4-Ingredient snacking bliss is just 15 minutes away with these Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites. The perfect grab-and-go snack that will satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy and delicious way.
Updated on January 21, 2021. Originally posted on June 17, 2016.
Snacking at it’s finest with this no-bake energy bites recipe.
Are you searching for a new snack recipe? Whether you need a snack for you or the kids, this energy bites recipe is sure to become your favorite! With only 4 ingredients, 15 minutes, and the delicious flavors of cherry and dark chocolate these cherry chocolaty snack bites are the epitome of snack time.
When you’re looking for a quick and easy but also healthy snack option, grab this recipe and whip up a batch of these energy bites for your week’s snack box.
As you can imagine, we’re all about healthy and fast these days, and these energy bites fit that ticket splendidly. So we love whipping up a batch of these Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites and storing them in the pantry or the freezer for the afternoons when we need a quick snack. Our kids are loving these energy balls and we hope you will too!
These Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites are a homemade version of a popular snack bar known as ‘Larabars’.
4 ingredients + a food processor or blender and you’re on your way to easy DIY snack bar city with the added benefit of teeny, tiny chocolate chips and just enough sea salt to give it that sweet and salty thang we all love. Of course, you can leave the chocolate chips out if you want a Whole30-compatible version. Or add a scoop of two of our favorite collagen peptides to support healthy skin, joints, nails and hair and staying power.
Got kids? Awesome. Get them in the kitchen to help you roll these bad boys into little snack bites.
Or press them into a pan if you prefer bars – similar to larabars. Kids love getting their hands all sweet and sticky and studding the energy bites with the little chocolate chips that don’t quite get mixed all the way in. Or, eating them.
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Ingredients for these snack bites
Dates – medjool dates or deglet dates work equally well in this recipe
Dried cherries – we like organic dried cherries, but feel free to substitute dried cranberries in this dried cherry recipe if you are having a hard time getting your hands on dried cherries or looking for something a bit more budget-friendly
Almonds – raw almonds are typically what you want to use in a recipe such as this one
Sea salt – a tiny bit of salt brings out the sweetness
Chocolate chips – mini chocolate chips are great for this recipe – or any energy bite recipe for that matter
How to make these cherry chocolate no-bake energy bites recipe
- Put the dates, almonds, cherries and sea salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarse-fine and somewhat crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes and you may need to stop and scrape the bowl down.
- With the food processor still running, slowly add some of the water and continue to process (adding more water as needed) until the fruit and nuts form a ball.
- Turn off processor, stir chocolate chips into fruit and nut mixture using a spoon.
- Using your hands, roll mixture into balls or press into an 8×8-inch pan that has been lined with parchment paper for a homemade larabar.
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Do you need a food processor to make this recipe
A food processor is going to work best because this recipe requires the break down of nuts – a hard task to complete.
If you have a high-powered blender, that could also work. You will likely have to scrape the sides down every few seconds when making these chocolate cherry bites. If you’re looking to add a food processor to your kitchen, we recommend an 8 cup food processor or 9 cup food processor which will work for most recipe needs.
Can you freeze these little cherry bites
Yes, these dried cherry chocolate energy bites are freezer-friendly. After rolling the bites out, place in a freezer-friendly bag or container with a lid and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to store cherry chocolate energy bites
After the energy bites are rolled out, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
More energy bites like this:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Energy Bites
What’s your go-to, simple snack recipe? Leave a comment below and share your favorite snack ideas for busy families.
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Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites
These Cherry Chocolate Energy Bites are super-simple and are a budget-friendly alternative to more expensive store-bought fruit and nut bars.
Ingredients
- 10 pitted medjool dates (or 20 deglet dates)
- 1 cup dried cherries, preferably organic
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 2–3 tsp. water
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Put the dates, almonds, cherries and sea salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture is coarse-fine and somewhat crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes and you may need to stop and scrape the bowl down.
- With the food processor still running, slowly add some of the water and continue to process (adding more water as needed) until the fruit and nuts form a ball.
- Turn off processor, stir chocolate chips into fruit and nut mixture using a spoon.
- Using your hands, roll mixture into balls or press into an 8×8-inch pan that has been lined with parchment paper.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Notes
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 Bite
- Calories: 135
- Fat: 7g
- Sodium: 48mg
- Carbohydrate: 16g
- (Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 12g)
- Protein: 3g
Dietary
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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Could you substitute Cacao nibs for the chocolate chips in these? That would cut the sugar grams and carbs, but would that change the texture too much?
I think you could definitely substitute cacao nibs. Let us know how they turn out!
If I do not have a food processor, would a blender work for this recipe?
believe a blender will work though you may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the blender container to keep the fruit/nut mixture in the blades.
I made these tonight and they are delicious! My food processor processed much faster than the 5 mins and I mistakenly added the chocolate chips to the food processor with all the rest of the ingredients minus water, and they still turned out so temptingly tasty. I really had to force myself to stop eating after just one! So yummy. These are a great alternative to the expensive bites at the grocery store.
Hi there! So great to hear your enjoyed these energy bites!
What can I sub for the dates? Dried prunes??? Dates are too expensiive. I live on SS.
Hi Beverly,
You could try using prunes (dried plums) in place of the dates though they may be a bit softer or stickier than if you use dates. Personally, I’d be more inclined to use part prunes and part apricots if that’s in your budget.
Are the cherries unsweetened?
If you can find unsweetened cherries, those will definitely work. But most brands are sweetened so that’s what we used.