Crunchy Caramel Apple Energy Balls (Gluten Free, Vegan)
Christmas may be over, but holiday flavors are still reigning supreme in my kitchen...and there's no better way to kick off 2018 than by enjoying some healthy energy balls that taste like your favorite caramel apple!
These crunchy caramel apple energy balls actually happened by accident. I was completely out of ripe bananas (insert shocked emoji here), but I was craving some of my favorite homemade energy balls. What's a gluten free girl to do except raid her parent's kitchen, find some leftover applesauce and create a festive recipe for energy balls?
While I may not have spent hours planning how to make these energy bites, the combination of chewy dates, crunchy rice cereal, sweet applesauce and spicy cinnamon is a definite win for anyone craving a sweet snack or healthy dessert. The applesauce and cinnamon give these energy balls some apple-pie-ish undertones while the mashed dates offer a chewy, caramel-like flavor. As a bonus, this bliss ball recipe is gluten free, vegan, nut free and allergy friendly. Depending on the kind of applesauce and puffed rice cereal you choose to use, you can easily make these homemade energy balls refined sugar free as well. And did I already mention - these energy balls are addictively delicious?!?
Ready to dive into these crunchy, chewy, gooey delights? Then gather the subsequent substances:
Ingredients for 12 Medium Caramel Apple Energy Balls:
4 ounces of applesauce (make sure you use a gluten free and vegan version, or even homemade applesauce, if you want these energy balls to be gluten free and vegan!)4-five soaked and shredded dates
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of flour (I used rice, quinoa and coconut flour)
1/four cup puffed rice cereal (I revel in Erewhon Organic's puffed rice, however any will do!)
1/4 cup mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts (I used sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds)
A hearty sprinkling of cinnamon
How to Whip Up Your Homemade Energy Balls
Making these energy balls is super simple! If your dates aren't soft to the touch, begin by soaking your dates in enough water to completely cover their tops. I do this anytime I make strength balls with dates, and soaking the dates for at least 20 minutes always makes it a lot easier to incorporate them into the bliss ball batter!Once your dates have plumped up a few, either puree them in a blender or virtually shred/mash them together with your hands. When I'm creating a smaller batch of power balls or now not using as many dates in a dish (like with this recipe for energy balls), I generally tend to simply use my palms to interrupt up the dates. It's easier, faster...And it gives me one much less kitchen device (AKA, my blender) to need to easy up!
Add your mashed dates and choice of applesauce to a medium bowl, followed by the flours, seeds and spices. For the ultimate crunchy energy balls, mix all of those ingredients well before stirring in the puffed rice. I've found that mixing the puffed rice too much will make it soggy, so less is more with stirring at that point! If your gluten free energy ball batter feels too dry, though, you can add a little more applesauce or water, one tablespoon at a time.
Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clickinghere: "Whether you're craving an #allergyfriendly snack or a #healthy dessert, my #glutenfree and #vegan Crunchy Caramel Apple Energy Balls are exactly what you need! http://bit.ly/2kC0oG4"
As for which flours and seeds to use, there are plenty of options. I typically like using flours with more neutral flavors (like rice and quinoa) for my bliss balls, but since I'm a fan of coconut, I threw some coconut flour in there as well. However, you can certainly use whatever gluten free flours you prefer. Similarly, sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds tasted delicious in my vegan energy balls and I appreciated not having to chop them up. I bet that chopped walnuts, pecans or cashews would be just as delicious, though!
Once everything is nicely included, it is time to get rolling! Put your desired quantity of bliss ball batter between your fingers (I probably use around one tablespoon of the combination for each of my electricity balls) and roll until ball-fashioned. Then, to help those caramel apple electricity balls installation, vicinity them on a parchment-covered baking pan and pop the entire thang into my freezer for 20 mins. Once the strength balls have frozen strong, you could pass them right into a garage container.
Personally, I prefer keeping my homemade energy balls in my freezer. Not only does this keep them from going bad, but they have a delightfully crunchy texture when they've been stored in the freezer and thawed for five or so minutes before eating. However, you can also keep your festive healthy snacks in your fridge. Just be sure to eat them within a week and a half or so - if they even last that long!
As always, feel free to experiment with this easy snack recipe. Add more different spices or some of your favorite superfoods (I bet maca powder and/or turmeric would be especially tasty!). Increase the festive flavor of your energy balls by crumbling up freeze dried apple slices (both of those are affiliate links, FYI!) or spooning a dollop of apple butter into the mix. And if protein powder is your BFF, why not make these protein energy balls instead?
Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clickinghere: "Whether you're craving an #allergyfriendly snack or a #healthy dessert, my #glutenfree and #vegan Crunchy Caramel Apple Energy Balls are exactly what you need! http://bit.ly/2kC0oG4"
However making a decision to personalize these crunchy caramel apple strength balls, I can promise you this: in case you're partial to caramel apples, apple pie or just secretly healthy snacks that also control to flavor like dessert...These selfmade strength balls want to end up in your vacation to-do list (or your 2018 New Year's Resolutions)!
Are you an applesauce fan? What excursion flavors are you continue to playing, even after Christmas has exceeded? Tell me in the feedback!
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