Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
Homemade Lara Bars
One of my all-time favorite snacks to make is one of my homemade Lara Bar recipes. Whether it's the Coconut Cream Pie version or the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip kind, I love them. They're easy, can be eaten on the go, and are full of healthy fats and no refined sugar. Winning!
With pumpkin season upon us, I was itching to make a pumpkin pie version of my favorite snack. These Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls are exactly what I had in mind.
How Do I Make These?
They are made with super simple ingredients including pecans, dates, coconut, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin spices. They pretty much taste like pumpkin pie in one healthy little ball.
I wasn't sure if Lars would like these Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls, given Marc's lack of enthusiasm for pumpkin treats. To my delight - he loved them! I'm pretty sure he had four of them in one sitting for a snack one day. That's more than I would eat! That's okay, though - with clean ingredients, I'm fine with him eating all of the Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls that he wants.
The two of us gobbled these up, as a post work-out snack, a post-nap snack, and even as a quick breakfast a couple of days!
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups pitted dates ~20 dates
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large food processor, add pecans and coconut, and pulse until in very small pieces.
- Add dates, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt, and pulse until a sort of batter forms. I had to stop and scrape the edges down a couple of times.
- Scoop the mixture into approximately 2 tablespoon sized balls.
- Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Transfer all extras to to an airtight container and refrigerate.