like many of you, i’m sure, i’ve been thinking a lot about houston and the flooding going on there this past weekend. as some of you know, my husband and i lived there for a year (well, 355 days…) 5 years ago.
what i’m struck by, beyond the obvious devastation, is how much more personal it feels to me, having lived there. it’s not a connection born of nostalgia, as i didn’t enjoy living there (at all), but rather comes from feeling connected to the people there. i find myself thinking about coworkers i haven’t thought of in years and hoping they are safe. ironically, it’s a similar reaction to the one i felt while living there when the boston marathon bombing happened and my friends and family back home were on lockdown.
so, anyway. i don’t have anything particularly helpful to say about what’s happening (y’all know how to find the red cross donation page, but here it is again, just in case), but that’s what i’m thinking about.
that and these cashew cookie dough energy balls. (why do i always set myself up for these awkward transitions?? stupid desire to be authentic and present…)
before we go any farther, i do feel compelled to warn you: cashew cookie dough energy balls can be addictive. basically, you can just extrapolate your self-control around regular chocolate chip cookie dough, remove any inhibition that stems from that whole fear-of-being-poisoned-by-raw-eggs-or-raw-flour thing, and then have a pretty good idea of how you’ll fare around these little energy balls. which for me is a pretty solid “yikes”.
luckily for me, while the number of energy balls i end up eating at once may be a bit higher than i intended, each ball is pretty low in sugar, so at least i don’t end up feeling totally ill, the way i do when i eat too much raw cookie dough (not that i endorse that or anything…). soooo, there’s that.
and each batch of cashew cookie dough energy balls “only” makes 28 mini (half tablespoon) sized balls, so there’s a finite and not too big limit to how many days my cashew cookie dough energy ball bender can last.
of course, given that they only require 4 ingredients that i always have on hand and come together in about 5 minutes (10ish minutes if we’re including the time it takes to roll them into little balls), i basically have to rely on my reluctance to wash the food processor to keep me from whipping up a new batch every other day. laziness for the win, friends, laziness for the win.
energy balls, previously:
oat and almond butter energy balls
fudgy mint chocolate energy balls
did you make this recipe? i’d love to know what you think of it! leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #tastyseasons.
cashew cookie dough energy balls
Save to BigOven 
Ingredients
- 1 cup (113 g. / 4 oz.) raw unsalted cashews
- 1/3 cup (68 g. / 2 3/8 oz.) pitted dates (about 4 – 6 larger medjool dates or 8 - 10 smaller deglet dates)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (32 g. / 1 1/8 oz.) bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- if your dates aren’t soft, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain and pat dry before proceeding.
- combine the cashews, dates, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade attachment. process for 2 – 3 minutes, until a smooth dough forms (it will likely be one big ball that thumps around in the food processor). use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the dough up a little bit then add the chocolate chips and pulse to break them up a little bit and combine them into the dough.
- remove the super sharp blade from the processor bowl and set aside. form the dough into little balls of desired size (i like ½ tablespoon sized balls, so that they are small and i can eat more than one at once).
- store the cashew cookie dough energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. they allegedly last one week (and probably longer) but i’ve never had any stick around long enough to test this claim.
Notes
adapted from the balanced life’s february 2017 recipe bundle.
Nutrition Facts
cashew cookie dough energy balls
Serves: (28) 1/2 tablespoon sized energy balls
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 36 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 2 mg. | 3.1% | |
| Saturated Fat 1 g. | 5% | |
| Trans Fat 0 g. | ||
| Cholesterol 0 mg. | 0 | |
| Sodium 0 mg. | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate 4 g. | 1.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 0 g. | 0 | |
| Sugars 2 g. | ||
| Protein 1 g. | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
tasty seasons
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