I made you some spicy hot chocolate. In the form of balls.
Perfectly sweet, fudgy, nutty, spicy bites of ohmygawd.
Who wants hot chocolate in the middle of spring anyway? Is that even allowed? Oh wait– it’s not hot out. It’s not even warm out. One day it’s 80 degrees and the next day it’s 45. Mother nature is so confusing….so I made you balls, naturally.
I call these bites, but they’re actually more like two bites. Call them what you will. The bottom line is that they taste like a cross between a raw brownie and a truffle. Because they’re sweetened with agave (or pure maple syrup) instead of the usual dates, they don’t have the “i-wanna-taste-decadent-but-let’s-be-real-I-don’t” factor.
I wanted a raw snack similar to a Larabar, except smaller and more chocolately. Walnuts are the perfect pairing for chocolate in balls such as these. They have a richer, more neutral flavor than almonds that goes fabulously with the cocoa powder. Want the skinny? Each ball weighs in at just under 80 calories, four grams of sugar, four grams of heart-healthy plant fats, two grams of fiber AND two grams of protein. Boom shaka laka!
This little ball packs quite the nutritional punch! Have one as a pre-workout boost, or two for a mid-afternoon snack. Or make a few bars out of them instead. Or a pie crust. Go crazy! Just promise that you won’t skip the cayenne. All you need is a tiny pinch for a touch of heat. It’ll give your metabolism a little boost, too. How fabulous!
Mexican Hot Chocolate Bites
Prep Time:
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp agave or pure maple syrup
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend walnuts for a couple minutes or until they reach the texture of walnut butter.
- Add the oats, flaxseed, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and pinch of cayenne. Blend for about a minute, or until thoroughly combined.
- Add agave and blend until combined.
- Form into 7 balls. You can roll balls in cocoa powder if desired.
- Store in the refrigerator.
You’re gonna go nuts over these. But seriously.
these are AWESOME! I used the mixture as a crust for an avocado chocolate mousse torte concoction and it was amazing. Thanks for the inspiration!
★★★★★
That sounds incredible!!
I didn’t have walnuts on hand so I had to omit them because although I had cashews, I knew they wouldn’t have the same effect. After all, walnuts and chocolate do make a lovely combo. I followed this recipe to the T otherwise and these chocolate bites turned out scrumptious. They definitely satisfied my chocolate craving. After eating two, I then put the remaining ones in the fridge and after a few minutes, polished them off. The mixture yielded about 5-6 for me and the only modification on my part was adding a few splashes of water for added moisture since for some reason they weren’t moist enough to combine fully. Thanks again for posting this.
Hey, Beth! Cashews sound like a great substitution. I’m so glad you enjoyed them! They’re pretty addicting 🙂
These hot chocolate bites sound soooooo good! Pinning this one!
Thanks, Holly! They’re pretty yummy 🙂
what a great recipe. love that this is so healthy, i have to make walnut butter, and all the nut butters, I’ve only made almond so far. speaking of almond, i mentioned you on my blog. on Friday’s Favorites. thanks for introducing me to TJ’s Almond Butter – good stuff!!! 🙂
Thanks, doll! So glad to hear you’re loving the almond butter. Isn’t it addicting??
Whoa.. these look awesome!! The texture looks like perfection, I don’t think it’s an option for me not to make these. Can’t wait to have them in my mouth.. not in a weird way, in a these look so yummy kind of way!!
Haha thanks, Alissa! You bette make ’em 🙂
Yes please 🙂
Alexis! I just made chocolate energy bite thingys yesterday! And now I wish I put some cayenne in them… 😉
Yummm! Cayenne adds the best kick 🙂
this look awesome! and perfect for a little pre-workout snack!
Definitely! I had one before my workout yesterday! And one after…
These sound super duper tasty, and I love that they are raw!! Thanks for sharing :).
Thanks, Hannah! I love raw snacks 🙂
Nuts…ballls…oh how I am resisting the itch to throw in a few “That’s what she said” lines ;)! I am all for more chocolate so these sound great….and even better than Larabars. The latter are great but I personally find their calorie count a bit much for what they actually are- I’d rather have nuts in their raw state!
Ya, I had to resist quite a few urges when I was writing. I agree that larabars can have quite a high calorie price tag for such an itty bitty bar!
These look so delicious! Are they hard enough to roll out into bars?
Hey, Angela! Yep–they could definitely be made into bars. It would probably make 3ish bars, but you could always double the recipe! And keep them in the fridge 🙂
Ahh, get out of my head! I was totally thinking about making something like this too. These look awesome–now I really can’t wait to make them! 😀
You have to try them, Kiersten! They’re like little bites of chocolate heaven–with a kick!