Today was the first day of my kids' spring break and I think I survived! My house did not..... when my kids are all home all day long, the house takes a beating. Mainly the kitchen. My kids become starving scavengers when they have a day off of school. Like, do they beg for this much food at school? Or just at home?
I am not even kidding you when I say that the cupboards, pantry and fridge were ransacked today. As crazy as it sounds, I actually felt lucky that I had all the ingredients for dinner still in the kitchen, haha 🙂
I knew I better make something for them to munch on and these monster cookie energy balls were the first thing that came to my mind. We love having these energy balls in the fridge to munch on during the week. We also make these steel cut oatmeal energy bites too. Try them both because they are so yummy.
One mixing bowl and 6 ingredients are all you need for the best treat to munch on or after school snack. Whole oats, peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, mini chocolate chips, and mini m&m's.
Mix everything together in one bowl and then shape into small balls. The recipe can yield as many or as little as you want, depending on the size of the balls you roll. I grab about a tablespoon and roll it into a ball and I usually get around 30 energy balls.
If you don't have the old fashioned oats then go ahead and substitute with quick oats. Although, you will not get that same hearty oat texture from quick oats. The texture will be different but they are still yummy!
The recipe calls for mini chocolate chips and mini m&m's and I really suggest using the mini versions of each. The mini size is much more compatible with the small size of the energy balls. But again, you can use the regular size as it will turn out just fine.
I like to place the rolled energy balls onto a small cookie sheet and then leave it in the fridge for about 30 minutes before letting the kids devour them! You can eat them without refrigeration but they will be softer.
Be sure and store the leftovers in the fridge. They're such an easy snack to grab n' go. Especially for the kids after school!
Tips for making monster cookie energy balls
- It will take a few minutes to mix everything together in the bowl. You want to make sure everything is combined together so that you don't get certain energy balls with big chunks of peanut butter or something 🙂
- The "dough" is sticky and your hands will get messy while rolling. The easiest thing to do is to spray your hands with cooking spray to help prevent some sticking. Or, you can place the "dough" in the fridge for about 15 or 20 minutes to make them less sticky and easier to roll into balls.
- Store any leftovers covered in the fridge.
- For some crunch use crunchy peanut butter.
- I have not tested this recipe with all natural peanut butter so I can't say for sure. But, give it a try as I am sure it will work fine.
- If you have a peanut allergy, use one of the many peanut butter alternatives instead.
- For best results use the mini sized versions of chocolate chips and m&m's.
- For the best texture use whole, old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats. But, quick oats may be used if needed.
Monster Cookie Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup mini m&m's
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Shape into balls, about 1" in size or whatever size you prefer. Place on a small cookie sheet or large plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Store leftovers covered in the fridge.
- ** if your hands are getting too sticky and messy, spray them with cooking spray to help prevent some sticking
Nutrition
Remember to PIN IT to PINETEREST!
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