About two months ago I was gifted a bag of raw hazelnuts, and by raw I mean they were still in their cocoon of a shell. I knew I wanted to do something fun with them, but they sat on my counter for days, then weeks, then months. I was then gifted a second bag, and to avoid becoming the Filbert hoarder (did you know Filbert is another name for hazelnuts!?) I knew it was time to put these bags to use.
There was only one problem, how would I de-shell them?
I grabbed a wooden kitchen mallet, stepped outside, squatted like I was using the bathroom in the woods, and smashed over 100 hazelnuts. Talk about being connected to your food. I then took my fresh nuts and made the inevitable. Hazelnut butter!
This has been on my foodie bucket list FOREVER, and I finally did it. OH.MY.GOODNESS. The flavor, unreal. AND IT WAS WARM. I added cacao (my latest obsession, not to be confused with cocoa) and stevia for a chocolate version.
AND THEN I made these…
Superfood Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry whole grain oatmeal
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut butter*
- 1/4 cup of honey + 1 tblsp
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup golden berries
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
Simply combine your dry ingredients first, and then pour in your wet. Mix until WELL combined. Once combined, set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set. Once set, roll into bite sized balls, makes anywhere from 8-12 depending on your size preference.
*Note: I used my homemade cacao hazelnut butter, but you can use any kind you’d like. Add 1-2 tblsp of raw cacao to your nut butter (make sure it’s still creamy) if yours is without it.
The golden berries have a slight citrus bite to them, which balanced out the rich and creamy hazelnut butter. Golden berries and cacao are both super-foods, which basically means you’re eating a ball made of super powers. Not to mention the energy boosting powers of raw nuts, and flaxseeds too. Have I sold you on these yet?
Oh hey there golden berry.
These bites helped power me through my eight mile run on Sunday, which then resulted in a new to me taste courtesy of the Whole Foods hot bar.
See those crunchy clusters in the middle? Fried tofu. I can now die happy.
I’d happily run 10 more miles just to eat those clusters again.
Good thing I have some energy bites left.
Q: Ever made your own nut butters? It’s time consuming, but so worth it.
Blissfulbritt 
71 thoughts on “Super Food Energy Bites”
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
I love hazelnut butter. It might just be my favourite nut butter.
Every Christmas we buy hazelnuts in their shell, I love cracking them – great stress relief.
ebbingflowing
I’ve never had hazelnut butter! I may have to change that since it looks so good.
charissarunning
I love hazelnuts and everything hazelnut flavored! I’m probably too lazy to ever make my own hazelnut butter, but those energy bites look divine and easy enough for a girl like me to make 🙂 Yum yum!
Amy @ A Desert Girl
You worked hard for those Filberts and earned every bite of deliciousness. Enjoy!!
The Vegan 8
They look delicious! I love hazelnut butter!!
briana1010
Those look SO SO good!
Shawna
you cracked your own hazelnuts?! you are such a rock star, i cannot even handle you. hazelnut butter sounds delishhhhh and i want to make it with you! those energy bites look awesome too. gosh i adore you.
Charlotte
Hazelnut butter — DO WANT! It’s like nutella but awesomer because you cracked those shells yourself and worked for it. I’ve never made my own nut butter but now I’m inspired 🙂
pinkiebag
Oh, they look good.
Jay
I make similar ones with peanut butter and chia seeds. I’m going to have to try the golden berries.
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
YES to homemade nut butters! That’s the only way I get to enjoy all the fancy flavours of AB since most of the store-bought ones contain traces of peanuts. The only thing is that I’m always worried that my food processor is going to start smoking and catch fire or something 😯
Laur
I have the SAME fear! Sometimes it really starts to make some funny noises and I’m afraid the wobbling is going to turn into “The Brave Little Toaster” and sprout legs. lol
Brittany
HA RIGHT!? I used my Blendtec and IT SHUT ITSELF OFF after it got too hot! HAHA. Indestructible my booty! Did the job though, so I gave it a nice pat on the back.
kadeecramer
hmmmm I don’t really like hazelnuts. Maybe I’ll try this with almond butter? I’ve never made my own nut butter before but I’ve been wanting to 🙂
Brittany
I usually use almond butter in these types of recipes, so it would be an easy swap for you!
Emma @em-poweredwellness
Mmm homemade hazelnut butter is a great idea…or dangerous idea. I would probably eat it all straight from the jar. But then if I made those energy bites I would probably eat all of em in one sitting too.
Jessica
omg those clusters look soo good.! I’ll run any amount of miles for those.! haha
and yes, fried tofu is so amazing, I tried it at this Thai restaurant once with noodles and peanuts. Best thing ever.!
David Lazar
I will give your recipe a try, BB. Always on the lookout for something yummy, super energizing and easy to carry on bike rides. Looks like you hit all 3!
Brittany
All three indeed!! If you make, let me know what you think! Also I kind of love how you have been saying “BB” it’s a fun nickname!
David Lazar
Less typing than “Blissful Britt”
Less creepy than “Bliss” or “Blissful”
More unique than “Britt” alone
IJW (it just works 🙂
Brittany
Touche! 🙂
therfpscribe
That mallet was a brilliant idea. I spent HOURS cracking the hazelnuts GodzillaPin and I harvested last fall from his folks’ garden with a nutcracker. One hazelnut at a time. I wanted to cry. Next time I am smashing those suckers.
Aja
Those sound delicious. And fried tofu? And an 8 mile run? You’re living the dream. 😉
AlexF
I made protein balls this weekend, too! Although, yours look way better than mine did. Question about the flax seed. Do you buy it pre-ground or do you grind it in a food processor? If I try out your recipe I’ll be sure to let you know!
Brittany
I buy my flax in bulk and as whole seeds. It’s best to grind them as you are ready to use, so I just use a coffee grinder! Works perfectly!
AlexF
That is incredibly helpful information! That’s Britt!
Rach @ This Italian Family
Oh my wow, those look delicious! Both the bites and the hazelnut butter! Yum!
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy
Those bites look SO good! I don’t have flax, you think I could put protein powder?
Brittany
The protein powder won’t have the same consistency as the flax, so maybe add a bit at a time and see how it goes!! I know a lot of people add protein powders to these kinds of recipes so def give it a try!
Amy
I’m kind of (okay, super duper) jealous of your hazelnut gift!! I’ve been dying to make hazelnut butter too… Especially a homemade Nutella-like version. So fun! And you are a beast when it comes to running. Eight miles?? You go girl!
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
You know my answer to this… YES! I make my own and yes the best part is licking the processor clean when everything’s still warm. As Gigi would say, I like your balls 😉
Hannah
I want homemade hazelnut butter! OMG thats all I want to eat right now.
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West
Super yummy! These sound and look absolutely delicious. I’ve never made my own nut butter, but would be happy to taste test for you if you try other variations! 🙂
P
These energy bites look awesome and I love how you literally made them from scratch! And fried tofu at the Whole Foods hot bar?! I must head over to the nearest WF, pronto..
Jess @hellotofit
Did I tell you how much I love your writing style? And your recipes 🙂 I’ve never made homemade nut butter, but I probably should, and start with this recipe!!
Brittany
You are too good to me I tell ya. Thanks for the kind words, asssss always. LOVE YA GIRRRL!!!
Ellie
I have never made my own nut butter, but love to make energy balls using like three ingredients. I have tried all the butters but still think my favorite is the peanut butter standard. Gotta love the classic 🙂
Choc Chip Uru
These energy bites are magic, perfect for uni and for breakfast on the go 😀
Delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Jackie @ Wife Life Kitchen
Your hazelnuts are so pretty lol!! That’s dedication !!! I love making little energy bites. They are so good for breakfast 🙂
Amanda Afield
I’ve got a lot of long runs coming up, I am going to give these a go I think! They look way more delicious than the gels I usually use.
Arman @ thebigmansworld
YESS. All the homemade hazelnut butters!
Darryl
You’re such a lucky girl! I remember having a HUGE hazelnut tree in our backyard growing up in Auburn – I’d love to have that luxury back again.
dolthack
You are such a lucky girl! I remember the HUGE hazelnut tree we had in our back yard growing up in Auburn. I wish I had the luxury of that tree now but sadly they’re not as prolific here in the Midwest. I will savor them vicariously through the blissful look on your face 😉
Brittany
WOW what a treat that tree must have been!
An Unrefined Vegan
You totally earned those bites, girl!
energywriter
Sounds yummy. Never heard of golden berries. Can I find them at Trader Joe’s? sd
Brittany
Last I checked I didn’t see them at TJ’s, but they are always adding new items so definitely check! You can find them at Whole Foods, or possibly other natural stores. If not you can sub goji berries, or any other tart berry.
emmahume
Amazing 🙂
50statecanuck
Ooooh, those bites look soooooo good! But, um, next time you need to go about smashing nuts…I would recommend investing in a nut cracker. #justsayin LOL
Britta
bahhhh I want them! All of them. You know what my problem is? I’m too lazy to bake/cook/all of the things… ughhhh like come on lifeeeeeeee. Maybe I’ll just come live with you and you can make them for me all the time.
XO love your face
willrunforpizza
SOLD! Hazelnut MILK is really good too. I wanna try the fried tofu at WF now too….good job on the run!
Brittany
I had more fried tofu yesterday….
willrunforpizza
LOL no shame in THAT. I’m jealous.
koko571
yum…I think I might need to make some of those balls this weekend!
avenuecamilla
I am now really hungry haha, that looks so delicious!!
xxx
Camilla
http://avenuecamilla.com
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
Fried tofu sounds amazing. I always have trouble cooking it but hey you can fry anything right? haha. I love the idea of doing that with your nuts! You truly are connected to your food! I’ll just sit here and pretend I’m as cool as you for a few minutes…..
earthzenmama
I love making my nut butters, even though I overheat my Vitamix every.single.time. I am a cheapie, though, and haven’t bought hazelnuts to make butter out of …. But now, I think I need to! Looks so amazing.
Luv What You Do
Saw these on your insta…yum! I need to make hazelnut butter!
Melanie
I can’t believe you made your own hazelnut butter….cracking the nuts and all! WOW! It looks wonderful and those energy bites look amazing!!! I’ve bought freshly made nut butters at the store, but have never attempted it myself.
Lucie Elizabeth (@CollectingLight)
Thank you so much for your beautiful comment on my last post – you are such a sweetie!
Oh myyyy though, hazlenut butter? Ive recently just discovered Peanut butter but have never tried hazlenut butter…..actually, Im not sure if I dare make my own batch at home as Im afriad I might eat the whole batch out of the food processor before I even get the chance to store it, hahahaha. I have no self control when it comes to things as delicious as nut butters!
Brittany
Wait…you’ve JUST discovered peanut butter?! Like…you had never had it before recently???
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Yesss homemade hazelnut butter is the bomb! The last time I made it was last year around Valentine’s Day… I remember because I stuffed some of it into strawberries for a holiday-ish dessert. You should try it, it was awesome!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Love the balance of flavors between the berries and hazelnut butter. Also loved that you made your own. I still need to get on the nut butter band wagon. I keep meaning too and granola always happens instead. Ha!
P.S. I was on a road trip this weekend, and I thought of you with every rustic and rundown barn I saw. I would have loved to pulled over and gotten out of the car so I could take pictures. The giant mounds of snow would have been a problem though, so we’ll have to ensure your Cleveland visit is in warm weather so we can make this happen.
Like how I did that?!
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
I hoarded my hazelnuts until they turned:( If you’d posted this a long long time ago I would have tried making the butter and the bites!!
katalysthealth
My daddy has a walnut tree so whenever they are in season and I am visiting, I raid his tree. I pretty much have permanent callouses on my fingers now from trying to bust open walnuts with my bare hands, but it doesn’t bother me one bit. Homemade walnut butter? Better than smooth hands by a mile! 😉
amysrecipefordisaster
What a great idea to eat those on a long run! I’ve never considered this before but I do get tired of GU’s. Yours look delish!
jennifer prod
i’m not sure i’ve ever had a pure hazelnut? like outside of hazelnut flavored things (i.e. coffee, ice cream, nutella, etc). this makes me wanna try one for the sake of getting to the bottom of the nutty deliciousness. if i had real ambition i’d even make your bites — but for now i’m just gonna be in awe of you, the one who actually makes these things, and wish wish wish that we could somehow share all your baked goods 🙂
Bobbilynn
Reblogged this on Gourmet Your Way.
di @ life of di.
I really want to make my own almond butter but I’m afraid there won’t be any left to scoop out of the food processor once I’m done with it 😉 Eek! These little bites look delicious by the way! I should make some for Marty 🙂
Kayse
I worked in a health food store where I’d grind fresh peanut butter to sell every few days. I’ve never done any nuts other than peanuts, though. These energy bites look so darn amazing. Sooo good.
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