DIY for Dancers – Energy Bites

These energy bites combine natural fruit sugars and the protein of seeds & nuts to make a satisfying snack that can be thrown in a purse or dance bag. They’re a great, healthy alternative to pre-made snack foods but still have all of the convenience. These are great for day-long dance workshops or rehearsals when you might need a few calories between breaks. There’s no added/refined sugar and no caffeine so they help avoid the peaks & crashes caused by more typical energy boosting products available in stores.

Terri Roberts 3

Terri Roberts
Pink Dumbell Problem

This recipe has 2 parts. The 1st is a base recipe that can be used for all variations of energy bites. The 2nd is where the flavours come in. Make the base recipe the same way every time, change the flavourings to keep it interesting. For flavours you want to choose a mixture of nuts or grains, dried fruit, and spices and/or liquid flavours. You should aim for 1 to ¼ cups of dry ingredients to get the right texture.

Base recipe:

● ⅓ C, or 12 to 15, dried, pitted dates, finely ground

● 1C hulled pumpkin seeds (raw & unsalted) finely ground

● 1 tbsp coconut oil, room temperature

Combine all three ingredients in a food processor or electric food chopper. The dates will form a ball when they’ve been ground enough for this recipe. For a smaller food chopper you can grind each ingredient separately and combine in a large mixing bowl. A pastry dough blender works wonders for combining all of the ingredients quickly & thoroughly.

For the version pictured here, I used the following:

● 1/3C of freeze-dried strawberries, powdered

● 1/2C chopped pistachios

● 1 tsp ground cardamom

● 1 tsp rose water

When all of the ingredients are finely chopped/powdered and combined you can roll the mixture into balls or make fun shapes with silicone candy moulds. It is best to let the mixture sit overnight in the fridge so all of the flavours combine.

For size, I use approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture per ball, but that is an individual choice. I find this amount allows me to fit 6 bites in the travel snack container I like to use (see picture).

Some of my favourite combinations:

– Dried apples, walnuts, cinnamon & nutmeg (tastes like apple pie!)

– Dried peaches, vanilla, and pecans

– Dried banana chips, chocolate chips, and walnuts

Other Flavours:

– Dried/freeze-dried fruit

– Liquid extracts, emulsions, or flavour oils

– Dried & powdered herbs or spices

– Dried culinary flowers such as rose, lavender, hibiscus, or camomile

– Nuts (look fo low or no salt)

– Puffed grains (quinoa or rice for example)

– Seeds

– Freshly grated citrus zest

– If you’re ok with added/refined sugar & oils you can also consider baking ingredients such as chocolate chips.

In this version I used freeze-dried fruit because it does not add moisture to the overall recipe. Extra fruit moisture would make the recipe too wet and unable to be formed into individual bites. Depending on what flavours you use you may have to control for this. Dried fruit that is more gummy in texture might require adding more nuts or other dry ingredients to give the same consistency in the finished product. Using rosewater or other liquids (such as vanilla extract) means you may have to adjust the wet-to-dry ratios to get it right.

This recipe has a lot of room for individual preferences & experimentation, so please be adventurous and come up with something you really enjoy.

Let us know what you tried in the comment section below

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