My name is Colby Jones and I am addicted to peanut butter protein balls. The addiction started out innocently enough at Gregory’s Coffee in New York City. I had been eyeing the crunchy peanut butter balls every time I had walked in and finally ordered one. The first bite was pure heaven - crunchy, peanut buttery, a little sweet and...not terrible for you!
But, it was an expensive habit to keep up so I decided to make my own. The best part about these little balls is that they can be customized according to your taste. Swap out peanut butter for almond butter, dried cherries for a different dried fruit or leave out the dark chocolate chunks.
An important thing to note: these are not a low-calorie food! They’re meant to give you a solid mix of carbs, fat and protein to fuel a workout or get you over your afternoon slump. The serving size is only one ball. Personally, I usually have one 30-45 minutes before an hour-long workout to give me a boost.
When looking at the ingredients list, you may be asking yourself why I used two different types of peanut butter. This is purely a texture thing. The creaminess of the natural peanut butter combined with the thicker texture of Justin’s honey peanut butter helps the balls stay together as they melt. I’d recommend doing this with any nut butter you may use, but as I said, be creative in what you add. No matter what you try, it’s sure to be delicious.
Enjoy!
Serving: Makes 28-32 balls
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons Justin’s honey peanut butter
½ cup dried cherries
3 tbs dark chocolate chips, chopped
2 tablespoons raw honey
½ cup shredded coconut, sesame seeds or chia seeds
Directions
Mix oats, peanut butter, and honey together
Fold in cherries and dark chocolate
Roll into balls and dust with coconut, chia seeds or sesame seeds (helps keep their shape!)
Refrigerate and enjoy!
*I store them in a mini-muffin tin so they keep their shape and then just take them out as needed.