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Orange energy balls

In 2 versions

Energy balls are one of the easiest, quickest, and most nutritious snacks you can prepare, for kids and adults. These particular ones have such a great smell and taste due to the orange, that the little hands kept asking for them again and again. With just 3 ingredients (or 4, if you make the sweeter version), they’re the perfect snack for school, a walk, playing in the snow, or at the beach—they’re all weather, and you can make them in just 5 minutes. They have no sweeteners, they are gluten-free, vegan, raw, and suitable for babies over the age of 6 months (in the appropriate shape), so I’m sure you’ll love them. Read the recipe!

Orange energy balls

What are energy balls?

Energy balls are a quick snack that fills us with energy despite their size, and they got their name from their round shape. You can also give them a long-and-thin shape for younger children following the baby-led weaning method. We usually make them with ingredients with high nutritional value and superfoods, though their core can be anything we like. Honestly, they’re the healthiest, quickest, and tastiest snack you can prepare for any hour of the day, and every day. It needs no cooking, which adds to its nutritional value since unprocessed and raw foods maintain all their nutrients. A few ideas about ingredients you can use include flakes, nut butter, dried fruit, nuts, honey or other sweeteners, and fruit.

What we are going to need

For the simple version

  • Oranges. The protagonist of the recipe is the juicy, sweet, aromatic orange, and we’ll use both its juice and skin. Make sure to choose unwaxed oranges to be able to use their zest without fear. 
  • Oat flakes. I prefer whole-grain oat flakes, and they won’t need any processing before use. 
  • Peanut butter. Prefer pure, 100% peanut butter, with no additives, no palm oil, no sugar, and no salt. Of course, you can use any nut butter you like or tahini. Read here about how to make your own peanut butter. I should point out that a person who disliked peanut butter tried the orange energy balls and they didn’t notice it, because the orange covers its taste.

For the sweeter version

  • Medjool dates. I’ve written about their nutritional value in the past, as well as how much I love them, and you can read about it here. Of course, you can use normal dates, but you’ll probably have to soak them before using them.

How we are going to make them

I prepared the mixture with the 3 basic ingredients. Then, I made half of it into balls, and added the dates and 20 grams of oats to the other half, before making that into energy balls as well. However, I give you quantities and the method of execution for both versions in the recipe below. You just have to choose if you want your orange energy balls to be simple or slightly sweeter, and make the respective version.

Tips and storage

  • When you’re removing the zest from the orange, take care to avoid scraping off the white part of the skin, because it’s bitter.
  • To puree the Medjool dates, use a strong food processor, and you might need to do it with breaks. If you use normal dates, soak them for 5–10 minutes in warm water before processing. In any case, they should be at room temperature
  • The balls can be eaten right away, but to thicken up, you’ll need to refrigerate them for at least two hours.
  • Store the orange energy balls in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. If they don’t have any oranges, you can refrigerate them for up to 2 weeks. 
  • You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
  • You can cover them with icing or leave them as they are. I suggest shredded coconut or cocoa, or melted sugar-free chocolate for older kids. You can also roll them in ground nuts or put some of your favourite nut butter on them. 
  • Improvise, play with the ingredients, and let your kids prepare them. Believe me, they’ll taste even better that way
  • The first version has no sweetener, but orange juice is sweet by itself. If you’re generally used to sweeter tastes, make the version with the dates. 
  • If you want them to have a gentler taste or less of an orange smell, don’t add any zest.
  • You can add cocoa if you love the combination of cocoa and orange.

I suggest you also try:

Quick, simple, tasty, nutritious, and so aromatic.

Prep Time10 mins

Ingredients for 20 energy balls
1st version
 80 g peanut butter
 80 g orange juice
 100 g oat flakes
 orange zest
  Tonka bean, grated (optional)
2nd version
 100 g Medjool dates
 70 g oat flakes
 40 g peanut butter
 40 g orange juice
 orange zest

For the 1st version
1

Mix the peanut butter, the orange juice, and the orange zest in a bowl with a whisk until homogenous.

2

Add the oat flakes and mix with your hand until homogenous.

3

Shape into balls.

4

Move the energy balls to the fridge for at least 4 hours.

For the 2nd version
5

Remove the pits from the Medjool dates.

6

Process the dates in the food processor thoroughly until pureed.

7

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until homogenous.

8

Shape into balls.

9

Move the energy balls to the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Ingredients

Ingredients for 20 energy balls
1st version
 80 g peanut butter
 80 g orange juice
 100 g oat flakes
 orange zest
  Tonka bean, grated (optional)
2nd version
 100 g Medjool dates
 70 g oat flakes
 40 g peanut butter
 40 g orange juice
 orange zest

Directions

For the 1st version
1

Mix the peanut butter, the orange juice, and the orange zest in a bowl with a whisk until homogenous.

2

Add the oat flakes and mix with your hand until homogenous.

3

Shape into balls.

4

Move the energy balls to the fridge for at least 4 hours.

For the 2nd version
5

Remove the pits from the Medjool dates.

6

Process the dates in the food processor thoroughly until pureed.

7

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until homogenous.

8

Shape into balls.

9

Move the energy balls to the fridge for at least 4 hours.

Orange energy balls

Το περιεχόμενο αυτού του blog αποτελεί πνευματική ιδιοκτησία της εταιρίας LITTLE HANDS BLW. Συνεπώς, ΑΠΑΓΟΡΕΥΕΤΑΙ κάθε αναδημοσίευση, αντιγραφή ή τροποποίηση του χωρίς την έγγραφη συγκατάθεση της εταιρίας. Εάν ενδιαφέρεστε για το περιεχόμενο του blog, μπορείτε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μας για να συζητήσουμε πως θα μπορούσαμε να συνεργαστούμε.