My Toasty Coconut and Cacao Nib Protein Balls

These are a go to snack in our house and make for the perfect little healthy sweet treat or breaky on the go.

I had been craving these coconutty, crunchy protein balls for years and finally nailed the recipe. There was a lovely lady in the area I grew up in that made the most delicious coconut protein balls and this is the closest I could get to recreating them. They make for the perfect little pre-workout, snack or breakfast on the run. I hope you love them as much as we do in our house!

Ingredients:

• Oat flour x 2 cups

• Vanilla Protein x 2 scoops

• Salt x 1.5 teaspoons

• Coconut flakes, toasted and roughly pulsed in a blender x 3/4 cup

• Chia x 2 tbsp

• Cocao nibs x 3/4 cup

• Cinnamon x 1/2 teaspoon

• Nut butter x 3/4 cup

• Coconut oil x 1/2 cup

• Honey x 1/4 cup

• Vanilla x 2 tablespoons

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

2. Place the coconut onto a lined baking tray and place the tray into the oven to bake for between 5-10 minutes until the coconut is golden and toasted.

3. Remove the coconut from the oven and leave to cool before placing in a blender to roughly pulsing until it resembles a wet sand like texture.

4. Place the coconut in a large mixing bowl along with the oat flour, vanilla protein, cacao nibs, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon.

5. In a microwave safe bowl place the nut butter, coconut oil, honey and vanilla.

6. Microwave for 30 seconds and mix together before pouring into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients.

7. Fully combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hands and then leave to sit for 10 minutes so the flour rehydrates and it becomes a cookie dough-like texture.

8. Roll into balls however big or small you’d like. I usually use a small cookie dough/ice cream scoop and then place them into a lined Tupperware before storing them in the fridge. They last for ages stored in the fridge, but they probably won’t need to last much longer than a week!