Coconut Cranberry Granola Energy Bites

In the time it take you to grab a not-so-healthy snack, you could make these Coconut Cranberry Granola Energy Bites! Easily confused for a treat. You’ll love ’em.

This post is sponsored as part of Boulder Locavore’s ongoing partnership with Udi’s Gluten Free, exploring gluten-free recipes, health and wellness. 

I am a total drive-by snacker (please don’t judge)! Since I work at home and spend much time at the computer I tend to lose track of time. Suddenly, I’ll be famished and want to grab something fast. It tends to be something easy like a cheese stick; who am I kidding, multiple cheese sticks.

Somehow when it gets cold my great warm-weather devotion to smoothies, fresh fruits and vegetables goes out the window. Layer on the sweets of the holidays and I’m a goner.

I live in an uber healthy place. Women in yoga pants is almost a local uniform. People who DON’T ‘run’ are the anomaly. Smoothies, smoothie bowls, matcha powder, energy bars and energy drinks are what all the cool kids eat. I have made bars, like No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Bars  and Supersonic Peanut Butter Energy Bars. And I used to make Fall Spice Mini Muffins packed with chia and hemp seeds to give my kids more protein. But I’ve never made energy bites. Until now.

I love granola and after a long hiatus when becoming gluten-free my friends at Udi’s have saved the day with great flavors of gluten-free granola. However I’m a re-purposer at heart. I can’t resist taking something intended for one use and turning it into something else. That was the inspiration for this recipe: what else can I use granola for?

Thanks to that I came up with what is definitely my current favorite snack and my family’s too: Coconut Cranberry Granola  Energy Bites. Have you made energy bites or energy balls? I so wish someone would have told me they take 5 minutes and have so much more going on than the pounds of cheese I’ve been eating (no offense to cheese but these pack a punch of nutrients and energy fuel).

I really love texture in my food and one of the many things I love about these Coconut Cranberry Granola  Energy Bites is the ‘crunch’ thanks to the granola and coconut flakes on the outside. It’s a great compliment to the other creamy ingredients. For those not completely keen on coconut, they do not taste overwhelmingly coconutty, no worries.

The mix of almond butter, Udi’s Vanilla Granola, hemp seeds (chia seeds could also be used), honey and dried cranberries are a great flavor combo and they are mixed up in minutes in the food processor! Scoop them out with a small cookie scoop and you have perfect energy bites ready to roll in grated coconut. Keep them in a sealed container for snacking at home or on the go, after a workout or to send them to school with the kids! They are naturally sweet so taste like a treat too.

5 from 1 vote

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Coconut Cranberry Granola Energy Bites

In about 10 minutes you can whip up these tasty energy bites, a much more nutritious snack that processed foods can offer. Store them in a sealed container and watch them get gobbled up faster than you can imagine!

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword coconut cranberry energy bites, no bake energy bites

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 24 1-inch energy bites

Calories 133 kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

• 2 cups Udi's Gluten Free Vanilla Granola
• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (sweetened)
• 1/4 cup Hemp Hulls/seeds (or Chia Seeds)
• 1/2 cup Almond Butter
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Finely Shredded Coconut

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
2. Place all ingredients EXCEPT the coconut in the food processor and pulse until ingredients form a batter-type consistency.
3. Place the coconut in a small bowl. Scoop out enough of the mixture to form 1-inch diameter balls (a cookie scoop is perfect for this). Place the ball into the coconut and roll to cover (the balls will be sticky) and then onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to use all of the mixture.
4. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to allow the energy bites to chill and set. They should be stored in a sealed container.

Nutrition Facts

Coconut Cranberry Granola Energy Bites

Amount Per Serving

Calories 133 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6g 9%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 4mg 0%

Potassium 92mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 9g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 0.2%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 3.1%

Iron 5.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.