Cocoa Power Bites

 

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Whew!  Lately it feels like I can't even catch my breath for being so busy.

Soccer games!

Swim practices!

Working!

Book and Blog Promotion!

Cleaning the house (well... not so much)!

Not to mention, all of the other day-to-day wife, mother, and friend stuff.  All good stuff, to be sure, but still a whirlwind.

It's easy to overindulge when you're busy and you have the excuse of lovely holiday treats only temporarily available.  (Though, really, what's stopping you from having a pumpkin pie in February?)

What to do?

Snack on something that only feels decadent, but really provides a bunch of good, healthy fuel to help get you through the day.

I have been obsessively thinking about using date paste as a sweetener, but I'd never tried it in a recipe that I created.

(I have also been thinking about cooking radishes for the past year and a half or so; a lovely salad will be posted later this week if I can get the photos off of Evan's camera.)

Back to my date-paste fixation.  Yesterday, I was wasting time looking around on the Internet instead of dusting when I started reading about a cocoa no-bake cookie that used quick oats.  It also had a stick of butter, peanut butter and lots of sugar.  It was a starting point.

The end point is a yummy, soft, not-too-sweet treat that can be a welcome addition to a lunch box, make a tasty afternoon snack, or give a little after-workout boost.  I did my best dressing them up for the photo, but in all honesty, these bites are not great looking!  You might improve their appearance by pressing them into a square baking pan and trying to cut them into squares, but if you don't mind their homely appearance, you can just drop them onto waxed or parchment paper like I did.

We shared this recipe as part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Allergy Friendly Fridays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, and Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love.  I also shared this recipe with Wellness Weekends.  Please check out the other recipes.

Cocoa Power Bites

Makes approximately 18

Ingredients:

1 cup medjool dates

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/4 cup rice milk or coconut drink

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (I used chunky.)

1 1/2 cups gluten-free quick-cooking oats

Preparation:

Remove pits from dates. Push down into measuring cup until measuring 1 cup.  (Approximately 10-14 dates.)

In a food processor, puree dates and water together until it forms a smooth paste.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine date paste, cocoa, coconut oil and rice milk, stirring continuously 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, and mix in vanilla, sunflower seed butter and oats.

Drop batter by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper.

Chill in refrigerator at least one hour.

Transfer bites to a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Bites should keep for one week.

Happy Cooking!

Kim

Find other tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen and Gluten-free Vegan Recipes.