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A recipe for a nut-free, gluten-free, Paleo snack that your kids can take to school or you can eat after a workout!
Here I am again with yet another snack ball recipe.
Seriously, I'm obsessed.
They are just the easiest things! They usually take less than 10 minutes to make, require no cooking or baking, and can be customized with a gazillion different flavors.
We make my Tropical Snack Balls quite often but sometimes you just want that chocolate/peanut butter kinda taste.
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Since peanut butter is a no-no on Paleo (peanuts are technically a legume, not a nut), we typically either use almond butter or sunflower seed butter (Sunbutter) as a replacement.
These days many schools request that kids bring in nut-free snacks because so many children have nut allergies, so a lot of times we use Sunbutter to get around that, yet still get the nut butter kinda taste and feel.
I honestly think Sunbutter tastes a lot like peanut butter so it's a great replacement for it anyway. So these avoid many of the common allergens like nuts, dairy, and gluten.
These snack balls literally are: throw ingredients in a food processor. Process. Form into balls. Eat. Does it get easier than that?
Some situations snack balls are perfect for:
- at school snacks
- after school snacks
- after workout or game snacks
- mid-hike, mid-ski, mid-bicycle ride, mid-soccer game, mid-any game snack
- travel food (road trip, for an airplane ride, etc)
- just need a snack snack
- store in the fridge at work in case you need a snack snack
See how versatile these things are? Sorry if I am the gateway to your newest obsession… Could be worse things, right?
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Chocolate Sunbutter Snack Ball Recipe
If you make this snack balls, I'd love to hear how they turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!
Chocolate Sunbutter Snack Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dates (pitted (approx 8 dates))
- 2 tbs Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 cup Sunbutter (or Almond Butter)
- 1/2 cup Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut
- 2 tbs Mini Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life brand is dairy- and soy-free)
Instructions
- Process the dates in a food processor until they come into a ball.
- Add the cocoa powder, Sunbutter, and shredded coconut and then process again until it comes into a ball.
- Pulse in the mini chocolate chips to incorporate them.
- Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and serve or refrigerate until needed.
Notes
Nutrition
I skimmed through the comments but didn’t see any comments from people who actually tried this recipe. Well I just did and love it! I find the quantity (and type) of dates mentioned very ambiguous as it varies quite a lot. I decided to use some random soft dates, 1/2 cup of them Packed, and I omitted the chocolate chips, otherwise kept the recipe the same. The taste is delicious and the recipe leaves room for some fun experimentation.
I’m glad you liked them! I’ve tried several types of dates and they all seem to be about the same amount (about 8 dates) for me, but maybe you’ve found some much smaller ones? Glad it worked out for you though.
Perfect for the kiddos lunch boxes! Yum!
So simple and another recipe I going to make for school lunches! Thanks friend
I love that these have sun butter in them! I must make them soon!
mmmMMMmmm! I know my son will LOVE these in his lunch box!