Energy bites….date balls….bliss balls…call them what you want..It doesn’t change the fact that they are the easiest healthy sweet snack out there! Start off with your base of dates, oats and coconut flakes, and get creative with additions for flavor….using nut or seed butters, superfood powders, spices and flavorings.

I made these nut-free for a change using sunflower seed butter. You can make your own sunflower seed butter by roasting the seeds for 9-12 mins in a preheated 325F (160C) oven. And then blending in a food processor until creamy, scraping down the sides from time to time – it will take about 10-12 mins for the seeds to release their oils and turn into butter. Roasting is an important step as it helps release the oils. If you can’t get hold of sunflower seed butter and don’t want to make it yourself, go ahead and use any nut butter you have at home.

I love the addition of cocoa nibs as they are quite bitter and therefore cuts the sweetness of the dates. Cocoa nibs are pure crushed up cocoa beans and like pure cocoa a wonderful source of minerals such as iron, zinc and sulfur, as well as being one of the highest sources of magnesium. However you can totally leave them out if you don’t have any on hand. I also added the maca powder for some extra energy…maca is made from the Peruvian maca root, and helps to keep us energized thanks to it’s high level of phytonutrients in addition to vitamins, amino acids, and minerals. However, they would sill taste awesome without the maca.

For a kid-friendly version leave out the cocoa nibs and maybe even refrain from rolling it in the sesame seeds.