Nutella lovers, this one’s for you!
There’s been a ton of protein bite experimentation going on over here these days, and without fail, the ones my recipe testers rate the highest always have chocolate involved. (I can’t imagine why? ?) While Nutella wasn’t something that ever made its way into my house as a kid due to my mum’s allergies to chocolate and nuts, it does happen to be a favourite food groups of one of my besties and former roommates. Feeling inspired by her in a recent recipe brainstorming session, these protein bites didn’t take long to come to life.
A few notes about making these delightful chocolatey morsels of goodness:
- Depending on the protein powder you use, you may need to add a little more or less liquid to achieve a cookie dough texture. A little liquid goes a long way though, so adding a tablespoon at a time is how I usually adjust each variation of this recipe.
- Chilling the dough in the fridge for at least 20 minutes helps to make it much easier to handle and roll into balls, so don’t worry if it feels a tiny bit too wet just before you wrap it up.
- Honey can also be used instead of maple syrup and swapped in a 1:1 ratio, but note that the recipe will no longer be vegan.
- As is the case with all the other protein bites you’ll find here on the blog, these are best served cold. I recommend storing them in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer. They defrost quickly, and in my experience, freezing things always seems to work as a good portion control tactic!
Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Bites
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 balls 1x
Description
Love Nutella? You’re going to love these no-bake Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Bites! Decadent in taste but high on protein and healthy fats, they make a super easy and portable snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped pitted Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for about 5 minutes
- 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup chocolate Vega Sport Performance Protein or your fave protein powder
- 2/3 cup raw hazelnuts, lightly toasted if you want to enhance flavour
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Blend the oats and chia seeds into flour in your food processor and combine them in a large mixing bowl with the protein powder.
- Process the hazelnuts into coarse flour, then transfer them over to the bowl containing the oat mixture.
- Remove the dates from their soaking water. Process them into very small pieces, scraping down the sides of the processor jug occasionally.
- Add about 1/3 of the hazelnut oat flour mixture, plus all remaining ingredients to the food processor along with the dates. Process until a dough forms.
- Add another 1/3 of the hazelnut oat flour mixture and continue processing.
- Finally, transfer the rest of the oat flour mixture to the processor, plus a tablespoon of water if necessary. (Note that the amount of flour mixture added will depend on the capacity of your food processor’s jug.) Alternatively, if your food processor looks like it’s having a tough time with the volume, mix in the final 1/3 of the flour in a large bowl.
- Form a ball with the dough, wrap it up and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Breaking off a small piece at a time, roll the dough into 12 balls.
Notes
These bites are best served cold. Store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 10 mins (+ chill time)
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: snack, dessert, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, high protein, chocolate, nuts, protein powder
- Method: no bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/12 of recipe
- Calories: 117 cal
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 20mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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