February 2, 2018
My Mom used to make a simple little treat called a frying pan cookie. It was sugar, egg, and dates cooked in a frying pan, then mixed with coconut and Rice Krispies and rolled into balls. I remember her hating to clean up the frying pan that was a sticky mess. As a child, I loved those cookies but I agree, the process was a bit messy.
My version of the frying pan cookie doesn’t involve the sticky frying pan. In fact there is no cooking involved! They are made with the assistance of my trusty food processor and I use a tiny ice cream scoop to shape them into balls. I think back on how much time and energy Mom spent in the kitchen preparing food. It sure would have been nice if she’d had the help of a machine like this.
My little energy nuggets, though inspired by Mom’s frying pan cookies, are quite different. I’ve added a couple of ingredients to give them a nutritional punch and a bit more crunch! One of these, which wasn’t readily available – if even heard of – until fairly recently, is cacao nibs. These are simply chocolate in its purest form. They are dried and fermented bits of cacao beans and have a texture similar to that of roasted coffee beans.
The other optional ingredient in my nuggets is a greens powder mix. There are a number of different brands and combinations of these nutritional supplement mixes (designed to be used as drinks or shakes) found in health food stores or equivalent sections of large grocery chain stores. I happened to have a jar of it on hand and decided to add a bit to this recipe just to feel less guilty about eating them!
This is fast and easy recipe to make. They are a great finger food for children and adults, in lunches or potluck dinners. And no one will ever guess that they are gluten free. But one word of warning – they tend to have a short shelf life. Not because they don’t keep well, but because people can’t keep their hands out of the cookie can!
Energy Nuggets
Recipe
Serving: 30 Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dates pressed down
- 1 Cup Walnut pieces
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Cup Cocoa or carob powder
- 1/4 Cup Liquid raw honey
- 1/3 Cup cacao nibs. dried fruit, or nuts
- 1 Cup Krispie rice cereal or granola – gluten free
- 1 Tablespoons Macro Greens super food powder (GF) optional
Coatings
- Coconut – Shredded
- Cocoa powder
- Sesame seeds
- Almonds, peanut, or cashews ground
- Hemp hearts
Instructions
- Put the dates, walnuts, cocoa powder, and vanilla into a food processor. Blend until ingredients begin to clump together.
- Put this mixture into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well by hand. Mixture should stick together when formed into a ball. If it is too dry, add a little more honey.
- Roll into balls about tablespoon size. (Or a #40 scoop).
- Roll balls in your choice of coatings listed above.
- Best stored in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
