When we were developing recipes for My First Cookbook, we knew we wanted the recipes to have plenty of elements that kids ages 5 to 8 could do. That meant that wherever we could bash, smash, smoosh, or roll, we’d do it. AND, if we could do it without involving sharp tools or heat, all the better.
How Easy Are These Energy Balls? You Smoosh Them and Roll into a Ball.
Make these easy energy bites to toss in your kid's lunchbox (or your own).
By Published June 9, 2022
These Cranberry-Almond No-Bake Energy Bites ticked almost every box.
If they’re simple enough for kids 5 to 8 to make, you know that means they’re easy for adults, too. Whereas many energy balls I’ve made before have required a blitz in the food processor, this recipe just gets stirred in a bowl. After stirring, you roll them into balls, chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up, and then enjoy. The hardest part of the recipe is just waiting for the bites to chill.
Sign up for the Cook's Country Dinner Tonight newsletter
10 ingredients. 45 minutes. Quick, easy, and fresh weeknight recipes.
America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless otherwise notified. Your email address is required to identify you for free access to content on the site. You will also receive free newsletters and notification of America's Test Kitchen specials.
I like the cranberry-almond combination, but you can swap them out for an equal amount of chocolate chips and raisins or dried blueberries and sweetened coconut flakes, if you prefer. In any case, they’re great in a kid's lunchbox; as a great cure to the mid-afternoon slump when it’s too late in the day for one last cup of coffee; and, speaking from personal experience, they’re satisfying enough to replace a cookie at 11:00 p.m. when you realize you don’t have any cookies in the house.
Cranberry-Almond No-Bake Energy Bites
“Delicious and fun to make. Whenever I eat one I want to eat a hundred.” – David, recipe tester, age 5GET THE RECIPE