Cashew Coconut Energy Bites

My last pregnancy changed my taste buds forever. There are many foods I once enjoyed that I no longer do (more on that later)….but much more noteworthy are the foods that I used to feel nothing about that are now the center of my world.  One example is Chinese takeout. My husband and I went eight (YES 8) years without ever ordering takeout. That all changed in the first trimester of my most recent pregnancy. I was sick, and every food on the planet sounded disgusting to me….every food that is, except Chinese. We try to live frugally so I never entertained the thought of ordering food to eat at home. However, one day  I told my husband what I was craving and he didn’t skip a beat. Thirty minutes later I was eating food I enjoyed for the first time in weeks, and I didn’t have to cook it. My hero.

The other food that used to repulse me, but I now can’t live without is coconut. I couldn’t even eat something with coconut oil in it. True Story. But now….in the glorious present  I crave coconut all.the.time. I don’t know how I ever lived without it. I created this Cashew Coconut Energy Bite recipe because I wanted a healthy snack that was sweet but not chocolatey, filled with lots and lots of coconut.

These balls are so easy to make. Toss the ingredients into a food processor and let the magic happen. I always process my dates first for two reasons. 1) I like to make sure there are no surprise pits in them and 2) they take the longest to blend well. Look at all that coconut. Delish.

I chose to use almond butter in this recipe because I wanted something without peanuts (gasp). However you could substitute whatever type of nut/seed butter you prefer. These snacks are gluten free, dairy free AND refined sugar free! Triple lightening rod.

Print

Coconut Cashew Energy Bites

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 12 -15 balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup dates
• 1 cup roasted & salted or raw cashews
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ - ½ tsp salt depending on how salty your cashews are
• 2 TBS almond butter

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor fit with “S” blade until crumbly.
2. Add coconut, cashews, vanilla and salt and process until well blended and fine.
3. Add almond butter and process until mixture starts balling up or sticking together.
4. Roll into balls, 1-2 TBS at a time.
5. Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

If you make something from JoyFoodSunshine I would love to see your creations! 

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