Made in under 10 minutes with just a handful of wholesome ingredients, these chocolate chip oatmeal date balls make a perfect quick and healthy snack.
You guys, I’m embarrassed… and not only because spellcheck just had to autocorrect “embarrassed” for me for the umpteenth time. Last Thursday was National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, and not only was I not aware of that fact until well into the late afternoon, but I didn’t do anything to celebrate it even after I found out. I know… I’m ashamed of me too, but I have this bad habit of not jumping onto bandwagons until well after the fact and doing things on my own time, which is probably why I still haven’t read Harry Potter and why I always have my phone on silent — I’ll attend to it when it suits me, thank you very much, and not when it demands my attention by beeping or ringing. But I digress; back to the issue at hand — chocolate chip cookies…
These… are not chocolate chip cookies — they’re oatmeal date balls. But they do have chocolate chips, which counts for something, right? They’re also packed with good-for-you ingredients like oats, dates, and nuts…
… come together in a flash without the use of an oven or freezer, and are an absolute delight to eat…
Such a delight, in fact, that I ran a serious risk of polishing off the entire batch before I even had a chance to shape, plate, and photograph them. I still ended up a couple of balls short, but I couldn’t help it! I may not be willing to eat raw cookie dough because of the serious fear I have of salmonella poisoning, but all bets are off when eggs aren’t involved… and these little things are addictive!
First, the base is made up of one of my favourite combinations — oats, dates, and almonds. This gives these bites an ooey, gooey consistency with just the perfect amount of caramely sweetness.
Then, that melt-in-your-mouth consistency is punctuated by a light airy crunch from the crispy rice cereal, making these bites a sensory delight for more than just your tastebuds.
Finally… I already mentioned the chocolate chips, right? And the fact that I have trouble controlling myself around these? They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and easily made vegan or nut-free. Basically perfection.
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Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Date Balls
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 12 bites 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup (80 g) rolled or quick oats
- 1/2 cup (90 g) pitted dates
- 1/4 cup (64 g) nut butter*
- 3 Tbsp (60 g) honey**
- 1/2 cup (15 g) crispy rice cereal
- 2 – 4 Tbsp (30 – 60 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Throw oats into a food processor or blender and process until they reach a fine floury consistency. Add dates, nut butter, and honey and continue processing until fully combined. When dough begins to form and stick together, add crispy rice cereal and chocolate chips, pulsing a few times to ensure that they distribute evenly without breaking apart completely.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop out balls of dough and roll them between your hands to neatly shape them. Store balls in an airtight container, either at room temperature or in the fridge.
Notes
* I used almond, but peanut butter would be fine as well. Or you can use soy nut butter for a nut-free option.
** agave or rice syrup would work as well if you want them to be vegan.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
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