This sweet recipe for Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Energy Bites is perfect for a healthy snack.

Yum

One of my favorite movies as a kid was Groundhog Day. My brother and I had it on VHS, and we used to pull it out to watch a few times every year. We didn’t catch the dark comedy, but we thought Bill Murray was hilarious. I hope I can find it playing on a station tonight, since Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. If you didn’t hear, that adorable rodent predicted six more weeks of winter. I can’t say I’m surprised, since the Midwest had quite a wintry weekend – especially Chicago! As of last night we had 16 inches in the yard, and I heard the official reading is 18+ inches. I don’t think we’ll be hosting a barbeque anytime soon.

To cheer up from all of this snow, I have a healthy and sweet energy bite recipe to share this morning. This snack has been on my mind for weeks, ever since I realized how much I love the Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabar flavor. My Larabar obsession went sky high during the January Challenge, since the bars have no added sugars or funky ingredients. However, it’s an expensive habit to keep so I’m experimenting with homemade energy bites using similar ingredients to see if I can recreate my own tasty snacks.

This energy bites recipe includes a few special ingredients: unsweetened coconut flakes and dried strawberries. I searched several stores for the unsweetened version of coconut flakes, and finally found a package at Whole Foods. The dehydrated {freeze-dried} strawberries were found at Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have access to dried strawberries, you can leave out the almond milk {added for moisture!} and add a few chopped strawberries instead.

The sweet platter featured in this photo was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law, Kristen from Make the Best of Everything. How perfect to show these delicious energy bites! Consider making these as a healthy Valentine snack for a friend or loved one.

Chocolate Strawberry Coconut Energy Bites
Makes 11 bites.

Ingredients~
8 Medjool dates {pits removed}
1 scoop chocolate protein powder {I used whey}**
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup dried strawberries
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1-2 Tablespoons unsweetened almond milk

How to~
*Process almonds in the food processor. Add dates, protein powder, coconut flakes, strawberries, and coconut oil. Process a few times.
*Add almond milk. Keep processing until the ingredients are evenly combined.
*Remove from the food processor and form into balls. I used a medium-sized cookie scoop to ensure even sizing for each bite.
*Freeze {covered} for 30 minutes to harden.
*Keep frozen or refrigerated in a covered container.

**If you need a substitute for protein powder, use unsweetened cocoa powder.