Energy Bites

Joe and I actually call these energy balls, but I thought you might be more inclined to read on if I labeled them as energy bites.  They're basically chewy homemade granola bites that you can customize with whatever fillers or flavors you want.  I'd seen a couple versions floating around throughout various blogs and decided to make them one day.  I've made them a couple times since then and they've been delicious every time.  We've actually stopped buying granola bars and just throw a couple of these in our lunches instead.  I'm thinking that white chocolate chips and some dried cranberries will be my next flavor combination.  I suggested to Joe that they'd be really great covered in chocolate, but he seems to think that would defeat the purpose of making a healthy snack.  I told him that dark chocolate was basically a health food.  Apparently we disagree on that fact.

Here's the basic recipe that you can adjust to make them the way you like:

Granola Energy Bites
1/2 c. peanut butter (or any other type of nut butter)
1/3 c. honey
1 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. coconut
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. other dry ingredients (mini chocolate chips, chopped nuts, ground flax, wheat germ, chopped dried fruit, etc.)

1. Mix peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a large bowl.
2. Mix oats, coconut and other dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

 
 3. Add dry ingredients to peanut butter / honey mixture and mix well.

4. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
5. Roll into balls and keep in an airtight container separated by wax paper.

I typically make a double batch which is a around 3-4 dozen, depending on how big you make them.  They keep in the fridge for a long time, but I bet you won't have to worry about them staying in there for too long :)  Enjoy and let us know if you come up with any really good mix-in ideas!