Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Snack Balls

This is the ultimate after school snack! I've been making these snack balls from a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which I love so much, but I wanted to create a healthier version (see notes below for nutritional information). This recipe makes 32 snack balls, because with a family of 8, these only last us 1-2 days depending on if friends come to play and snack too.

Ingredients:

2 cups instant oats

2/3 cup ground flaxseed meal

1 cup and 2 TBSP PBfit Peanut Butter Powder

1/2 cup and 1 TBSP water

1/4 cup honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

3 TBSP semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large food processor (I use a Hamilton Beach 10 cup), combine the oats and the ground flaxseed meal. Process them until they are finely ground. 

2. In a separate small bowl or container combine the PBfit Peanut Butter Powder and the water. Stir until they reach a smooth peanut butter consistency.

3. Add the PBfit Peanut Butter Powder, honey, vanilla, and salt to the food processor. Blend until it is well combined and the right consistency to mold into balls. With a spoon or by hand, gently mix in the chocolate chips.

4. Form the mixture into small balls, rolling them into shape. 

5. Eat right away or refrigerate for 30 minutes for a more firm snack ball. These can be saved in the refrigerator for about a week, but mine usually get eaten in at least one day. They can also be frozen and served at a later time. 

A note about the nutritional recipe adjustments. When I made Mel's version the calories came to 145 per ball (Yikes!). My version is 65 calories per ball and the fat content dropped from 9.2 g to 2.1 g per ball and I cut the sugar in half. I love using PBfit Peanut Butter Powder in my smoothies so I tried subbing it for the peanut butter in her recipe. I found that I didn't need nearly as much peanut butter or honey as she used. This cut down on calories, fat, and sugar. Plus when you compare PBfit to regular Peanut butter the nutritional content is quite striking (see picture below).

I randomly found this PBfit on the shelf at our local Smith's Grocery Store over a year ago, but have since found it better priced at Costco. I don't gain anything from posting about this product, just that it's become a staple at our house and I love it!

Nutritional Information:

Serving size: 1 snack ball
Calories: 65
Total Fat: 2.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 40.8 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 8.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Sugar: 3.9 g
Protein: 3.4 g
Calcium: 1.2 %
Iron: 2.1 %
Potassium 36.3 g