One thing that’s a staple in my pantry and fridge is protein bites / cookies / blondies. Not only are they perfect as a pre-post workout bite, but a great option to satisfy sweet cravings. While you can find good options at the supermarket (love these larabar bites, and I talked about my fave protein bars here), these are so easy to whip up (not to mention the fact that you can control what you put in them) that makes no sense to spend money elsewhere. Plus, you can fully customize them to your taste buds aaaaannnnnd whether you prefer them in ball form or as a blondie (so good right out of the oven with some ice cream!), the recipe works perfectly for both!! I just made these yesterday afternoon and took 1/3 of the dough to make energy bites (got about 15 in total) and the rest I pressed on a rectangular pan (10×6 inches) and baked for 12 minutes to get the most delicious and healthy blondies 🙂
So here’s what you need for these fully customizable, gluten free, dairy free protein bites/blondies:
. 1 cup almond butter (or peanut butter or any other nut butter you like)
. 1 tbsp. vanilla essence.
. 2 scoops protein powder (I normally use this one, but you can totally use unflavoured, chocolate flavoured, whey based….your call!).
. 2 cups oats (again, you can use gluten-free oats, quinoa flakes, probably even weetabix).
. 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any other milk you like)
Lastly, 2 Oz semi-sweet chocolate chunks for the blondies, and about 1/4 cup for the bites (if you’re using 1/3 of the dough for bites and 2/3 for blondies). Otherwise, I’d say 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of chocolate chunks or chips should be enough for the full recipe. Feel free to use raisins, dried apricots, or anything else you prefer.
The super easy method:
. If you’re making blondies, preheat the oven to 350 and line a pan with parchment paper.
. If your nut butter has been in the fridge I like to warm it up (30-40 seconds in the microwave) to soften it up a bit. Add the vanilla and almond milk and combine.
. Mix in the oats (you can also use oat flour instead) and protein powder and combine with a wooden spoon.
. I prefer energy bites with chips and blondies with chocolate chunks so here I take 1/3 of the dough to combine with chips for the protein balls and mix in chocolate chunks for the blondies.
. I form the balls and store them in the fridge in an air-tight container and for the blondies I press down the dough on a rectangular pan (10×6 inches) lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes.
And that’s it! The whole process will probably take you 20 minutes?
