During a recent visit, my friend Kathi had available a batch of these wonderful energy bites, a relatively healthier dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond butter or chunky natural peanut butter
• 1 cup nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, etc.) chopped fine
• 1½ cups shredded coconut (I use Bob’s Red Mill shredded coconut unsweetened)
• 20 dried black figs, stems removed
• 10 dried dates
• ½ cup dried chopped cranberries or mango or raisins
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs (I use Navitas from Amazon.com)
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Navitas from Amazon.com)
• ¼ cup flaxseed meal 
• 4 Tbsp raw honey
• ½ cup pea protein powder 
• ½ cup chia seeds (soak for an hour in 1 cup of water)
• ¼ cup coconut oil (melt over low heat)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp sea salt

Preparation

Place nuts in chopper and pulse to desired consistency. Pour into a bowl.

Placed figs, dates, and other dried fruit in chopper and pulse to small pieces. Add to the bowl.

Add coconut, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, flaxseed meal, pea protein and sea salt to bowl. Mix well.

Add vanilla extract and chia seeds. Mix well.

Place coconut oil and raw honey in small pan and melt over low heat. Add to ingredients in bowl and mix well.

Shape mixture into bite size rounds (approximately 1 inch in diameter).

Place them on a cookie sheet covered with foil and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

Serving

Remove from the refrigerator and serve.

If they are frozen, let thaw for an hour or so before eating.