Thursday 6 March 2014

{Clean} Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites


Oh. My. Gosh.

I can't even EXPLAIN to you how amazing these bites are. They're like a decadent chocolate bar, mixed with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup mixed with a little bit of rainbow/sunshine.

I haven't even told you the best part! They are actually GOOD for you. They are filled with fiber, protein and with a coating of dark chocolate, you're getting tons of great nutrients for your body!

Did I mention, they are DELICIOUS?

Now, I've made a couple of changes to the recipe for my home - first, I did HALF of them coated in dark chocolate and half of them coated in milk chocolate (there is only so much "health" my poor hubby can take). I also used whole wheat flour in mine, but if you are gluten intolerant, use coconut flour instead! If you have someone in your life that is allergic to peanuts, you can use a peanut butter substitute in its place (click here for awesome alternatives)

Finally, this recipe requires the use of a food processor. I only have a small one, so I had to do all the processing in steps. I measured out the ingredients first, then put a little of each into the food processor for a total of 3 different batches!

{Clean} Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites
adapted from: cleaneatingmag.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pitted dates
1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal 
1/2 cup large flake oats (rolled oats work as well)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
9 tbsp creamy, natural peanut butter
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 oz dark chocolate (just less than 1 cup)
1 tbsp canola or coconut oil

Method:
Put pitted dates in a medium size bowl. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour water over the dates until they are completely covered. Allow to soak for about 5 minutes then remove with a slotted spoon. Save about 2 tbsp of the water and discard the rest.

Meanwhile, in a food processor (see note above), grind together the puffed rice, oats, whole wheat flour & salt until they are fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl.

Next, combine the dates, the 2 tbsp of water you saved, peanut butter, honey and vanilla in the food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the large bowl containing the dry mixture. Using your hands, combine the two until everything is evenly mixed.

Line a large baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Using your hands, roll dough into 1" balls and place on the baking sheet. At the end, you should have anywhere between 30-36 balls. Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Next comes the dipping! In a double boiler (or a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water) add the chocolate & oil and stir until completely smooth. Remove balls from freezer. One at a time, place in the chocolate and roll around until evenly coated. Using a fork, scoop under the coated ball and allow chocolate to drip off. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. If you're having troubles getting them off the fork, gently push them off with a knife.

If you want, sprinkle a little sea salt on top of them to add a little more flavour. 

When done, chill them in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes.

Store them in an air tight container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks!

Enjoy!



2 comments:

  1. These look FANTASTIC. If you would be interested in trying Medjool Dates with this recipe, give me a shout.

    ReplyDelete