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June 16, 2011

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

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These are definitely one of my favorite snacks--they are so easy to make, modify, and eat!  The recipe hasn't failed me yet (I don't think anything with peanut butter has failed me!)

Peanut Butter Protein Balls:  [high protein, vegan]
(makes 3-4 ping pong ball-sized balls)       source: BodyRock.tv
  32g (1 scoop) Vanilla Protein Powder (vegans, use soy protein)
  42g (2 tbs) Honey or Agave
  32g (2 tbs) Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar/salt/oil added)

Directions:
1. Put the protein powder in a bowl, then the honey and stir
2. Pour in the peanut butter (creamy PB is easier than chunky)
3. Stir until everything is incorporated (it takes a while, but if you need more honey or something, add it now)
4. Add any toppings you want (pictured below)
4. Roll into balls with your hands, and refrigerate to harden (if you are not eating it immediately)

Modifications:
-You can use dried nonfat milk powder instead of protein powder, but adjust amount to create same texture
-Add any toppings you want, like slivered almonds, dried fruit, etc... or what I like to use (pictured below)

Note: I wouldn't recommend almond butter or a neutral tasting nut butter (like cashew) because it tastes a little bland.  I also tried this with chocolate protein powder and didn't like it, but you might, so you can use that and some regular cocoa powder if you want.

Here are some possible mix-ins:



These are my favorite pairings:
dark chocolate chips and flaked coconut

ground flaxseed and rolled oat coating

raisins and crumbled walnuts


If you want to hide a surprise inside of the ball, you can flatten it out like pictured, wrap it and roll it into a ball.


This snack is a tasty, balanced snack with energy-providing healthy fats, long-lasting carbs, and complete proteins.  Low-glycemic foods provide constant and prolonged energy levels so your blood sugar doesn't spike and crash as it would if you were to eat a pop tart--both the pop tart and these protein balls taste really good, but the pop tart has no benefit, so choose the protein balls!  You won't get hungry right away and you'll feel good about eating them  :)

So cute!

As requested, here is a nutrition label:
The sodiym level is a bit high because I made the label using egg protein powder (it was all I had on hand), which tends to have a higher sodium content than whey or soy, etc.  Too bad the label doesn't show all the other vitamins and minerals from the PB, a very healthy nut  :)

PS: check out the chocolate version here!

31 comments:

  1. is it like Eating raw cookie dough?
    cause i gained so much weight eating raw dough it just so good!but this looks like a healthy version.I'm on the dukan diet now so i hope this is good for me!

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  2. Anonymous,
    It definitely does taste like cookie dough, but only this is a healthier alternative. Don't worry, I've had my share of cookie dough too ;)

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  3. I love Bodyrock.tv!! I've seen these and wondered if they were good, so now I know and I will make some!

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  4. Thanks for sharing this recipe.I have made it and i like it.It is very tasty.
    -protein powder

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  5. I tried this recipe and it is so good!
    I put myself Anonymous again because i don't want anyone to know who i am . when i asked if this tasted like cookie dough it's because I'm on a diet.i gained a lot of weight eating raw cookie dough i mean it's just so delicious i would buy 5 packs to eat raw the same day!this is a huge help because right now i weigh a lot I'm to embarrassed to say..but thanks for the recipe !

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  6. these are tagged as vegan, yet they have whey and honey in them.

    they look awesome though, if only there was a vegan way to make them. D:

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  7. Anonymous,
    I starred the ingredient (*) and had a note under the directions. You may use agave and soy/hemp protein powders.

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  8. I just made these using crunchy peanut butter, I melted it in a pan with about a half tsp of coconut oil, which helped it mix with the protein powder. Then, I added the chocolate chips while it was still warm and stirred, so I got a nice chocolate swirl effect. Just cooled them in the fridge- so tasty!

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    Replies
    1. Great idea to use the c. oil.. thx!

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  9. Mmm that sounds delicious! Glad it worked :)

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  10. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I've been looking for a basic one that is PB-based, that I can add my own ingredients to. Love your pic of the plate with the optional add-ins. BTW, what is the name of the font you used to write the names of the add-ins? Totally cute! ;)

    Can't wait to try this recipe. I'm bummed that I'm out of protein powder at the moment. :(

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  11. Becka- thanks :) the font is called "Chalkduster"

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  12. Oh my! As a hardcore peanut butter (and protein powder) addict can I just say that they are amazing!!

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  13. I had gastric bypass last year so I can't handle the real honey, but I made them with some imitation sugar free honey and they are definitely delicious. I'm going to have to make a double batch next time as my kids wanted to snag them!

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  14. Do you have the nutritional information on these? Particularly, I'd like calories, fat grams, Carbs, & Protein Grams. They sound great. I, too, have had gastric bypass surgery & am always looking for high protein, low carb recipes. Thanks!

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  15. Also, is there a particular brand of PB you would recommend? I realize the nutritional values will depend on the brands you use, but if you tell what brands you used, it would help. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I recommend using natural peanut butter (the only ingredient should be raw peanuts, no salt, sugar, or oil added). The PB brand I use is pictured on the Dormroom Pantry Staples tab above, or here: http://chockohlawtay.blogspot.com/p/my-dormroom-pantry-staples.html

      I updated the post showing the nutrition label at the bottom. Hope this helps!

      -Jess

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  16. Hi Jessica, great blog! This recipe is awesome! I've been experimenting with other sweet gooey non-honey/agave substances - jelly has also worked pretty well.

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  17. Interesting. I have a feeling hemp protein powder may not work, it has quite a strong hemp taste (IMO). Many soy protein powders tend to be "chalky". Rice protein powder would likely be the best, but I don't have it. Perhaps a combination of hemp and soy?

    I might have a go with soy protein powder, agave and some other nut butter (I don't really like PB outside of satay sauce and some other savory dishes), but I have a feeling the flavour of the soy protein may come through too much. We'll see.

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    Replies
    1. I think the flavor of soy protein powder can be masked by the peanut butter, but if you don't like PB than I'm not sure how these will taste with other nut butters. I would recommend using a strong flavored nut butter (like raw hazelnut butter. Even raw, this has a very strong flavor) and maybe even chocolate soy protein powder! "Nutella" protein balls sound darn good right now....

      Anyways, good luck!

      -Jess

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    2. I recently acquired some unflavoured pea protein powder and because the flavour is less icky than the crappy soy protein powder I have, I decided to try it with cashew butter, even though it is very mild. I added some lucuma powder, vanilla and maple extract and the result is quite nice. Cardamom and/or lavender might have worked nicely, too. I did find that I couldn't add as much protein powder as in the recipe and had to add a little more agave.

      Note that I believe the pea protein powder I have has a milder pea taste than most. If you tried this with cashew butter and a more pea-ey protein the taste might be quite bad. Though even a stronger pea protein should still work just fine with the original peanut butter...

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  18. I got linked over to your blog from OSG...I'm the one who makes nut butter with the mini-processor (you're welcome!). I love your blog! I just made a modified version of these, using the last of my homemade Maple/Vanilla Cashew butter (made with raw soaked cashews and no oil) and plain unsweetened soy protein powder. Because my cashew butter was already a little sweet, I only used a few drops of agave. WONDERFUL stuff. I gobbled them up after my resistance workout. Much more fun than making a protein smoothie :)

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    Replies
    1. I know, I recognized your name! :) And thanks so much for the tip, I now think I'm going to buy a little Cuisinart!
      And wow, maple-vanilla-cashew sounds AMAZING, I'll have to give that to my family to try as I'm allergic to cashews :( but I can just imagine how wonderful that must've tasted, yummm!

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  19. Do you think I could put them in the freezer to have them as an emergency snack? And how long will they keep safe to eat in the fridge?

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    Replies
    1. I'm sure these can be kept in the freezer as long as they are kept covered in a sealed container. Same goes with the fridge, but I wouldn't keep it in the fridge for longer than five days. You must have great self control to have this lying around ;) Good luck!

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  20. I just made these and they are soo good! I will definitely be making these all the time!

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  21. Just made these and they filled me right up. Thanks!

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  22. Hi Jessica, Love your recipes, personality and dedication!! When making this recipe as well as the chocolate version and the peanut butter protein bars, would hemp protein powder work? Also looking forward to your next post : )

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I've never tried using hemp protein powder, but feel free to give it a shot. Since hemp protein seems to absorb a lot of liquid, I would suggest mixing the PB and sweetener together first, then add the protein powder 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a cookie dough consistency :)

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  23. How much is a "scoop" of protein powder? A teaspoon? A tablespoon? A 1/4 cup? Thanks for making a healthier version of a holiday treat (buckeye balls).

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    Replies
    1. I think it's around 3 tbs... the protein powder you have should say how many grams there are per serving. In the protein powder I used in this recipe, one scoop = 32g.
      But really, all you need to do is add more honey/PB if the mixture is too dry, and more protein powder if it's too wet. Hope you like the recipe!

      Delete

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