It probably doesn’t need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway… These peanut butter energy balls are simply delightful. It’s hard to go wrong when mixing together peanut butter, coconut, honey, and dark chocolate!

That being said, these aren’t your average peanut butter protein balls recipe. I’ve tried many variations of this recipe over the course of the last few years, and this combo is my absolute favorite. These peanut butter snack balls have the perfect level of sweetness, delicious flavor, and excellent texture.

The other winning feature about this healthy protein ball recipe is the ground flax seed. If you’ve read some of my recipes, you’ll know by now that I LOVE nuts and seeds. Ground flax seed is an especially amazing seed due to the relatively high amount of fiber, protein, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids that it contains.

Interestingly enough, there is some evidence that ground flaxseed is better for you than whole flax seed because it’s easier to digest. Since this recipe uses ground flaxseed rather than whole flaxseed, you’ll be able to maximize all the nutritional benefits of this awesome little seed!

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST PROTEIN BALLS

As I’ve mentioned previously, it’s really hard to mess up this recipe. As long as you don’t forget an ingredient, these will undoubtedly be delicious. Afterall, we’re talking about peanut butter and chocolate!!

However, my one piece of advice to take these protein balls to the next level is to buy QUALITY ingredients. In particular, I mean buy quality peanut butter and quality chocolate chips. Quality peanut butter will influence the taste of the whole dish because peanut butter is the base of the protein ball. Additionally, you can buy any type of chocolate chips you’d like, but if you spend the extra few dollars to buy GOOD chocolate, you will definitely reap the benefits.

SERVING IDEAS

As a DESSERT (both in ball form or bowl-of-cookie-dough form)

As a SNACK (grab and go!)

As a BREAKFAST (oats, natural sweetening, healthy fat, fiber!)

STORAGE

This recipe makes 24 protein balls, which goes pretty quickly at my house. Sometimes I won’t even bother rolling these into balls because I’d rather just plop a big scoop of the mixture into a bowl and start eating. Wade refers to this as the “get-in-my-belly” reasoning.

That being said, these do store really well if you don’t end up eating them all in one day :) If you’re planning on finishing off the batch in a week, you can store the balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

If you’re looking for a longer storage plan for this recipe, peanut butter protein balls store really well in the freezer. This is my preferred method of storage because I can make a double (or triple batch of these) and keep them stocked in my freezer all month! I usually roll the dough into ⅛ cup balls and place the balls in an air-tight plastic container with a lid. You also have the option of storing these in a plastic bag in the freezer.

When you’re wanting to snack on some frozen protein balls, pull out a few and microwave for 20-30 seconds. This will soften the frozen protein balls and let the chocolate get a little melty.

Result: some gooey chocolatey goodness. It always reminds me of a warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven, BUT without all that sugar and butter! Wahoo!!

INGREDIENTS

- Peanut Butter: I HIGHLY recommend using an all-natural peanut butter that doesn’t have added sugars or oils. All-natural peanut butters do tend to be more expensive, but they taste better, look more natural, and they’re so much better for your health! Regarding crunchy vs. creamy peanut butter in this recipe, I prefer crunchy because I think it adds awesome texture. Use what you like best!

- Honey: I absolutely love using honey as a natural sweetener in place of refined sugar. Though honey does have a lot of natural sugar and should be eaten SPARINGLY, it also has many health benefits. Honey contains a variety of nutrients and antioxidants. Additionally, it is often sweeter than refined sugar, so you can use less but still get the same level of sweetness!

- Oats: One of my favorite breakfasts or cookie add-ins! A great source of fiber and helpful for people trying to lower their cholesterol levels.

- Coconut: Low in carbs, high in fiber! Should be eaten in moderation (hence the ⅓ cup), but it is an awesome flavor boost.

- Vanilla: It’s not crucial, but it does help with that awesome flavor!

- Dark Chocolate Chips: Perfect balance of bitter and sweet… a purer form of chocolate (need I say more?)

- Ground Flax Seed: Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and easier to digest than un-ground flaxseed!

HOW TO...

The first step in making peanut butter protein balls is to measure the peanut butter and honey into a medium-sized microwave safe mixing bowl. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until the honey is boiling.

Once the honey and peanut butter are warm, start mixing! Mix until the two ingredients are well combined (no more peanut butter lumps!)

Add the oats and coconut into the peanut butter and honey mixture. Mix until well combined.

Add in the ground flax seed and mix well. If the mixture is still too gooey to roll into balls, you can add more ground flax seed.

Let the mixture cool for 3-4 minutes. This will allow the honey to be cool enough that it won't melt the chocolate chips when you add them in. Once the mixture has had a few minutes to rest, add in the chocolate chips and mix!

Once all the ingredients are mixed together, you can stop here and scoop out some dough and start eating. OR begin rolling the dough into balls. Either way, ENJOY. You just can't go wrong with this recipe. These are SO GOOD :)

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