These No-Bake Energy Bites Are Your Family's New Go-To Anytime Snack

Small Platesis where Epi dishes out recipes and advice for cooking for families.

Ah, snacks...The only thing standing between my toddler and a full-blown hangry meltdown, probably occurring in a place as ironically embarrassing as the grocery store, where we're surrounded by food. Usually when this happens I'm forced to grab a mediocre bagel from the bakery section to subdue his whining, but no more! Today, I'm prepared, with a tupperware of homemade no-bake energy bites in my bag.

Packed with nut butter, oats, coconut, and dried cherries, these kid-friendly energy bites are a healthy, easy-to-make snack you can make in big batches and keep on hand in case of hunger-provoked emergencies. Made with only a quarter cup of honey for a batch of 20 bites, they're a much better option than some of the highly processed snack choices out there.

Grown-ups, I've already got you covered: I concoctedthese gingery energy biteswith plenty of protein, fiber, and good-for-you fats rolled in a chocolate-covered espresso bean coating for a caffeinated punch. But when it comes to kiddos, the espresso coating just wouldn't do, so I headed back to the test kitchen to put together a one-bowl wonder that kids (and adults) will love.

Here's how to make no-bake energy bites for kids:

1. Choose a Nutty, Creamy Base

I love this recipe with almond butter, butpeanut butteris delicious, too. If your family or school is nut-free, choose the sunflower butter option, which works equally well and is just as tasty.

2. Hydrate the Oats and Coconut

I wanted these energy bites to have oats and coconut flakes, both for flavor and satiating fiber. I chose quick-cooking oats because they are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned oats, which makes them better for a no-bake recipe. Just stirring them into the nut butter caused the oats to suck up the extra moisture overnight, leaving the mixture a little dry. So I tried steeping the oats and coconut in a little hot water, along with honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. The water helps soften the oats and coconut and keeps the mixture pleasantly moist, and adding the sweetener and spices this way helps them to blend into the mixture easily.

3. Pick a Fun Mix-In

This recipe calls for chopped dried cherries, raisins, or mini chocolate chips, but really you can use anything you or your kids like. That means other dried fruit like apricots or mango, or even chopped nuts or seeds like almonds, pecans, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds.

4. Scoop and Chill

用汤匙舀bite-si混合物zed pieces, then roll them in your palms into balls. Stick them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. These bites are fine at room temperature, so pack a couple in your kids' lunch box or keep them on hand for a healthy after-school snack. But definitely save some for yourself—they make a great morning or afternoon pick-me-up or apost-workoutboost. And of course, don't forget to stick a few in your bag when you're out running errands with the kids—you never know when you'll need them!

Want to make espresso-coated, grown-up no-bake energy bites? Here's how: