Peanut Butter Balls

One of my very favourite flavour combinations to ever meet, peanut butter and chocolate. A traditional Christmas dessert made every year in my household. And many others as well. Peanut butter balls are worth all the hype.

Chocolate Debate

Chocolate is easily one of my favourite treats to have here and there whenever I have a sweet tooth. Dark chocolate in particular has a special place in my heart. That being said, if dark chocolate isn’t your kinda vibe, then don’t eat it.

There are a lot of different debates in regard to which chocolate you should or should not eat. I encourage dark chocolate over milk chocolate if you like it because it is overall better for you. Dark chocolate is actually considered a super food, meanwhile milk chocolate is considered the enemy to some.

So here are the facts, dark chocolate will most often be less processed and have less sugar then milk chocolate. Dark chocolate has a higher concentration of cocoa (the part with all the nutrients), milk chocolate still has that cocoa, however it is more diluted with milk and sugar, and often other ingredients as well. Since dark contains a higher percentage of cocoa, and less of the other stuff, it will also have a more bitter taste, which some people love, and some people hate.

Here’s my take on the debate. You are free to your own opinion. Since chocolate is something you should most likely be consuming in small amounts, choose which kind you actually enjoy eating. Don’t force yourself to eat dark chocolate if you despise it. Food is meant to be enjoyed. Dessert especially!

Instead of worrying so much about dark vs milk chocolate, try purchasing wholesome fair-trade chocolate brands, with a short ingredients list. No matter if you are buying milk or dark chocolate, it is always important to actually read the fine print, as many brands will add a whole lot of unreadable ingredients…

Peanut Butter

I eat peanut butter every single day. In smoothies, on oatmeal, toast, making peanut sauce, or sometimes just a nice spoonful with chocolate almond milk. Don’t knock it til you try it.

Try buying the natural peanut butter instead of the classic kind. Natural peanut butter is made up of only peanuts, without added oils or sugar. The natural kind’s oil will seperate from the peanuts in the jar. So my tip would be to store it upside down in the fridge so that you have a nice runny peanut butter all the way through!

How to Make

One of beauties of these wonderful peanut butter balls, is how simple they are to make. No fancy tools necessary here.

Mix your ingredients up, form them into balls, freeze for a little bit, and then coat them in chocolate.

Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

Yield: 20-24 Balls Prep time: 20 minutes Freeze time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 3/4 C natural peanut butter (Crunchy or smooth both work)
• 1/2 C oatflour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp maple syrup

• 3/4 C Milk, Semi-sweet, or Dark chocolate
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Method

1. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup to a medium size mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3. Add oatflour and salt to bowl. Mix to combine. It will be quite thick so use your hands to fully incorporate the oatflour.
4. Shape into 20-24 balls, depending on how big you want them. I made mine a medium size. Place on baking sheet
5. Freeze for around 2 hours.
6. Melt your chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl in the microwave. Start for 30 seconds, mix, then microwave for another 30 seconds. Mix again. If not fully melted yet then throw it in for another 30 seconds.
7. Dip your peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate.
8. Place balls back on baking sheet and freeze again.

I like to keep these as a frozen dessert, but you can also store them in the fridge!

Nutrition

Per one of 24 balls

Calories: 76 Fat: 5g Sodium 65mg Carbohydrates: 7g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 5g Protein: 2g