I am a HUGE Pumpkin Fanatic (Hello Kim here) !! I love anything & everything pumpkin flavored. Every year, I look forward to fall, when all the pumpkin flavored treats are unleashed for the taking, but this year I thought, why wait until fall? Pumpkin should be appreciated all year round, Right? – so I went against the grain and whipped up these little balls of pumpkin pie goodness to eat anytime I want.
I love protein bars for an afternoon snack, or for a pre or post workout boost. As you know by now, I use dates as a base, for most of my protein bars. Yes, dates have sugar, but they also have tons of fiber, which slows the release of the sugar into your bloodstream- so you don’t get that nasty little blood sugar spike, and the dreaded crash.
These balls are a great snack, but they also moonlight as a sweet indulgence.
Best part is they are not only delicious, they are packed with Fiber, good fats, protein, and all kinds of nutritional goodies!! So it’s a TWOFER- delic and healthy!! The best of both worlds!!
So without further ado….
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 1 pound of medjool dates- make sure to take the pits out- I’ve made this mistake before- NO BEUNO
- 1 cup of walnuts- or any nuts of your choice
- 1 tbs of almond butter
- 1/2 cup of steel cut oats
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon of Libbys canned pumpkin – you can always add a little more, but you want to keep the consistency of the batter thick, so you can roll them into balls
HOW TO MAKE
- Throw everything into a food processor, or if you have a Vitimix- these work amazing and mix it all up!!
- Let the dough sit in the fridge for like an hour, if it’s to sticky
- Roll into medium size balls, and put in the refrigerator
SIDE NOTE
If you are using a vitamix, I suggest putting the wet ingredients in first and then adding the dates on top. The dates are so sticky and thick, the vitamix has a hard time mixing all the ingredients together! ( again I learned this the hard way – I think I almost burned out the motor on that bad boy!! ) So yes put pumpkin and vanilla, and coconut oil in first!