Healthy Cookie Dough Bites

 
Mmmmm cookie dough. Full of sugar and raw eggs and indigestible flour.

I've been in need of snacks that are high in protein and easy to grab and eat. You know, for middle of the night "oh crap I'm hungry!" attacks. And I've had a sweet tooth that I'm trying to indulge healthfully. :) So I was pretty pumped when I found this recipe for cookie dough sans white flour and loads of sugar. I adapted it to make it even healthier, and all I can say is...next time I'm making a double batch.

I made these using soaked and dried nuts and oats, which are lower in phytic acid and therefore have more available nutrients.

It may seem like a lot of work to soak and dry the nuts and oats. If you were doing it just for this recipe, then it would be a lot of work. I prefer to soak and dry nuts and oats in large batches (perhaps 8 cups or so) to keep on hand whenever I need them (for baking, snacking, granola bars, etc.). If you already have them prepped, this recipe is very quick to put together.


Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
ingredients:

2/3 c. crispy almonds
2/3 c. crispy walnuts
2/3 c. soaked and dried oats
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8. t. salt
1 t. vanilla
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. honey
3 T. dark chocolate chips (I want to try making homemade ones!)

method:
Grind nuts, oats, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor to make a meal. (My food processor isn't very powerful, so mine wasn't quite a "meal." But they still taste great and have a nice crunch.)

Add vanilla, oil, and honey and pulse until it comes together. Add chocolate chips and pulse again to distribute.

Roll into balls (a cookie scoop and wet hands are useful), and place on a piece of parchment on a plate or cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm (an hour or so). Move the cookie dough bites to an airtight container in fridge or freezer. Try not to eat them all right away.

What's your go-to protein-packed slightly indulgent snack?

This is part of Monday Mania, Weekend Gourmet, Fat Tuesday, and Whole Foods Wednesday.