of the non-fat milk. Could that be the problem?
Oh no! That sounds really disappointing Twyla. Did you use the same protein powder that I listed? Different protein powders have different flavors, so I like to double check. Almond milk shouldn’t cause that flavor, but some people do detect a slight aftertaste with the vanilla creme stevia. The best way to determine if the vanilla creme stevia caused that aftertaste is to add about ⅛ teaspoon to ¼ cup of your almond milk. If you detect the aftertaste with that addition, but not with plain almond milk, then it was the vanilla creme stevia. After you do that quick experiment, let me know (as well as whether you used a different protein powder!), and we’ll figure out an alternative so your energy bites turn out perfectly sweet! 🙂
I used exactly the protein powder your recipe called for. The stevia test in the almond milk had the same after taste so I tried it in skim milk. It wasn’t as bad but there was still en after taste.
Thanks for doing that taste test Twyla! Since it sounds like the stevia is what’s causing the flavor issues, I’d recommend trying 3-5 tablespoons of Truvia (another stevia-based sweetener that does NOT have the same flavor — it tastes like regular sugar!) or granulated Splenda (if you aren’t concerned about clean eating). That should make the energy bites taste much better for you! 🙂
Thank you so much. I will try the substitution of Truvia.
You’re welcome Twyla! I’d love to hear whether you like that better! 🙂
I used exactly the protein powder your recipe called for. The stevia test in the almond milk had the same after taste so I tried it in skim milk. It wasn’t as bad but there was still en after taste.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Rumahulin! If the stevia has an aftertaste to you, then I’d recommend either Swerve or Truvia as no-calorie sweeteners for you. You’d need the same amount of either of those as you would granulated sugar. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your grandma’s recipe. I’ve been looking for a recipe with a more hearty texture. I make all of our bread from home ground wheat, but it’s too fluffy and a little boring. I wanted something that was hearty and a chewy, but still light. This fits the bill exactly! I’m making it for the second time this morning and adding more seeds to the dough.
(Your grandma sounds like a wonderful person!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed my recipe Delina! That means a lot to me! 🙂
Hi Amy, is there any way that this recipe can be adjusted for whey protein powder? I know that these will be very sticky but is there any way that this can be changed? I have so much whey protein powder on my hands and it would be great to be able to make protein balls with it!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ella-Rose! I haven’t had good luck modifying this recipe to use whey protein powders. However, I have a few other recipes that do use whey protein powder! You can find those here. Maybe those will be better for you, knowing how much whey protein powder you have! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try any of my protein powder recipes!