Vegan peanut butter protein ball recipe
Our wild and woolly nature reserve, here at Honeybuns bakery HQ, received some overdue TLC this weekend. Armed with secateurs, shears and a hand saw, I got stuck into clearing plenty of dead wood and debris. Removing brambles, by tracing them back to their roots and pulling them out is weirdly therapeutic I find!
Such all day physical shenanigans called for a nutritious picnic lunch. The Spring weather was just too lovely to eat indoors. Instead, I set off to the woods with a flask of tea, Hoola Hoops (dirty treat), bunch of grapes and some fab, home made power balls. One ball for pudding and another to combat the inevitable afternoon energy slump.
POWER BALL RECIPE
These no bake beauties are packed to the rafters with protein, good fats and no added sugar. For my working lunch I kept things simple and omitted the white chocolate topping, but if you fancy making them look super pretty I’ve included the extra ingredients and method in the following recipe.
These healthy protein balls are perfect for:
- Healthy Breakfasts on the go
- Low sugar picnic snacks
- Easy to make lunch box treats
- Quick, no fuss desserts
- Tea breaks whilst gardening, cycling, hiking, or to beat the afternoon slumps
This recipe will make 15 balls.
The gluten and dairy free store cupboard ingredients you need:
The gluten and dairy free store cupboard ingredients you need:- 400g peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter you prefer. Check out the Pip & Nut range).
- 135g gluten free oats (or try using a gluten free and dairy free granola or muesli). If you wish to make this oat free, try using rice flakes.
- 120g dark chocolate gluten free and vegan drops. We love Doisy and Dam’s vegan dark chocolate buttons.
- 1½ tsp cinnamon (this is optional. I love this spice. You can try adding orange zest, freeze dried raspberries, ground ginger, a teaspoon of vanilla-..whatever takes your fancy for an additional pop of flavour).
For the vegan white chocolate topping you’ll need:
- 120g vegan and gluten free white chocolate (try Moo Free), plus extra 20g for decorating.
- 2-3 tbsp freeze dried raspberries (strawberries, raspberries and cranberries will all look good).
- 1-2 tsp beetroot powder or beetroot juice powder. The latter is a bit sweeter (buywholefoodsonline.co.uk do great value packets of this magical natural colouring)
- Edible glitter (Sugar Flair do great pump sprays of vegan glitter link)
- Cocktail stick or similar skewer
STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO ASSEMBLE YOUR HIGH PROTEIN, PEANUT BUTTER SNACKS
TO MAKE YOUR BALLS
Leave aside the topping ingredients and pop everything else into a mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, tumble everything together until combined. I find this is far easier doing by hand.
Divide your dough into approximately 15 pieces and roll into balls, approximately table tennis ball sized.
TO MAKE YOUR TOPPING
Melt the vegan white chocolate either in a microwave or use the bains marie method.
Microwave Place the chocolate in a microwavable bowl and then into the microwave, on full power, for 30 seconds at a time. Stir vigorously and repeat until melted. It’s really easy to burn though, so try and stir the lumps away rather than overheating. It should take 1 minute to melt
Bains Marie Place a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Pop the chocolate into the bowl and leave to melt. This will take 2-3 minutes.
Divide your melted chocolate into 2 bowls. To one of the bowls add some beetroot powder, add ¼ tsp to start, stir well and add more until you get the desired colour. We opted for a dark pink.
Skewer your peanut balls with a cocktail stick and dip into the white or pink chocolate and swirl until fully coated.
Set the protein balls out on greaseproof paper and finish decorating them. This is best done before the chocolate sets so your decorations stick on.
We opted for sprinkles of bright pink freeze dried raspberries plus a couple of white chocolate buttons and a cheeky spritz of finishing sparkle from sugar flair.
HANDY TIPS & INFO
- Short on time? Forget the white chocolate coating and simply drizzle with dark molten chocolate.
- Dried fruits, chopped nuts and toasted seeds can all be added to the mix for extra taste, texture and vitamins.
- Try adding dried or crystallised flower petals as an extra posh topping.
- Plan ahead by making the balls and freezing them. Toppings can be added once thawed.
- Your protein balls will last for one week in the fridge. Wrap in a vegan waxed fabric to prevent them drying out.
- If your dough is too sticky to handle, pop in the freezer for 5 minutes or in the fridge for 20 minutes to chill.
Looking for more lunch box inspiration?
Do let us know how you get on with the recipes. We’d love to see you pics.
Em x
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