In my galley, recipes tend to get shuffled in and out of regular rotation. Not for any logical reason, just because I get bored cooking and eating the same few things. This means that I have a fad with something that I have concocted for a few weeks, maybe a month. The recipe gets tweaked to our liking, made a few times after it has been finally perfected and then I seem to move onto the next idea.

Several years ago Steve suggested that I should write my recipes down so that I could recreate things at a later date and have them actually taste the same. Crazy idea, I know! No doubt, much to his surprise, I actually started doing just that. But a recipe box with neat little index cards doesn’t really fit in my galley, so I opted to organize things into a notebook instead.

I have a couple binders that I’ve used for recipes I have collected over the years, but I wanted this to be more of a personal collection.

I add recipes after they have been tested and refined and I try to remember to add the date and the location of the entry. Sometimes these are just a list of ingredients and measurements to jog my memory, other times I write long, detailed notes about the process. It is divided into sections; Sweet, Savoury, Meat, Veg, Bread, Preserves.  On some pages there are post-it notes, tucked in the back is a list of things I want to try to make some day; puff pastry from scratch, miso caramel, beef wellington, dried blood oranges, banana skin curry, shredded king oyster mushroom taco mix.

Recently, I was wanting something a little sweet but I am hesitant to bake a whole batch of anything when I am onboard by myself. Either the goodies will go moldy before I have a chance to eat them…or I’ll eat them all before they have a chance to even get cool. Both outcomes end up being a disappointment. Anyway, I pulled my notebook from the shelf, looked through the ‘Sweet’ section and stumbled upon my recipe for Energy Balls and thought “Perfect!”

These Energy Balls are a no bake chocolate truffle sort of snack that has no refined sugars or ultra processed ingredients.

They only take a few minutes to make, they keep in the fridge for a week or so (probably longer but I can’t personally confirm that because they are kinda of addictive) and they really do satisfy a sugar/sweetie craving. Better yet, all the ingredients are dry-store staples, so they are always in the cupboard.

The method is pretty simple

Dump everything into a food processor, whaz it for a few minutes, add a couple spoons of water (or cold coffee) to bring the mixture together, form it into balls and TADA! Energy Balls.

Don’t have food processor? No worries, this recipe pre-dates Steve giving me one a few years ago (one of the best presents ever, btw). Just chop the larger nuts and seeds and mix it all together in a bowl by hand. It will take a few minutes longer but you will achieve the same results.

Don’t have one or some of the nuts or seeds? No problem, sub whatever you have or like or want. Or just leave some of the seeds out, it will still work.

Don’t have dates on hand? No biggie. You can use dried cranberries or raisins. Around Xmas time I will sub in mixed dried peel (yes this has refined sugar but it’s Xmas.)

Don’t have natural peanut butter? …

This would probably mark the end of times on board Kate, because all natural, nothing added, PB is about as important as air when it comes to keeping me alive. (Steve actually mailed me PB from the Seychelles during COVID because he knew my stash was almost depleted and I couldn’t buy it locally. That’s when you know its true love!)

However, you can use the sugar-laden fake stuff if that’s what floats your boat. You can also sub in cashew or almond butter, and I’ve done 50/50 tahini before as well. (Gotta preserve the PB stash!)

These get a chocolatey kick from cocoa powder. A little trick I learned from my Great Aunt Hattie’s Zucchini Chocolate Cake recipe when I was a kid is to add a little bit of cinnamon to the mix. The cinnamon will enhance the chocolate flavour without actually tasting of cinnamon. Coffee does the same thing, which is why I sometimes use it instead of water to bring the mix together.

Not only will these satisfy a sweet tooth, but they are filled with protein (PB) and fibre (oats and seeds) so they don’t cause a big blood sugar spike and they keep the hangry at bay for a little while. Perfect for adults but are also kid friendly, both in the making and the eating.

ENERGY BALLS                                                      Makes:16

1/3 cup Natural Peanut Butter (smooth or crunch, up to you)
1/3 cup dates, remove the pits (sub Raisins or Dried Cranberries)
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1/3 cup Instant Oats (that’s 2 packets if you buy them for bfast)
2 Tablespoons Each: Flax Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Chia Seeds 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Water or Coffee

Add all ingredients but water to a bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture is uniform. Add water one tablespoon at a time until mixture is wet enough to stick together when pressed together. It should still look crumbly but hold a shape when pressed together. Shape into small balls by squeezing and rolling in your hands. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

TOP TIP: Keeping your hands just slight wet will help the mixture from sticking.  

I love having hand written recipes in my collection, so I thought I would add a PDF for you to print out to add to yours.

Hope this recipe makes it on rotation in your galley! Love to hear if you love it as much as I do, and any variations you come up with.

Love,
H…&S