We want to let you in on a little secret. These might look like unassuming energy bites but they’re not. They’re kind of exceptional (but shhh, don’t tell). Not only do they pack all of the flavors of Almond Joy inside (hello chocolate, coconut, almond!), but they also have the texture of a no-bake cookie. WE KNOW. It’s a big deal.
Oh, and did we mention they have an (optional but highly recommended) coconut butter GLAZE? Yes, we know. Also a big deal! The best part? Just 6 ingredients and a food processor required. SO easy! Let us show you how to make your new favorite healthier dessert or on-the-go snack!
How to Make Almond Joy Energy Bites
These energy bites start with pulsing medjool dates and coconut flakes in a food processor. While the dates provide binding and sweetness, coconut provides one of the classic Almond Joy elements.
Then we add almond butter and cacao powder to complete the trio of Almond Joy essentials. And a little vanilla extract and sea salt to further enhance the flavors.
A few more pulses in the food processor turns the mixture into a rollable, dangerously delicious dough.
All that’s (optionally) left to do is decorate the bites! Our favorite way is coating with a glaze of melted coconut butter and oil, then adding a roasted almond on top before the glaze hardens. Look at those beauties!
We hope you LOVE these energy bites! They’re:
Nutty
Chocolaty
Coconutty
Salty-sweet
Quick & easy
& SO delicious!
They’re the perfect snack or healthier dessert whenever you’re craving the magical combo of chocolate, coconut, and almonds! Store them in the refrigerator or freezer to have handy whenever an Almond Joy craving strikes.
Into Almond Joys? Try These Next:
- Almond Joy Stuffed Dates
- Almond Joy Granola
- Almond Meal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Coconut
- Almond Joy Nut Butter
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Almond Joy Energy Bites (6 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
ALMONDS (optional for topping)
- 12 whole roasted almonds
ENERGY BITES
- 15 medjool dates, pitted (~1 ½ cups packed or 270 g measured after pitting // if dry, soak in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry)
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
GLAZE (optional)
- 1/3 cup coconut butter
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- ROASTING ALMONDS: If topping your bites with almonds (optional), preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C) and place raw almonds on a small baking sheet. Place almonds in the preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes (be careful not to burn). Set aside for later use.
- BITES: To a food processor, add pitted dates and coconut flakes and pulse until well combined and only small chunks of date remain — about 1 minute.
- Add in the almond butter, cacao powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Pulse until everything is evenly combined. The mixture should be wet enough to stick together when you squeeze it but dry enough not to stick to your hands too much. If too dry, add more almond butter 1 Tbsp at a time. If too sticky, add more coconut flakes 1 Tbsp at a time.
- Scoop out 2-Tbsp amounts and use your hands to roll into balls. As original recipe is written, makes ~12 balls. Place balls on a parchment-lined plate or baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes, or until semi-firm to the touch.
- GLAZE: If using the optional glaze, prepare it while the bites chill. Add 1 inch of water to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and place the coconut butter and coconut oil in a small heat-proof bowl (we prefer glass). Carefully place the bowl on top of the saucepan with simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon, until melted and loose (~2 minutes). You can also melt the glaze in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments until melted.
- Remove bites from the freezer. Dunk each bite into the glaze and roll around until all sides are coated. Use a fork to tap off excess glaze, then transfer back to your parchment-lined plate or baking sheet. To reduce pooling, you can place glazed bites on a cooling rack set over the parchment-lined dish.
- If there’s any leftover glaze, either chill once more then coat again, or pour extra glaze into a silicone mold or cupcake liner, chill, and enjoy as a treat.
- Once all balls are glazed, option to place a roasted almond on each ball while the glaze is still wet. Leave them to set at room temperature or place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to harden faster.
- Enjoy right away or whenever you need a quick snack! Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Note that the coconut glaze can get soft at warm temperatures.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional glaze or almonds.
Kate says
Hi! I’ve seen many (if not most) of your recipes use medjool dates. Is there a specific reason for it? Could you use other dates, or even date paste instead? Thanks!
Hi Kate, we find medjool dates are the most sticky and have the best flavor. But other dates can work in a pinch!
Liz Murphy says
These bites were amazing! Rich, decadent and healthy. I have been gluten free and dairy free or almost a year now. and find desserts oftenh lack the richness of dairy versions. This recipe hits it out of park! I used slivered almonds, dried cranberries and oatmeal instead of coconut flakes. I also used almond extract instead of vanilla for extra flavor. The mixture was a little dry so I added 1/4 cup of coconut cream. Delicious! Didn’t even feel the need to glaze them but I will next time. Can’t wait to try the other flavors! Finding Minimalist Baker has made my eating life so much more enjoyable.
Aw, we LOVE that, Liz! Thank you so much for sharing! xoxo
sandra forte says
WOW…yummo!! The only thing I did wrong was not doubling….or even tripling… the recipe. So, so easy x
Haha, amazing! A good problem to have. Thanks for the great review, Sandra!
Geneva says
Made the recipe as is with the exception of subbing PB for almond butter – SO good. Tastes like a decadent choco-coconut truffle. Love the glaze for both flavor and making them less messy to eat and store ! Trying to eat more dates to induce labor and these are perfect!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed these, Geneva. Hope everything goes smoothly, and congratulations! :)
Jo says
I knew it was delicious when hubs almost devoured the dough before I could roll into balls. Toasted the coconut before processing to bring out the flavor and rolled balls in toasted coconut too! Next time will roll them in toasted crushed almonds!!
Comforting to know it’s healthy ….
Do you think some almond extract would work?
Thank you so very much.
Ooo we bet toasting the coconut made them even better! Almond extract sounds like a delicious addition too. Thank you for the lovely review, Jo! xo
Colleen Campbell says
I made these chocolate munchkin lookalikes and find them tasty for a “healthier” option.
However, I found them very taxing and tedious but think it may be because I doubled the recipe, forgot to pat dry the dates, used coconut shreds instead of flakes, and it was extremely difficult to pulse in the food processor. It was extremely thick and sticky so I had to constantly scrape the inside edges.
Once everything was combined, the rest was easy. I used a TBSP for each bite because I made them for a camping/hiking trip this weekend. We are all active and prefer to eat a big healthier. (We cheat)
Last thing was that after the final chilling on a glass plate in my fridge, I opened the door and the plate came flying out, shattering the plate and destroying a good 6 bites. Way too much work and time for me to make more though.
I’ll let you know what my group thinks and I love your recipes!!!
Hi Colleen! We hope you and your group end up loving the bites! In future it could be helpful to do the recipe in batches instead of trying to put the doubled ingredients in all at once, we also find that having super fresh soft dates makes it a lot easier to mix up. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
Ellie says
delish!! made exactly according to the recipe, only I didn’t do any glaze or roasted almonds.
Amazing! Thank you for the lovely review, Ellie! xo
Mary says
I just made these. They sounded like the perfect combination of everything I love: almonds, coconut, chocolate, nut butter… They are okay. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the proportions are off. After combining everything and blending, the mixture was really dry. I probably ended up using twice as much almond butter, and I still had to add a couple of tablespoons of water to make the mixture malleable. The taste is good, but not rock your socks amazing. FYI I don’t think my dates were too dry, and I used cacao powder, not cocoa powder. I rolled them in fine unsweetened coconut to up the coconut flavor.
Sorry to hear that was your experience, Mary! Were you using medjool dates? Is it possible your dates were on the smaller side and you needed more of them? We ask because we’ve made these so many times with success!
Renee L says
I made these last night and they were absolutely delightful! Mine may be a little sweeter because I had desiccated coconut shreds and I don’t think it was unsweetened but it still came out perfect. This is a nice and healthy way to get rid of that dreadful sweet tooth too. I’ll definitely be making these again. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Renee! Thank you for sharing! xo
Becky says
This was extremely easy to make and very delicious. I am a great follower of yours and I enjoy your recipes very much. I did put the Almond inside and it worked out great
Ooo – so fun! Thanks for the lovely review, Becky!
Christina says
I made these with regular dates, they came out alil tart, but beautiful!!
Is there anything I could use to sweeten them like agave nectar?
Hi Christina! What variety of date did you use? We like medjool here because they are always especially soft and sweet, but any date should work fairly well. Adding agave might work if you want more sweetness, but you will probably need to add more coconut or cocao to keep the texture thick enough. Hope this helps!
Leanne says
Love the “Almond Joy Energy Bites”. Easy and quick to make especially on a hot day when you want something sweet but don’t want to bake. My twist on them – I flattened each ball, let them chill. Then made an easy vegan granche (extra dark chocolate melted with almond milk), dipped each cookie in the granche and rolled them finely chopped almonds. Let chill and devoured! Super yummy!!
Ooo – sounds so delish! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Leanne! xo
Heather M says
Made this over the weekend and they are nearly all gone. I didn’t have almond butter so I used cashew butter (I know, it’s not really an almond joy in this case!) but it was truly amazing. I can’t wait to try with almond butter and see how it compares. Really delicious and easy (apart from the hard work done by my food processor!),highly recommend, ticks all the boxes.
Yay! We love to hear this. Thanks for the lovely review, Heather, so glad you enjoyed! xo
Kaitlin says
I’m obsessed with these!! Not only are these delicious (and about as close as to an Almond Joy as I think one could get with superfood, plant-based ingredients), I’ve also been trying to eat more fiber, and these are a scrumptious source of that. Will probably be keeping a batch around all summer!
Woohoo! We love to hear this, Kaitlin. Thanks for the lovely review and the 5 stars! Glad we’re not the only ones that are obsessed ;)
Rachel says
These are great! I made them without the coating for simplicity since it was kind of an impulse activity right before bedtime. I’m going to have to bring them to work so we don’t eat them all at once!
Woohoo! Thanks for the lovely review, Rachel. So glad you enjoyed! xo
sabrina says
These are delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. They taste like donut holes. Thank you :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Sabrina! xoxo
Melania Barrantes says
Super nice!!!
Add a dry fruit ( cranberry/ goji/golden berry / cherry) inside it’s soooo good!! Try it😘👍🏻
That sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing, Melania!
Danièle Kay says
For Almond Joy bites- is that ‘sweetened’ coconut?
Hi Danièle, we used unsweetened coconut. We’ll get that updated!
becky gribble says
Would I be able to put the whole almond inside the energy ball instead of outside?
Hi Becky, we didn’t test it that way, but it should work!
BECKY GRIBBLE says
Thank you. I will let you know how it works. I love your recipes.
xo!
Vasilisa says
this looks soooo goood!!!! do you think I could achieve the same consistency with my vitamix? I don’t have a food processor:(
Hi Vasilisa, we find dates can be a little tricky in a Vitamix. But if you chop them up first and then pulse, taking breaks and moving them around if the machine seems to be struggling, it might work! Let us know how it goes!