Sometime around 10:30 or so, most days, I’ll get a little rumble in the tummy. I’ll ignore it for a few minutes, then drink a glass of water to be sure I’m not just dehydrated. [Did you know that dehydration often makes you feel hungry, not thirsty?] If I’m still hungry, and especially if I’m heading to a lunch-hour workout class that day, I’ll pop a mini Lara bar for a bit of a pick-me-up.
I like Lara bars—they’re minimally processed, whole food with just a few ingredients. They’re super convenient. And the mini ones are about 100 calories, so not a bad snack.
Then I got to thinking: Could I make my own version of these? Yup. I can. All it takes is some whole Medjool dates and some roasted, salt-free nuts to start with.
These easy Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Energy Bites have just the right amount of sweetness, but they’re not ridiculously sweet. And there’s a bit of chocolate to make them feel like a treat.
When I tasted the dough after it spun around in my food processor, I thought: Hmph. These can’t be all that healthy. They’re too tasty. And healthy is kind of the point here. So I did a quick calorie calculation on the recipe using this handy tool, and sure enough: I’m comfortably under my 100 calorie goal for these homemade energy bites. So there you go.
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Energy Bites Recipe
Makes 16
1 cup whole roasted, unsalted almonds
1 cup coarsely chopped Medjool dates (about 8 whole dates)
Scant 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 – 3/4 tsp. flake sea salt (like Maldon)
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the almonds until they're finely ground. Add dates, olive oil and salt and pulse to create a sticky dough. Add chocolate chunks and pulse to chop.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and form it into a ball; set it on a plate or baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate until firm; keep refrigerated or frozen until ready to eat.
Try this with the Lindt Excellece Chili chocolate bar, wowsers!