Brownie Energy Bites

With summer upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to post this healthy snack. These rich dark chocolate goodies taste sweet and indulgent while still being healthy. I got this recipe from the January/February edition of Cooking Light magazine, and I believe they did an awesome job with these delicious brownies. Give them a try and see for yourself! Eating healthy can be a delicious thing.

Bon Appetit!

Tips:

When rubbing the skins off the hazelnuts, I place several hazelnuts between the palms of my hands and rub back and forth. The skins come right off!

Preparation time is 40 minutes. Chill time is 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole hazelnuts
12 whole Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
2/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread nuts on a small rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes, stirring once. Cool 10 minutes. Rub off skins. Reserve 20 hazelnuts. Pulse remaining hazelnuts in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer chopped nuts to a small bowl.

Pulse dates in food processor until almost paste-like. Add almond butter, cocoa, 2 tablespoons water, vanilla, and salt; process until well combined. Turn mixture onto a sheet of wax paper; divide into 20 equal portions. Roll each portion around 1 whole hazelnut to form a ball. (Mixture will be oily.) Roll each brownie ball in chopped hazelnuts to coat. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Serves 20. Calories: 111, Fat: 7g, Protein: 3g, Carb: 12g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g.