Whenever Starbucks starts promoting their Peppermint Mocha’s, I know Christmas is just around the corner. That gets me excited for a couple reasons. Firstly, family time and holidays are coming up quick, and secondly, delicious and festive treats are coming my way.
I absolutely love Christmas treats, however there are often many very high calorie and fat options. Also, the abundance of holiday parties and office treats make it hard to resist.
Healthy Holiday eating with these delicious Peppermint Mocha Energy Bites.Click To TweetThese high calorie treats are perfectly fine to consume from time-to-time, however there not best choices for a daily treat.
In addition, a healthy and nutritious substitute for that delicious and warm Starbucks mocha are hard to find.
Well today your in luck, because I have a healthy and nutritious treat that tastes just like a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.
Not to mention these Peppermint Mocha Energy Bites are so simple to make and take less than 5 minutes to prepare. Moreover, they are jam packed with nutrient dense foods including oats, cocoa powder, almonds, and almond butter.
Not many holiday treats also contain coffee, which is why they are the perfect pick me up to get you through your afternoon at work. Equally important, you can bring them to your holiday parties for a healthier snack alternative.
To make your festive Peppermint Mocha Energy Bites, combine all ingredients up until and including peppermint extract in a large bowl. Mix ingredients until well combined.
Then add in 5 tbsp of coffee and mix well with a spatula. Add in the additional 1-2 tbsp of coffee if oat mixture is still dry and not cohesive.
Once mixture is cohesive, shape into 12 balls about 1 inch in diameter. Then place in freezer for 30 minutes to chill. Remove from freezer, serve and enjoy.
For storage: place in fridge for up to 1 week in airtight container, or freeze for later use.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups oats
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate protein powder (or regular for non-vegan)
- 3 tbsp almonds, chopped
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey for non-vegan)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
- 5-7 tbsp dark coffee, cooled
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up until and including peppermint extract. Mix until combined, then add in 5 tbsp of coffee and mix well. Add in the additional 1-2 tbsp of coffee if balls are still dry and not cohesive.
- Shape into 12 balls 1 inch in diameter. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to chill. Then serve and enjoy.
- Store in fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for later use.
Charlene is a Registered Dietitian, Sports Nutritionist, and self proclaimed Foodie. Charlene loves to travel and is passionate about all things involving health, fitness and nutrition.
These look wonderful and so festive! They would be a great addition to holiday parties!
Thank you so much Jodi!
These are so pretty for the holidays and I bet the addition of peppermint helps with portion control. I know once I have mint my sweet tooth isn’t as sweet anymore!
Chocolate and mint – great combo, YUM. I have some peanut powder, so can try that.
Thanks Roxana! Let me know what you think 🙂
Allergic to nuts, thoughts on alternative ingredients?
Hi Krystle! You could try using WOW butter (from soybeans) or NoNut butter (from brown peas) in place of the almond butter (both are nut free). If your fine with seeds, another option could be to try and substitute the almond butter with tahini (sesame feed paste) or SunButter (sunflower seed butter). For the Almonds, either omit or you can try using equal volume of another seed (if tolerated) such as chia seeds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds. I haven’t tried any of the substitutions, however I would be interested in seeing how it turns out if you do! Please let me know if you have any more questions 🙂