Gingerbread Energy Bites
These little gingerbread energy bites are the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. You’ll love this holiday-inspired recipe!
Thanks to my friends at Made With Local for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
We love a good protein bite around here. And it’s fun to experiment with different flavour combinations throughout the year too, and what better flavour to bring out for the holidays than gingerbread! Gingerbread is like a big holiday hug to me, so these energy bites are one of my current go-tos between meals.
The importance of snacks
As a dietitian, I know the importance of snacks, especially when it comes to kiddos. Kids require eating opportunities every 2-3 hours during the day, and snacks are an important way to fill nutritional gaps between meals. As adults, it really depends – we’re all unique when it comes to snacks. If you’re eating intuitively, you’ll know what your body needs and that might mean that sometimes your body requires a snack between meals. For me, it really depends on the day, what I’ve eaten at meals, how active I am etc. Lots of factors!
Regardless, if you do find yourself needing some sustenance in between meals, energy bites like these are perfect. They’re nutritious, portable, easy, mess-free (for the most part), and fun to eat!
How to make these gingerbread energy bites
In all of my protein and energy ball recipes, I include a nice balance of protein-rich ingredients as well as fibre-rich ingredients to help keep tummies satisfied and energy levels stable. Most often, I use an oat base (in this case I used Made with Local’s Granola Bar Mix!). I like using Made with Local’s mixes for energy bites for many reasons – they are so easy to use (throw the whole package in as the base!), and contain nutritious ingredients like oats, seeds, dried fruit and coconut. I love that they are a women-led local business as well!
I then add in a nut or seed butter, a bit of sweetness (from honey or maple syrup usually), some extra seeds like hemp, chia or flax, and then sometimes chocolate chips. In this particular recipe, I added in some molasses, gingerbread spices and candied ginger (my fave).
If you’re sending to school, make sure that you’re using a nut-free butter like Sunbutter or wowbutter, and if you want to cut the sugar a bit, you can decrease the amount of maple syrup (although I don’t add a whole lot to begin with!).
If you’re a gingerbread fan like me, you’ll love this energy ball recipe. Enjoy!
Gingerbread Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Made with Local Original Goodness Granola Bar Mix
- ½ cup peanut butter or other nut/seed butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1/3 cup hemp hearts
- 1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp cloves
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients (except for chopped candied ginger) in a food processor.
- Mix in candied ginger once blended smooth.
- Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a lined cookie sheet
- Chill for at least 15 minutes prior to serving
Sarah Remmer, RD, is a registered dietitian and mom of three, specializing in family and pediatric nutrition. She’s the founder of Centred Nutrition Collective and has nearly 20 years of experience helping families feel confident about feeding their kids.
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