appetizers and snacks, energy bites/granola bars

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Fast and easy to make, pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough bites are the perfect energy-packed snack filled with power foods like oats, protein and dates.
So, we’ve come crashing down from the Halloween sugar high and we’re not quite yet to the post-Thanksgiving dinner food coma. This time of year, it seems we just travel from one food event to another, messing up all the excellent habits we’ve been working on keeping. With this in mind, we thought we’d throw in a (pretty much) healthy little autumn snack for you. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites are a super fast and easy snack that will give you a boost of “good” energy from protein powder, pumpkin, dates and oats (and, of course, a smidge of optional chocolate for good measure).

It’s just what you need as you ramp up for Turkey Day, Black Friday, college finals, Christmas shopping…whatever craziness is headed your way. And they are oh-my-delicious!!!

Fast and easy to make, pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough bites are the perfect energy-packed snack filled with power foods like oats, protein and dates.
Let’s just talk about dates for a minute. If you shop at Costco, you’ve probably seen the little clear container of Medjool dates in the produce section, and possibly, you just pass right over them to the bananas and apples. But dates are incredible little jewels that deserve some more attention! They come from the date palm (picture a palm tree), and have been around pretty much forever. Legend has it that all of America’s date palms can be traced back to a single oasis in Morocco. Pretty exotic!

Loaded with potassium, fiber and a bunch of other good stuff, dates are a natural sweetener for baking, sauces, meats, salads and just plain snacking. Now you know. Grab some dates, and get creative, people! Maybe these pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough bites will inspire you.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: About 14 bites

Ingredients

  • 6 Medjool dates
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup Vanilla Protein Powder (we recommend this brand)
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • ¼ cup almond butter
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted to liquid
  • 1 Tbsp. raw honey
  • 2 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips and/or crushed pecans (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop the dates in half and discard pits.
  2. *If the dates are slightly dry, before chopping them, place in a bowl with some water and microwave for 30 seconds. Let sit for 2-3 minutes and then chop in half.
  3. Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until a sticky dough forms.
  4. Remove dough from the processor and gently fold in the chopped pecans and/or chocolate chips.
  5. Taking about 1 heaping Tbsp. of dough at a time, roll into small balls. Repeat until all dough is rolled into balls. *If dough is really sticky, wet hands slightly with warm water and then roll dough into balls. This will help with the stickiness!
  6. Place in fridge or freezer to set.
  7. Store in fridge or freezer and enjoy!

Notes

*These are really yummy to eat cold or heat up and eat warm. We like to put them in the microwave until they're soft, about 10-15 seconds.

https://www.kiwiandcarrot.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-bites/

***This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase a product from a link, we receive a portion of the earnings. This doesn’t affect your price in any way, and we appreciate your help to keep Kiwi and Carrot up and running!

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2 Comments

  • Reply Helena | fried parsley November 10, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    Wow these look incredible! Love the combination of pumpkin and chocolate chips! Perfect for the fall season, and definitely sweet and healthy treat 🙂

    • Reply Elizabeth November 10, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      Helena, thanks so much! Hope you like this healthy-ish autumn treat!

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