Chilli Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Balls
Now who doesn’t love nibbling on a bit of raw cookie dough? It’s an experience that evokes happy childhood memories. Well you’re in luck. The chilli chocolate chip cookie dough I’ve made here is not for baking, no, it’s for pure indulgent eating in its raw state. And not only that, it’s also egg and dairy free, made with healthy ingredients. flavoured with chilli and cinnamon and above all else, delicious.
As I’ve probably stated numerous times before, despite my sweet tooth, I don’t like cakes, biscuits and confectionary to be overly sweet. I find it hard to buy anything commercial that favours flavour over sugar. So I mostly make my own sweet treats so I can get the balance right and eat something that is healthier than your average chocolate bar. These chilli chocolate chip cookie dough energy balls are plenty sweet enough and almost taste like caramel. Containing a little cinnamon and nuggets of dark chilli chocolate , they pack a bit of a punch but were even more delicious than I was hoping for.
I’ve made similar vegan energy balls a few times, but never added oats before, so I was somewhat intrigued when I took my first bite. They had a slightly chewy consistency which enhanced the taste sensation by making it last a bit longer. The oaty flavour, of which I’m so fond, was not lost and had a slightly mellowing effect on the rather fierce chilli chocolate I used from the South Devon Chilli Farm. This was just as well as oats are the ingredient for this month’s We Should Cocoa and I couldn’t really submit something that didn’t taste of oats.
I used my Optimum 9200A power blender, which blitzed the oats into a fine powder, ground the nuts and squidged everything together very nicely. It’s just perfect for this sort of job and works much better than my food processor, which produces a rougher textured version.
- 40g rolled oats
- 100g cashew nuts - toasted
- 100g pitted medjool dates
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch himalayan pink rock salt
- 25g cold-pressed coconut oil
- 40g dark chilli chocolate - chopped
- Blitz everything except the chocolate in a power blender or food processor (I used my Optimum 9200A power blender) until you have a smoothish dough.
- Tip the contents into a bowl and stir in the chocolate with a flat bladed knife.
- Form into 18 small balls, rolling between your hands to ensure they are smooth and firm.
- Leave to set in a cool place for an hour or so.
- If you can make them last that long, they will keep in a cool place for a week or so.
These chilli chocolate chip cookie dough energy balls are my entry to this month’s We Should Cocoa, which is all about oats.Other recipes for vegan energy balls you might like
- Chocolate cardamom tahini truffles via Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen
- Coconut bliss balls via Tin and Thyme
- Raw chocolate truffles via Tin and Thyme
- Spirulina energy balls via Rough Measures
- Sticky toffee pudding raw energy balls via Tinned Tomatoes
I use the Optimum 9200A for smoothies, spreads, sauces and even chocolate making. The post contains affiliate links. Buying through a link will not cost you any more, but I will get a small commission. This helps keep Tin and Thyme blythe and blogging. Opinions are, as always, my own.
Corina
23rd May 2016 at 12:09 pmI would love to try these! I have made some nice energy balls in the past but never with chilli chocolate in so I’m feeling very tempted!
Choclette
28th May 2016 at 5:21 pmThe chilli chocolate just gives a bit of a kick and that extra bit of flavour to make these super special.
Nadia
23rd May 2016 at 12:29 pmLove the idea of using chilli dark chocolate in energy balls for an extra kick 😉 I’m like you in that I have a sweet tooth but I don’t like overly sweet things. That’s probably why my favourite desserts are chocolate or tahini based that are a little bitter to break the sweetness 🙂
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:18 pmYes, tart fruit is another good one to take the sweet edge off things. Love the combination of chilli and chocolate.
Sophie
23rd May 2016 at 12:33 pmWow. What a great idea. Cookie dough is one of my weaknesses so I will have to give this healthier version a go! Pinning for later 🙂
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:17 pmThanks Sophie. Cookie dough is delicious, but these are just as good and definitely less guilt inducing 😉
Sus @ roughmeasures
23rd May 2016 at 2:22 pmI do love a good energy ball (and chilli with chocolate is divine!) loving this recipe 🙂
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:16 pmThanks Sus. I can’t understand why I went so many years without discovering the wonders of energy balls.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
23rd May 2016 at 2:33 pmJust done with my workout, and I need a couple of them now :-)) Love these energy bites with chilli chocolate.
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:15 pmThe chilli would no doubt have you up and keen to do another workout Angie 😉
Henk Kooiman
23rd May 2016 at 3:28 pmWonderful idea ! Personally I’d leave the chilli out. I have tried the combination of chocolate and chilli before and I didn’t like it at all. It would be good to have something vegan on my repertoire so I’ll put them somewhere in the top 100 of my list of the 10.000 things I’d like to make :))
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:14 pmHahaha, well in your top 100 is pretty good going I’d say. The good thing with these is that you can have whatever chocolate suits you best.
Lucy
23rd May 2016 at 4:01 pmYum these sound delicious and so easy to make! I would find myself making batch after batch just to nibble on I’m sure. I haven’t tried chilli chocolate but I bet it makes them very zingy!
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:12 pmYes, being so easy to make and so delicious, I’m trying to stop myself whipping up another batch too soon.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
23rd May 2016 at 6:06 pmYum! I’m liking the sound of what’s in these 😀
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:11 pmThanks Sarah. My only consolation for wolfing them down rather too quickly is that they are a teeny bit healthier than your average chocolate bar 😉
Gin
23rd May 2016 at 9:07 pmThat little spicy kick from the chili sounds perfect!
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:10 pmOh it really is, but then I’m a bit of a chilli head.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe
24th May 2016 at 12:14 pmI love this sort of energy balls – and agree a little sweetness goes a long way. I could imagine you could make these with lots of different flavoured chocolates so you could continually make them different.
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:04 pmExactly Johanna, I’ve been planning my next several batches 😉 You could also use different nuts.
Lubka Henry
24th May 2016 at 4:57 pmThis is such a great recipe. I’m loving how pretty these little balls look 🙂
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:02 pmThank you Lubka, it really is a most delicious recipe 🙂
Cathy @ Planet Veggie
24th May 2016 at 5:24 pmSounds like a good excuse to buy some Lindt Chilli Chocolate to me! (I’m not sure you can call these ‘raw’ though)
Choclette
26th May 2016 at 8:58 pmTrue the chocolate isn’t raw, it’s more the idea of raw cookie dough I was getting at.
Chris @thinlyspread
25th May 2016 at 9:57 amChilli and chocolate is going to grab me every time and it’s sure to go down well with the chilli lovers in my house (if not with the smallest who was put off when he bit into a whole chilli and got a bit of a surprise!)
Choclette
26th May 2016 at 8:56 pmOh no, what a shock. That’s enough to put anyone off. I’m a bit of a chilli head and combined with chocolate – well!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
25th May 2016 at 10:33 pmI seriously have to make these cookie dough balls. They look good Madam.
Choclette
26th May 2016 at 8:54 pmThese cookie dough balls are seriously good Bintu and so quick to make too.
Stuart Vettese
26th May 2016 at 9:08 pmI recently made some cookie dough fudge – but these are way more virtuous (and spicy!). Perfect for a real energy boost.
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 3:00 pmOoh but cookie dough fudge sounds like something that has to be tried Stuart. Will be over to look later.
Iss
27th May 2016 at 1:00 pmThat sounds just grate. Home made, healthy and so easy to prepare, and with dark chilli chocolate ! I will definitely give it a try.
Choclette
27th May 2016 at 2:54 pmThank you Iss. They should come with a warning though, they are very moreish 😉
Dom
1st June 2016 at 11:23 amI love these (but then you know I love my balls) and the idea that they’re slightly raw with that hit of chilli is fabulous!
Choclette
1st June 2016 at 2:03 pmStrangely, I did think of you when I made these Dom 😉
Kate - gluten free alchemist
3rd June 2016 at 11:02 pmWonderful bites Choclette. Loving the bit of a chilli kick and also the use of cashew nuts which I imagine add an extra healthy richness. Yum x
Choclette
4th June 2016 at 11:13 amCashews are really good for giving a creamy level to vegan treats too, although I have yet to make actual cashew cream.
Nayna Kanabar
4th June 2016 at 9:31 pmThese look delicious , the chili chocolate must have given them a spicy kick??
Choclette
5th June 2016 at 12:21 pmIt’s great if you like chilli, but if not, it’s easy enough to sub the chocolate for a different flavour.
janie
27th June 2016 at 1:01 pmNice one Choccy, these look darn perfect! Off to pin them 🙂
Choclette
27th June 2016 at 2:29 pmThanks Janie, they were so good, they ended up not being particularly healthy as we ate them all rather too fast 😉
Georgie
12th July 2016 at 9:26 amI absolutely adore chilli and chocolate together – it gives chocolate a subtle kick but also takes away a little of that sweetness. I’m not a fan of overly sweet things so these look ridiculously delicious!
Choclette
12th July 2016 at 7:02 pmI’m with you all the way Georgie. Weirdly, I have a sweet tooth, but I don’t like things to be overly sweet.