Category Archives: Snacks

Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

Energy Balls
Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

Power balls (sometimes called energy balls, energy bites, or bliss balls) are a super tasty, portable, and convenient on-the-go snack. They are great for the lunch bags and they are the perfect pre- or post-workout snack.

Made with a blend of carefully selected ingredients, these tasty Prune and Pistachio Power Balls provide a great energy boost, particularly during the mid-afternoon slump when energy typically starts to wane for many.

Apart from the usual pantry staples, I bought all of the ingredients for the balls at my local bulk food store.  It’s an ideal store for recipes like this one that call for small amounts of ingredients, such as green tea matcha powder, that some people might not have in their cupboards.

Green Tea Matcha Powder
Green Tea Matcha Powder

It saves money, too, since you only need to buy what the specific recipe calls for and, in some cases, the ingredients might not be ones the home cook would use up if an entire package or bottle had to be purchased.

Energy Balls
Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

These power balls freeze well and are great to have in the freezer for on-the-go snacks.  Check out my posting for Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites for an explanation of the four main sets of ingredients typically found in these types of balls.    In that posting, you will also find my tips for making energy balls.

Energy Balls
Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

[Printable Recipe Follows at end of Posting]

Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

Ingredients:

6 oz dried prunes, coarsely chopped (apx 1 cup chopped)
½ cup quick rolled oats (gluten-free, if required)
1/3 cup sunflower butter
½ cup pistachios, shelled and finely ground (apx. 4 oz unshelled)
1 tbsp ground chia seeds
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp chocolate whey protein powder
1½ tsp green tea matcha powder
pinch fine sea salt
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup puffed quinoa cereal
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut

Additional finely chopped pistachios for rolling balls (optional)

Method:

Pulse prunes in food processor until they become paste-like or clump into a ball. Add the rolled oats, sunflower butter, pistachios, ground chia seeds, cocoa, chocolate whey protein powder, green tea matcha powder, salt, maple syrup coconut oil, and vanilla. Pulse mixture until ingredients are completely blended.

Add the puffed quinoa cereal and coconut and pulse just until combined. If mixture seems too dry, two to three teaspoons of water may be blended into ingredients. Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill.

Roll mixture by hand into bite-sized balls. For frame of reference, each ball should weigh approximately 27 grams. Roll balls in finely chopped pistachio nuts, if desired. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20-25 minutes to firmly set. Store balls, in single layers separated by waxed paper, in airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator or freeze up to three months for longer storage.

Yield: Apx. 18 balls

Did you Know?

You can join the Facebook page for My Island Bistro Kitchen:  https://www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen/

Follow “the Bistro” on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PEIBistro/

See the drool-worthy gallery of mouth-watering food photos from My Island Bistro Kitchen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peibistro/

Follow “the Bistro” on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.ca/peibistro/

(and you can pin any of the Pinterest-ready photos below to your favorite Pinterest boards)

Of course, by subscribing to receive an email notification of new posts and recipes, you can be among the first to know when I publish a new post or recipe. Simply enter your name and email address in the Subscription block over on the right-hand side of my home page.

PIN ME TO PINTEREST!

Energy Balls

 

 

For other energy ball recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:

No-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

Printable Recipe:

Prune and Pistachio Power Balls

Prune and Pistachio Power Balls make a convenient on-the-go portable snack. These little balls of power are also the perfect pre- or post-workout snack.
Course Snack
Keyword energy balls, energy bites, power balls
Servings 18
My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 6 oz dried prunes, coarsely chopped (apx 1 cup chopped)
  • ½ cup quick rolled oats (gluten-free, if required)
  • 1/3 cup sunflower butter
  • ½ cup pistachios, shelled and finely ground (apx. 4 oz unshelled)
  • 1 tbsp ground chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp cocoa
  • 2 tsp chocolate whey protein powder
  • tsp green tea matcha powder
  • pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2/3 cup puffed quinoa cereal
  • ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • Additional finely chopped pistachios for rolling balls (optional)

Instructions

  1. Pulse prunes in food processor until they become paste-like or clump into a ball. Add the rolled oats, sunflower butter, pistachios, ground chia seeds, cocoa, chocolate whey protein powder, green tea matcha powder, salt, maple syrup coconut oil, and vanilla. Pulse mixture until ingredients are completely blended.
  2. Add the puffed quinoa cereal and coconut and pulse just until combined. If mixture seems too dry, two to three teaspoons of water may be blended into ingredients. Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill.
  3. Roll mixture by hand into bite-sized balls. For frame of reference, each ball should weigh approximately 27 grams. Roll balls in finely chopped pistachio nuts, if desired. Place balls on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 20-25 minutes to firmly set. Store balls, in single layers separated by waxed paper, in airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator or freeze up to three months for longer storage.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 18 balls

Sweet Marie Bars Recipe

Plate of Sweet Marie Bars
Sweet Marie Bars

Everybody loves an easy square or bar to make that does not require careful watching as it bakes in the oven and that does not have to be frosted.  Sweet Marie Bars fit nicely in that category.  Taking only a few very basic ingredients, the result is one delectable treat that often finds its way on to sweet trays, particularly at Christmas.

Sweet Marie Bars have made their way into my picnic basket on more than one occasion since they are more like candy, in my opinion, than what we traditionally think of as squares or cookie bars.

This bar recipe has been around for a long time and is known by names other than Sweet Marie Bars.  The core ingredients do not tend to change though the quantities may and, sometimes, the bars are iced with traditional frosting.  I have seen them called Peanut Krispie Bars and a variation called Scotheroos that call for some butterscotch chips. There are probably other names for these bars and their variation(s). Regardless what they are called, they are one delectable treat any time of the year!

Sweet Marie Bars
Sweet Marie Bars

[Printable recipe follows]

Sweet Marie Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups crispy rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
¾ cup salted peanuts

½ cup peanut butter
½ cup golden corn syrup
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp butter

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces or squares
¼ cup peanut butter
2 tsp butter

Method:

Line a 9”x9” square baking pan with tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray (or grease with butter).

Stir the crispy rice cereal and salted peanuts together in a large heat-proof bowl (e.g., glass or stainless steel). Set aside.

In medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over low heat, combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter. Stir until mixture is blended and heated. Do not boil.

Remove saucepan from heat and pour mixture over the cereal and peanut mixture. Stir to mix. Press mixture into prepared baking pan.

For topping, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, a few seconds at a time. When chocolate is about half melted, stir in the peanut butter and butter. Continue to microwave in short bursts of seconds until chocolate is melted. Pour the topping over the square in pan and smooth with a knife or small flat metal spatula. Let cool completely to room temperature before lifting square from pan and cutting it into squares or bars of desired size. Square may cut out better if cooled square has been placed in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: One (1) 9” pan of squares/bars

Sweet Marie Bars

Easy-to-make no-bake bars that combine peanut butter and crispy rice cereal into a base topped with melted chocolate and peanut butter.
Course Snack
Keyword bars, nobake bars, nobake squares, Sweet Marie Bars
My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups crispy rice cereal (e.g., Rice Krispies)
  • ¾ cup salted peanuts
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ½ cup golden corn syrup
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces or squares
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • 2 tsp butter

Instructions

  1. Line a 9”x9” square baking pan with tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray (or grease with butter).
  2. Stir the crispy rice cereal and salted peanuts together in a large heat-proof bowl (e.g., glass or stainless steel). Set aside.
  3. In medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan placed over low heat, combine the peanut butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter. Stir until mixture is blended and heated. Do not boil.
  4. Remove saucepan from heat and pour mixture over the cereal and peanut mixture. Stir to mix. Press mixture into prepared baking pan.
  5. For topping, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, a few seconds at a time. When chocolate is about half melted, stir in the peanut butter and butter. Continue to microwave in short bursts of seconds until chocolate is melted. Pour the topping over the square in pan and smooth with a knife or small flat metal spatula. Let cool completely to room temperature before lifting square from pan and cutting it into squares or bars of desired size. Square may cut out better if cooled square has been placed in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Yield: One (1) 9” pan of squares/bars

 

[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]

 

If you have made this recipe and enjoyed it and/or wish to share it with your friends and family, please do so on social media but be sure to share the direct link to this posting from my website.

Connect with My Island Bistro Kitchen on Social Media

Join the Facebook page for My Island Bistro Kitchen:  https://www.facebook.com/MyIslandBistroKitchen/

Follow “the Bistro” on “X” (formerly Twitter)https://twitter.com/PEIBistro/

See the drool-worthy gallery of mouth-watering food photos from My Island Bistro Kitchen on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/peibistro/

Follow “the Bistro” on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.ca/peibistro/ and pin the Pinterest-ready photo at the end

Pin Me To Pinterest!
Sweet Marie Bars
Sweet Marie Bars

 

Sweet Marie Bars
Sweet Marie Bars

 

Sweet Marie Bars
Sweet Marie Bars

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

White pedestal dish filled with Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

Energy bites (sometimes called energy balls, power balls, protein balls, or bliss balls) are a super tasty and convenient on-the-go snack.

My recipe for Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites is easy to make. They require no cooking or baking  (provided, of course, that you buy the coconut already toasted and you don’t have to turn on the oven to toast coconut) — bonus !  Made with a blend of carefully selected ingredients that pair well together, these tasty treats provide a great energy boost, particularly mid-afternoon when energy typically starts to wane for many.

These energy bites freeze well and I regularly keep them on hand in my freezer so I have them ready for a snack anytime or as a portable treat to pop into a small container for the work lunch bag.

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bite in small plastic container
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bite Ready for the Lunch Bag

Energy bites are typically comprised of four sets of ingredients:

Main bulk/filler – this is most often rolled oats which also adds fibre to the energy bites. The oats give the energy bites body and structure.

Binder – dates are often used for this purpose since their texture and consistency lend them well to binding the other ingredients together, plus they have great flavor.  Other dried fruits such as prunes, figs, or apricots, may also be used.  Nut butters (e.g., peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or hazelnut butter) are also great binding ingredients in addition to contributing flavour.

Liquid sweetener – The two most common sticky sweeteners used are typically maple syrup and honey though others, such as agave syrup, may also be used. Because they are liquid and not granular, they provide a smooth textured natural sweetener.

Add-ins – These are limited only by your creativity and taste preferences.  Common add-ins are flax and/or chia seeds (either whole or in ground form), mini chocolate chips, cocoa, coconut, crispy rice cereal, hemp hearts, protein powder, finely ground nuts, dried fruits, spices, etc.

So, now that we have discussed the basic composition of most energy bites, let’s move on to this post’s featured recipe.  Dates are the main “binder” in these Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites and are best blitzed in the food processor before other ingredients are added.  Depending on the size of the food processor bowl, the dates will either form a paste-like consistency (more likely if a small food processor is used) or clump together into a ball (if a large food processor is used).  Either consistency is fine as basically the goal is to break up the dates and smooth out their texture before pulsing with the other ingredients that don’t take as long to incorporate.  A small food processor, if you have one, is great for this first step but use the larger food processor for incorporating the ingredients together. Use the pulse feature on the machine as you mix the ingredients. The goal is to incorporate them, not crush or mash all the ingredients into a smooth paste.

Three Peanut Butter Energy Bites on White Marble Server
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

If the rolled oats are particularly large, it’s a good idea to blitz them separately 2-4 times in short bursts in a food processor before beginning to make the energy bites. Be careful, though, about processing them too much as the oats will quickly turn into oat flour which is not the consistency required for these energy bites. If the oats are over-processed, it will change the consistency of the energy bites.

This recipe calls for very finely ground nuts. This means their consistency should be like nut meal, almost to the point of being powder-like.  While ground nuts can be purchased pre-packaged, I buy the nuts whole and use an electric coffee grinder I have reserved for the purpose of grinding nuts.  The coffee grinder will quickly and easily turn the nuts into the desired nut “meal” more efficiently than a regular nut grinder which will not grind the nuts nearly so fine textured.

Some ingredients need to be added by hand at the end of the mixing process.  These include the crispy rice cereal, chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and hemp hearts.  These are the more fragile of the ingredients and are intended to be left intact in the balls. Incorporating them with the food processor would be likely to break them up and lose the texture and visual appearance they provide.

Close-up of interior of Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bite
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

The energy bites can easily be made gluten free by using gluten-free rolled oats and, of course, ensuring all other ingredients called for in the recipe are gluten free.

If the mixture seems a bit too dry to form into balls, add small amounts of water, a teaspoon or two at a time, and quickly pulse the mixture in short bursts.  Be careful, though, about adding too much water as it can make the mixture too soft and moist.  Possible causes for the mixture to be a bit dry might be dates that are dry and/or the size/quality of rolled oats used.

I recommend chilling the mixture for about 20 minutes or so in the refrigerator to make it easier to form the balls.  I am a huge promoter of using digital scales when cooking or baking. For size consistency, and as a frame of reference for these energy bites, use about 28 grams of mixture per ball.

Close-up of Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bite
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bite

These energy bites can be stored for up to five days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or frozen for up to three months for longer storage.  Place the balls in single layers between sheets of wax paper in the storage container.

[Printable recipe follows at end of post]

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

Ingredients:

5 oz honey dates (pitted), coarsely chopped

¾ cup quick rolled oats (gluten-free, if required)
½ cup smooth peanut butter
2½ tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup very finely ground peanuts
1 tbsp ground chia seeds
1½ tsp vanilla whey protein powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt

½ cup crispy rice cereal (gluten-free, if required)
½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
¼ cup pre-toasted coconut
3 tbsp hemp hearts

Method:

Pulse dates in food processor until they form a paste or clump into a ball.  Add the rolled oats, peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, ground peanuts, ground chia seeds, vanilla whey protein powder, and sea salt. Pulse mixture until ingredients are completely blended.

Mix in the crispy rice cereal, semi-sweet chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and hemp hearts by hand.  If mixture seems too dry, two to three teaspoons of water may be blended into ingredients.  Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill.

Roll mixture by hand into bite-sized balls.  For frame of reference, each ball should weigh approximately 28 grams.  Place balls on parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 20-25 minutes to firmly set.  Store, in single layers separated by waxed paper, in airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator or freeze up to three months for longer storage.

Yield:  Apx. 22 balls

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

These tasty Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites are filled with dates, rolled oats, peanut butter, ground nuts, toasted coconut, and chocolate chips. Makes a convenient on-the-go snack.
Course Snack
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword energy bites
Servings 22
My Island Bistro Kitchen My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 5 oz honey dates pitted, coarsely chopped
  • ¾ cup quick rolled oats gluten-free, if required
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil melted and cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup very finely ground peanuts
  • 1 tbsp ground chia seeds
  • tsp vanilla whey protein powder
  • 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ cup crispy rice cereal gluten-free, if required
  • ½ cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup pre-toasted coconut
  • 3 tbsp hemp hearts

Instructions

  1. Pulse dates in food processor until they form a paste or clump into a ball. Add the rolled oats, peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, ground peanuts, ground chia seeds, vanilla whey protein powder, and sea salt. Pulse mixture until ingredients are completely blended.
  2. Mix in the crispy rice cereal, semi-sweet chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and hemp hearts by hand. If mixture seems too dry, two to three teaspoons of water may be blended into ingredients. Place mixture in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to chill.
  3. Roll mixture by hand into bite-sized balls. For frame of reference, each ball should weigh approximately 28 grams. Place balls on parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 20-25 minutes to firmly set. Store, in single layers separated by waxed paper, in airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator or freeze up to three months for longer storage.

Pin Me To Pinterest!

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Balls

 

Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites
Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites

 

You may also enjoy this recipe from My Island Bistro Kitchen for no-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls.

No-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls

Small white bowl filled with several no-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls sitting on gray table
No-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls

Sometimes called energy balls, power balls, protein balls, or bliss balls, these trendy snacks are tasty little morsels.  The recipe I am sharing today is for No-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls, so named because they are, well, blissfully divine! Continue reading No-bake Chocolate Almond Bliss Balls