Cherry-Almond Energy Bites

For a sweet treat that does your heart good, mix up some of these simple, no-bake cherry-almond balls.  They’ve got a texture similar cookie dough but without the added sugars and high saturated fat. Plus, the soluble fiber from the oats, almonds, and dates can help lower cholesterol.

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped dates (or 10 pitted medjool dates)*
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup almond butter**
• ½ tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ cup dried sweet cherries

Directions

1. Put the chopped dates in a small, heat-proof bowl and add the hot water. If using medjool dates, skip this step.
2. Put the dates, oats, almond butter and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides.  This may take 5 minutes or more.  If you used the whole dates, you may need to add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture starts to come together.
3. Add the cherries and pulse 5-6 times to mix them through.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for about 10 minutes to make it easier to handle.
5. Scoop out about a tablespoon at a time and roll each scoop into a ball. Makes about 18 energy bites.
6. Put the bites in an air-tight container and refrigerate for another 10 minutes or until set. Best stored in the fridge.

Cook’s Notes:

*This works fine with either chopped deglet noor dates or pitted medjool dates.  Grab whichever is available and affordable for you.  The chopped dates tend to be drier, which is why the soaking is recommended.

** Almonds have been studied as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet, but other nut butters would work as well.  Look for ones with no added oils or sugars.