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Chunky Monkey Energy Balls are loaded with dark chocolate and walnuts, sweet bananas, and a few superfoods, too! Everyone will go ape over gluten free snack bites inspired by a famous ice cream flavor. These are quick, easy, and healthy no-bake snacks that still taste super yummy.
Originally published April 21, 2015. Updated with video and more helpful information.
Chocolate Chunk Banana Energy Balls Recipe
Most of my regular readers know that I have two boys. When I first wrote this post, I shared my journey to get to this point. While I don’t have the full story here anymore (if you ever want to hear it, send me a message), let’s just say there were plenty of challenges.
And at this point, what does it matter? Our family is complete.
Though that doesn’t mean that it’s an easy road now with two crazy active boys who have the combined stubbornness and independent nature of both of their parents. This makes for some challenging days. There are those times where I throw my hands up in the air and wonder why I went through all that I did.
But to hear them say, “Mommy, I will never stop loving you,” or to see them learn to ride a bike or swim or read Harry Potter, well, it makes it all worth it.
Well, until we are at the park one day and I open a container of these Chocolate Chunk Banana Energy Bites and they shout at the top of their lungs, “MONKEY BALLS, MONKEY BALLS, MONKEY BALLS!!”
I’m not sure if I wanted to bust out laughing or crawl under the table.
But I suppose if they are excited to eat a healthy snack like this, I should just continue to count my blessings!
Chunky Monkey Energy Balls Recipe
Inspired by the amazing Ben & Jerry’s ice cream of the same name, these energy bites have the flavors of banana and vanilla and are loaded with chunks of chocolate and walnuts. But unlike your favorite frozen treat, these have plenty of superfoods too.
Based on your choice of ingredients, you can even make them gluten free, dairy free, and vegan. And they taste amazing! What’s not to love?!
Ingredients
- Dates
- Overripe banana
- Vanilla
- Oats – gluten free, if needed
- Ground flax seeds
- Chia seeds
- Walnuts
- Dark chocolate – dairy free and vegan, if needed
Directions
- Combine all of the ingredients except the walnuts and chocolate in a food processor and process until it forms a paste, adding more oats if the mixture is too soft.
Note: You may need to use a spatula to scrape the mixture from the sides once or twice to ensure it gets completely broken down.
- Add the walnuts and chocolate and pulse a few times to incorporate and slightly break up the chocolate and walnuts without chopping them too fine.
- Using about a tablespoon of the mixture at a time, roll into balls.
Because these tend to be softer than some other energy balls, as well as perishable, due to the banana, you’ll need to store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. They will last up to a week. You can also keep them in the freezer for several months. Just pull them out to thaw in the fridge the night before you plan to eat them.
More energy ball recipes
- Cinnamon Apple Energy Balls
- Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Energy Balls
- Pineapple Coconut Energy Balls
- Pumpkin Energy Balls with Chocolate Chips
- Lemon Vanilla Energy Bites from Cotter Crunch
More healthy banana snacks
- Healthy Chocolate Pudding Snack Hack
- Peanut Butter Banana Snack Bites
- No-Bake Banana Nut Energy Bars
- Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Chunky Monkey Banana Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 very ripe banana
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup uncooked oats, gluten free, if needed
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed or flax meal
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 oz. dark chocolate, broken into pieces (vegan, if needed)
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients except the walnuts and chocolate in a food processor and process until it forms a paste, adding more oats if the mixture is too soft.
- Add the walnuts and chocolate and pulse a few times to incorporate and slightly break up the chocolate and walnuts without chopping them too fine.
- Using about a tablespoon of the mixture at a time, roll into balls.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
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Enjoy!
Hi would these work with toasted coconut and rid the flax and chia seeds as I am unable to eat those? And as we know toasting coconut brings out so much more flavour.
Thank you excite try this recipe if you think my revamping will work.
Shelly
Hi Shelly,
I think subbing in toasted coconut for the flax and chia sounds like a delicious idea! Please let me know how the recipe turns out for you. 🙂
It is so brave of you to share your story. I’m glad things worked out for you 🙂
Thanks Laura, me too 🙂
So amazing of you to add your voice to Infertility Awareness. I pray to God I don’t have anything to worry about when my time comes but I know so many women have struggles and there’s every chance that I could be one of them. We all see it in women we know and it definitely needs to not be hidden, so people don’t feel alone! The 2 biggest cases that are close to me that I know are these:
Michael’s best friend and his wife struggled to conceive. They did IVF and ended up with twin girls. A few years later…they got a little surprise(!) in way of another baby girl.
One of Michael’s uncles and his wife (Michael’s aunt) have 4 kids. Their oldest son has 4 daughters. Their youngest son got his wife knocked up immediately after marrying and they just delivered their first daughter. Their youngest daughter just got married so we’ll see what happens there. Their oldest daughter-however-has been married and trying to conceive for 8 years. Doctors say there is no medical reason why they can’t get pregnant and it is super heartbreaking 🙁
Anyway…on to monkey balls..
adorable. delicious. the perfect on the go snack with a health boost!
Thanks for reading, Kayle. What a happy surprise (I hope 🙂 ) for Michael’s friends. There are so many heartbreaking stories, though. Best we can do is support these people.
Thank you for sharing your story Brianne, I know it could not have been easy!
Thanks Julianne. I would just love for anyone going through it to be more comfortable talking about it at the time, to help make it easier.
Thank you for sharing your story! I think it is so important for those of us comfortable talking about it to do just that because SO MANY women suffer in silence. If we can give just one person the help and support they need then our job is done. I know you’ve given so many already, just by sharing your story.
Also, this “I also didn’t have to endure as much as those strong and brave women who go through IUI or IVF, so I almost felt like I didn’t rank high enough in the infertility world.” I know exactly how you feel because I “only had to do one round of IVF” but we both need to stop feeling that. Any walk through this journey makes us warriors, no matter how many battle scars we wear. <3
Dorothy, I am so happy I saw your post to remind me. I was very closed about it all at the time, but now I am more than willing to share (overshare?) if it can help someone, plus it helps heal those battle scars, though I don’t think they ever go away.