Low carb chocolate brownie energy bites that are easy to make and require no oven! These no bake, sugar-free and grain-free treats are full of healthy fats and protein. This post is sponsored by Safest Choice Eggs.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And that which we call an energy bite would taste just as delicious were it to be called an energy ball. Or a protein bite. Or a protein ball. Or perhaps a protein truffle. Does it matter what I call it if it’s easy to make, full of healthy fats and protein and tastes like a chocolate brownie? Well…maybe. Many such similar things are called protein balls or energy balls. But I just couldn’t. It sounded too…ballsy. And truffles sounded too dessert-y, too sweet and perhaps a little too sophisticated. So “bites” it was – conjuring up images of cute, bite-sized, fun to eat treats. But the reality is that it hardly matters what you call these. They would taste just as good by any other name.
For as long as I’ve been blogging about food, I’ve seen recipes for healthy energy balls/bites/truffles on the inter webs and been intrigued. It seemed almost too good to be true, a little bite-sized ball of deliciousness, promising to be healthy and offering a quick energy boost. And mostly they were too good to be true, because although they wouldn’t be full of refined sugar, they were typically made with dates or honey and packed full of oats or other grains. So the energy came mostly in the form of carbs. and that’s just not my kind of energy. And if you’re a regular follower of this blog, chances are that’s not your kind of energy either!
The problem with making these little energy bites without dates or honey or some other sticky, sugary ingredient is getting them to actually stick together. I knew adding an egg would help, but I didn’t want to have to bake them at all. It occurred to me that the crust from my low carb Nanaimo Bars would be a really great starting place for a chocolate energy ball. It does take an egg and as always when I am concerned about uncooked eggs in my food, I turned to Safest Choice pasteurized eggs. I also added some whey protein powder to up the protein content a little further, and used coconut oil in place of the butter. I found that the coconut oil made the mixture quite greasy when I was rolling out the balls, but it reabsorbed as they sat for a bit. I also dipped some of the balls in chocolate and left some as they were.
Oh my, these little bites/balls/truffles are delicious! They took all of about 20 minutes to come together and they really did taste like brownies. The chocolate dipped version were definitely a little more decadent and dessert-like, whereas the plain energy bites were like a quick little snack. My kids adored them and I will definitely be making them again.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Safest Choice Eggs. As always, all recipes, photography, opinions, thoughts, incoherent ramblings and random tangents are my own.
Want an energy bite that’s vegan and allergy free? Check out these No Bake Bites from Allergylicious
Chocolate Brownie Energy Bites
Ingredients
Energy Bites:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, (if using coconut oil, it will be quite greasy but will re-absorb after bites are formed)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup almond flour, Honeyville
- 1 cup shredded Bob's Red Mill coconut
- 1/2 cup unflavored protein powder, (whey, hemp or powdered egg white)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
Chocolate Coating (optional):
- 4 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate such as Lily's, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
Instructions
Energy Bites:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter or coconut oil. Stir in cocoa powder and sweetener, then whisk in egg and cook over low 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, shredded coconut, protein powder, chopped nuts and coconut flour. Stir into saucepan until well combined.
- Using about a tablespoon at a time, roll mixture into balls with your hands and lay on prepared baking sheet. You should get about 24 balls. Set baking sheet in the freezer.
Chocolate Coating:
- Set a small metal or ceramic mixing bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
- Melt chocolate and butter or oil together until melted.
- One at a time, drop frozen energy bites into chocolate and coat well. Use a fork to lift out and gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Set back on waxed paper lined baking sheet. Let set.
Notes
Food energy: 156kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 10.31g
Total fat: 14.25g
Calories from fat: 128
Cholesterol: --
Carbohydrate: 4.67g
Total dietary fiber: 2.81g
Protein: 4.04g With Chocolate Coating:
Food energy: 179kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 11.68g
Total fat: 16.47g
Calories from fat: 148
Cholesterol: 2mg
Carbohydrate: 6.56g
Total dietary fiber: 4.34g
Protein: 4.29g
Nutrition
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Perfect snack!
I’ve made these twice now. I prefer them dipped in chocolate, as without the chocolate they are too dry, BUT that may be because of my method. I chose not to use pasteurized egg and simply mixed all ingredients in a bowl, then baked at 350 for 10 minutes. I also made much smaller balls, so the yield was greater.
These have been a lifesaver at 2am when I need something I can just pop in my mouth while nursing our newborn!
Just made these and had to keep myself from eating that batter with a spoon! I used a little less coconut oil and added a tbsp of ghee for some extra healthy fats. I also used a plant based chocolate protein and hemp seed coating. Sooo yummy! I may even consider sharing with my hubby…
I wonder if chia or flax would be a good sub for the egg?
I think in this recipe, you could totally do a flax or chia egg.