How to Make the Best Homemade Fudge Energy Bars (gluten, dairy, and cocount free)

Welcome to my no bake kitchen.  Because me and the oven have been best of enemies the past week.

 

(funny story about this photo - see the cocoa powder everywhere?  yeah, so I was trying to set a spoonful down on the cutting board, to look all professional, you know? and I lost my balance and flipped the spoon.  hence the cocoa powder everywhere.  my life story)

Ovens need time to heat up. 
Baking needs precise amounts of baking soda.
Cakes and cookies need planning ahead for prep work and cooling time.

Read:  Idonothavetimerightnow.  Or skills - obviously!

I tried a sponge roll cake.  I tried homemade bagels.  I messed up little details on both.  *faceplant*  I DID make these cookies and these cookies, but they weren't blog material because I've already posted them. 

So I stuck with what I know, however uncreative it may be.

No bake energy bites.

 

(don't you just want to finish that bite???)

I am in a not so creative rut right now (hence the lack of posts!)  But I have made these so often (I don't even measure anymore) and this last batch was so good I decided to go ahead and share it with you ... and since I didn't have anything else.

So today I'm going to break down why these are the best homemade fudge energy bites and how you can make them at home, too!

First up: the dates.  aka the key to refined sugar free energy bites.  Dates are the sticky sweetness that makes these taste like a dessert.  And without them, your energy bites will fall apart.  They contribute all of the wet ingredients that hold these bites together.  As for nutritional value, dates are a pretty good source of fiber, especially compared to honey and white sugar.

Next: the almonds!  All nuts, when blended enough, become like a butter.  I don't do that with the almonds in this recipe, but I blend them enough so that their natural fats create a thicker, firmer mixture.  Thanks to the almonds, these energy bites have a nutty, stick-to-ya factor.  You want to make sure you have at least 1:1 ratio of nuts to dates in these kind of recipes.  Otherwise, you will have a wet and sticky hot mess on your hands.  Trust me from multiple experiences.  And, almonds pack a big punch of healthy fats, and protein. 

Third on the list: oats.  Although oats have a bad rap thanks to clumpy lumpy bowls of oatmeal, these energy bites will have you taking back any nasty comments.  Instead of the traditional flour, oats are a hearty gluten free option.  They soak up any extra moisture, ensuring you don't have a wet and sticky hot mess described above.  They aren't usually used in Larabar or Clif bar copycats, but I like the chewiness that oats add.  Plus, they are a great source of fiber!

Finally, our choc-o-la-tay!  On to the goods!  Cocoa powder is an awesome substitute for flour in recipes where you want more chocolate oomph.  It serves the same purpose as the oats in terms of adding body to the energy bites, but it is obviously for the fudge factor.  When cocoa powder combines with dates, you've got a major fudge thing going on.  The rich and chewy fudginess is so darn good!  I use a hefty three tablespoons, but these aren't bitter (also learned from previous experiences) thanks to the dates and the ...

... Dark chocolate chips - don't you dare point to these little beauties and slam these energy bites as unhealthy.  Dark chocolate is good for you (or so I hear ... and tell myself as I eat half the bag) because of all those antioxidants.  (I honestly have no idea what they are but I hear they are good for me.)  And seriously, dark chocolate chips taste amazing. 

Blend those all up, with a little water to make it smoother, and roll into balls. 

Instant fudge gratification. 

These are some of my favorite things to make.  We're talking serious fudge truffles here!  When I want chocolate, I don't want to wait 45 minutes for brownies.  Now I don't have to.  These satisfy my random chocolate fixes in five minutes AND keep me fueled all morning and afternoon ... and afternight. 

In. Love. 

Homemade Fudge Energy Bites
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yield: 12 bites

1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup oats
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Water

In a good food processor (I used my Ninja) blend the dates with 3 tablespoons of water. (It is okay if they aren't super smooth)
Add almonds and oats and blend again.
Add cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and 1-2 tablespoons more water.  (Start with 1 tablespoon water and if you need more, add the second tablespoon.)
Roll into 12 balls.
Enjoy healthy fudge bliss.
If you have any, store leftovers in refrigerator.

Homemade Healthy Butterfingers

So New Years is coming up and along with it are lots of resolutions.  So I decided to post a healthy recipe to help us all out.

Oh my gosh, there are absolutely incredible.  Like, I literally made three pans of this in three weeks and I ate all three pans.

I think I negated all the healthiness with all that peanut butter!  I cannot get enough of the combo of peanut butter and chocolate.  I had six Reeses peanut butter cups for breakfast the morning after Christmas.

You think I'm kidding.

Anyways, these are incredible.  I didn't expect much from these, but these are so good.  Who would have thought bran flakes with peanut butter and molasses and chocolate would make a very realistic copycat???  Granted, it may not taste exactly like the real thing, but it is pretty darn close.  So don't eat this and then take a bite of a real Butterfinger because it will taste a little different.  The molasses is key. It's not a dominant flavor, but it helps create the Butterfinger flavor.

This recipe is from Chocolate Covered Katie and the first time I followed the recipe as followed, using corn flakes instead of bran flakes.  The second time, I used bran flakes.  The third time, I subbed a scant 3/4 cup dates for the 1/2 cup honey and used bran flakes and honestly, there really wasn't a noticeable difference. 

The peanut butter flavor is the strongest and the bran flakes add that crunch.  They are mixed with the peanut butter and soften into a chewy and dense texture.  I was wary that freezing them wouldn't have the authentic flavor, but lo and behold, it works!  I hope you try these, they are easy, done in five minutes, and are delicious and healthy.

Homemade Healthy Butterfingers

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted slightly from Chocolate Covered Katie

Yield: 8-10 bars

2 cup bran flakes (you can also use corn flakes)

scant 3/4 cup pitted dates

1 tablespoon molasses

1 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Soak dates in water for 15-30 minutes.  Drain and blend in a food processor until smooth.  Add peanut butter and molasses and blend again.  Heat in a small pot for a couple minutes or until smooth and slightly runny.  Lightly crush bran flakes and add to peanut butter mixture.  Press into a lightly greased 9x9 pan and freeze.  Cut into 8-10 bars.  Melt chocolate chips.  Dip bars in melted chocolate and freeze again.  Enjoy!

 

Related Recipes:

 

Low Fat Peanut Butter

 

 

No Bake Peanut Butter Cereal Crack Bars {Gluten Free}

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites

 

Homemade Blueberry Larabars

I fell in love with Clif Bars, Larabars, and Power Bars last summer.  We were out of any kind of bars the other day and since we weren't going to the store, I rolled up my sleeves and plugged in the food processor and five minutes later, I got this.

 
Not the prettiest thing in the world, but don't judge a book by it's cover!   Hidden behind its seemingly unattractive appearance is a dense, sweet, blueberry packed homemade Larabar that is waaayyy cheaper than the ones at the store.

My goal was a homemade Clif Bar. Particularly the blueberry crisp ones. Mmmm, I love those. But as you can tell, I ended up with Larabars. (Can I just say, the ingredients list uses the smallest font and adds in all these little things that make it impossible to decipher? However I persevered and squinted my way through the back of the Clif bar wrapper.) Since it has been several weeks since I had a blueberry crisp Clif bar, I don't remember what it tasted like, but this Larabar is uh-mazing. Perfect for snacking. Oh, and even though I don't do gluten free or sugar free or something-free, these have no added sugar, for those who like that stuff. Nada, zilch, noodle.  And even though Larabars are for athletic moments, baking is hard . . . Have you ever had to climb the countertops before?Deserves a Larabar every now and then;) 

 

It's sweet and a little tart from the blueberries and has that thick chewy texture I love in date/nut bars.

You all shouldn't be surprised that I turned to my hard working food processor again! It grinds your dry ingredients and then blends in your wet ingredients. A plus to this already super duper recipe? Oh yeah, there are only four ingredients.

 

Blueberry Larabars
Yield: 4 generous sized bars

1/4 cup old fashioned oats
3 oz. almonds
6 oz. pitted dates (I like SunMaid)
1/2 cup blueberries

Cover dates with water and soak for 30 minutes. Grind oats and almonds until fine. Drain dates. Add dates and blueberries and process until it pulls into a ball. Remove and spread onto saran wrap. Cut into bars and serve or freeze until later.

Seriously, this is a dangerous recipe.  Done in less than five minutes and they are so addictive.  It is a good thing it doesn't make very many!  Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

My Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are also quick, healthy snack bars!

 

And the Secret "Fudge Brownie" Bars also use dates!

It is important to feed our bodies nutritional things.  Blueberries, oats, almonds, and dates are nutritional, healthy things.  But at the same time, if you ate this entire recipe of healthy ingredients, it would be just as unhealthy compared to eating a brownie.  Anything out of moderation is unhealthy and I think a mindset can become skewed without that principle.  Branding a food as "bad" will only lead to guilt.  Balance and moderation are the keys.   Yes, I eat homemade Larabars and such, but I also love butter filled cookies and carb loaded rolls.  Is that bad?  Is it "unhealthy?"  It would be if I ate five rolls and nothing else . . . but I don't.  You don't have to only eat fruits and vegetables and low calorie foods to be healthy.  I think God gave is food because He wants us to enjoy it and be creative in ways of preparing it.  But He does want us to be good stewards of our bodies and make wise choices in what we choose to feed our bodies.

So once you've made it through my thoughts on that (right, wrong or otherwise) I guess the bottom line I was trying to say was healthy isn't a one fits all thing.  And healthy shouldn't be depriving oneself of something.  Healthy is taking care of the body God has given you so you can be physically equipped for what He wants you to do.  That is my opinion - It is such a broad and confusing subject to be honest - and I want to hear your opinions!

Secret "Fudge Brownie" Bars

Did you know bananas get jealous?  Mine do.  Really jealous.  "Why does the avocado get to hang out with the cocoa powder all the time?  I want a black coat like the avocado's and I need to meet the cocoa powder.  Why can't I go over to the cocoa powder's side of the kitchen?  I always have to play with the apples.  It's just not fair!"

Really banana, get over yourself and be grateful.  Your side of the kitchen looks just like the avocado's.  Also, he's kind of a shady fellow, with that black coat and all.  Why don't you like your yellow coat?  It's so bright and sunny!  Can't you just be grateful for what you've got?

So, I, being the good kitchen overseer that I am, let the banana hang out with the cocoa powder.  And the dates.  And the almonds.  And it was a party!  A party in my mouth.

These are delicious.  The bottom layer is dense and slightly chewy while the top layer is super smooth and fudgy.  The nuts add a nice crunch in contrast to the frosting like top layer, combining to create a sweet treat with no flour or sugar.  Truly, if brownies could be healthy, these would be the ones.

Secret "Fudge Brownie" Bars
Adapted from FitSugar.  These are more like chocolate frosted Larabars, which is still really good, but these and these are true brownies.

6 oz pitted dates
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp.. vanilla

2 ripe bananas
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee

Soak dates in warm water for 30 minutes.  Grind nuts until fine in food processor.  Drain dates and add to nuts.  Blend.  Gradually add cocoa powder and vanilla until mixture pulls together and is well blended.  Press into 9x9 pan.  Clean food processor.  Now, blend bananas, peanut butter and honey until smooth.  Add cocoa powder and coffee and blend again until smooth.  Pour over date mixture and freeze until firm (6+ hours for me.)  Cut into squares and freeze leftovers.

Note:  My bananas were really big, so you could taste a little of the banana.  If your bananas are bigger, I would use less banana or add more cocoa powder and peanut butter.  Once frozen though, the banana flavor mellows out, tasting a lot like this "ice cream."

Okay, the scene about Mr. Banana wanting to hang out with the avocado and his black coat  is fictional.  But the concept is not.

I believe as girls, one of the things we are most discontent with is how we look. We are often jealous of other’s appearances.  But there is a deeper issue.  Jealousy is saying we don’t believe God’s promises are enough. He says "Mary Frances, you are fearfully and wonderfully made," but we choose to let the magazines define our worth, saying "God, I’m not wonderful unless I look like her." Harsh? Yes. True? Sadly yes. I sometimes wonder why God offers us grace after we’ve shoved it back in His face. "No, I want to do it my way. You say beauty is in my heart, but I want my beauty to be in my face, body, or attitude . . . not my heart. That’s not important in our culture."  Jealousy is lack of trust in God.

So what do we do with jealousy?  I wish it was as easy as saying, "Mary Frances, you're just not going to be jealous today."  It doesn't quite work that way.  In order to overcome jealousy, I think we have to look at our priorities.  Why am I jealous?  Is it because I'm ungrateful?  Is it because I place a lot of emphasis on looks?  And then look at things that make you feel jealous.  I'm going specifically off of looks, but if pictures spark jealousy, step away from the pictures.  Turn away, move on.

And at the core, it is a mental battle.  In order to overcome jealousy, you must look for things to be grateful for instead of focusing on what you don't have.  I touched a little on this in

this post about thankfulness and I really should do it more often.  Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we must look at we do.  Even if it means being grateful for the sunshine instead of wishing I had that donut pan.  I've got to choose to be grateful for my yellow coat and apples.