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These Raw Brownie Bites are simple no bake energy bites made with dates, walnuts, almonds and cacao powder.  Bowl of brownie bites with bottle of milk

No bake energy bites make a healthy snack for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.  They’ll also fix any chocolate hankerings you might have.  They’re made with all natural ingredients!  No refined flour or sugar, so you can eat all you want!!

round bowl of brownie bites with bottle of milk

ENERGY BITES RECIPE

These healthy energy bites are made with just 6 simple ingredients.

  • Medjool dates
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Cacao powder (we use cacao powder for this recipe, but you can cocoa powder instead)
  • Sea salt
  • Raw walnuts
  • Raw almonds

HOW TO MAKE ENERGY BITES

These energy bites come together in about 10 minutes start-to-finish.  

  1. Grind nuts.  Finely ground the almonds and walnuts in a food processor and set aside.
  2. Blend dates.  Process the dates in a food processor until they become paste-like.
  3. Add cacao. Add cacao powder, salt and vanilla extract to date mixture.
  4. Blend nuts and date mixture.  Add the chopped nuts to the date mixture and pulse to mix ingredients.
  5. Shape into round bites.  Using a small ice cream scoop – scoop the mixture and form into round bites with your hands.
  6. Toss in nuts.  Roll the brownie bites into the finely chopped nuts.
  7. Store in refrigerator.  I like to keep these chilled in the refrigerator, but it’s not necessary.

bowl of brownie bites with bottle of milk

I’ll throw a few of these Raw Brownie Bites into a baggie to carry in my purse so I have something to snack on while I’m on the run.  They’re also perfect when you’re in need of a chocolate fix!!

BENEFITS OF EATING DATES

Dates are rich with fiber and antioxidants, such as flavonoids, carotenoids and phenolic acid, all of which may help reduce inflammation, protect heart health, and reduce risk of macular degeneration (1) (2) (3)

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALNUTS

  • Walnuts are rich with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. (4) (5) (6) 
  • Anti-inflammatory benefits which may help reduce oxidative damage in the brain.
  • Consuming walnuts regularly may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels (the bad kind).
  • May help lower blood pressure

BENEFITS OF ALMONDS

  • Rich source of antioxidants (the richest concentration is found in the darker skin). (7) (8)
  • Touted that they may help lower blood sugar levels. 
  • May help lower blood pressure levels.
  • LDL cholesterol lowering benefits (the bad kind) (9)
  • Promotes satiating properties which aids with weight loss and healthy weight management. (10)

BENEFITS OF CACAO

  • Cocoa is one of the rishest sources of polyphenols and flavanols which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  It’s always best to purchase non-alkalized cocoa powder and dark chocolate containing more than 70% cocoa to maximize nutritional benefits.
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • May help lower blood pressure and reduce risk of heart attack and stroke.  (11) (12) (13)
  • Improves levels of nitric oxide in blood, which helps to relax and dilate arteries and blood vessels helping to improve blood flow (14)(15)
  • Helps to  lower LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) (16)
  • May help improve mood due to the flavanols and conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. (17)(18)(19)

CACAO POWDER VS COCOA POWDER 

So what’s the difference between cacao powder and cocoa powder?  The only real difference between Cacao powder and cocoa powder is that cocoa is processed at a much higher temperature losing some of its nutritional value, and it may often contain added sugar and dairy.  Both cacao and cocoa come from cacao plant beans.  Cacao powder is made from fermented beans that haven’t been roasted.  The beans are  processed at a lower temperature and then milled into powder  Cacao is a little more bitter tasting than cocoa and it is richer in nutritional properties than cocoa.  Cocoa beans are fermented and roasted and processed at a high temperature losing some of the nutritional value.  Cocoa typically has a less bitter taste than cacao.

MORE HEALTHY ENERGY BITES

Originally published 12.2015 – updated 10.2020

Round bowl of Raw Brownie Bites
Yield: 12-15 servings

Raw Brownie Bites

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

These Raw Brownie Bites are simple to make no bake energy bites. They're made with dates, walnuts, almonds and cacao powder.

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups medjool dates, seeds removed
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup cacao powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups whole walnuts, chopped  (plus 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts to roll the bites in as a finishing touch)
  • 1 cup raw unsalted almonds, chopped

Instructions

  1. Add the walnuts to the food processor and pulse until the nuts are chopped up. Pour nuts into bowl, separating out 1/3 cup, and set aside.
  2. Add the almonds to the food process and pulse until the nuts are chopped up. Pour nuts into bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the dates to a food-processor and blend until they become paste-like.
  4. Add the cacao, salt and vanilla extract.
  5. Add the chopped walnuts and almonds in food processor and pulse to blend mixture.
  6. Dump the mixture in a large bowl. Using an ice cream scoop - scoop the mixture and form into balls in your hands.
  7. Roll the brownie bites into the reserved 1/3 cup chopped walnuts for a finished look. Optional

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 6gSugar: 33gProtein: 7g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.

© Deborah
Cuisine: Healthy / Category: Dessert