It is no secret that I have been having tons of fun with my food processor making energy bars and chocolately treats.  I had some leftover dates in the fridge, so I was excited to try out some new RAW recipes.  I started off simple making Chocolate Covered Katie’s famous Fudge Babies, but instead of cocoa powder, I subbed in this tasty superfood.

 

 

I also used a walnut/cashew mix for the nuts.

 

 

Wow, these guys made quite a mess in my kitchen.

 

 

But it was totally worth it.  I must admit, I wasn’t sure if this dough would come together.  I checked it out after a few minutes in the food processor, and it was still really crumbly.  I considered adding in some agave, but instead scraped the sides down and turned the processor back on.  A few minutes later, I had what I was looking for.  A thick, rich, sticky dough.

 

 

That I could roll into dessert bites.

 

 

You’ll notice that these balls are super shiny.  I’m not sure what happened there.  It may be because I kept them in the food processor too long.

 

 

But not to worry, I don’t think it impacted their taste.  I placed the balls immediately in the freezer, and I look forward to snacking on them throughout the week. 

 

 

Even after this recipe, I had a few dates left.  I was feeling adventurous and thinking about the amazing Gingersnap Larabar I had last weekend when I spotted this recipe on Katie’s site.  I know that I am not creative enough to make these adorable little gingerbread people, but I can roll a mean energy bite.  I decided to throw in a little pumpkin too.

 

 

Sadly, things just didn’t blend together like I would have hoped, but with all of the incredible spices, it tasted sooo good.  I tried adding a few sticky additions to help pull this into a dough, but no such luck.  I couldn’t abandon it completely.  Not because I don’t like failure (it happens quite a bit in the kitchen) but because it tasted like the kind of bar you want to be eating.  I was about to dig out a pan when I spotted this adorable pumpkin.

 

 

With nothing to lose, I threw the mixture into the fridge.  Who knows? I could end up with the perfect pumpkin shaped power bar!

 

 

No such luck!  Just a pile of good tasting mush!

 

 

 

 

I’ll keep working on this recipe and get back to you!  Feel free to link me any other fun energy bite recipes too!

I also wanted to follow up after this morning’s Home Workout.  I had so much energy all day and was seriously in the best mood. I think this was a good lesson about how 15 minutes of exercise in the morning is worth getting up a few minutes early.  And, my pecs are definitely sore from the burpees and pushups.  Hooray!  Speaking of hooray, I have just a few hours left of work before Thanksgiving.  Can you tell that I am psyched?!  Hip, hip hooray!

 

 

 

Fudge Babies

From Chocolate Covered Katie

 

1 c walnuts (120 grams)

1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (220 grams)

1 tsp vanilla extract

optional: 1/8 plus 1/16 tsp salt

3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder (I used 3 T Cacao)

 

Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor.  Be patient and wait for everything to start sticking together.  Roll into little balls. (Use plastic wrap if you wish, or smush it all together in a plastic bag so it’ll stay together better.) Or, if you want true brownies, shape the dough into bars!  You can also use this as a pie crust.