Chocolate Coconut Energy Bites

Health Highlights

Ingredients

1 cup	Coconut, shredded, unsweetened (toasted or plain)
2 cup whole	Almonds, raw (ground in blender, or buy pre-ground)
1/2 cup	Cocoa powder, unsweetened
25 date(s)	Dates (pitted, softened in water, then blended, or 2/3 cup agave)
1 tbsp	Coconut oil
1/4 cup hulled	Sunflower seeds (slightly ground, or hemp, flax or pumpkin)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Shake about 1 cup of shredded coconut on a plate or if you like, dry roast the shredded coconut in a frying on the stovetop by placing the coconut in the pan on med-high heat and warm through until it turns light golden brown. Be sure to watch becasue it does not take long.
Process the almonds in a blender or food processor until they are ground into a fine crumb like texture. You can also buy already ground almond/pecan nuts at bulk barn, but it is really very easy/quick to do in blender/food processor.
Add the cocoa powder, dates, coconut oil, and sunflower seeds to the blender/food processor with the ground almonds and process on high until everything is combined.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough into your hands and roll into a ball. Roll the ball in shredded coconut and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat until the dough is gone.
Place baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and then transfer balls to a freezer-safe bag, or layer in a freezer-safe storage container, separating each layer with parchment paper. Store in the freezer.

Quick Tips:

Do not blend almonds too long, or they will turn into nut butter!
You may need to add a few teaspoons of water to the mixture depending on how sticky your dates are.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Calories 193

Calories from fat 122

Calories from saturated fat 24.1

Total Fat 13.5 g

Saturated Fat 2.7 g

Trans Fat 0.0 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.9 g

Monounsaturated Fat 5.8 g

Cholesterol 0

Sodium 2.3 mg

Potassium 261 mg

Total Carbohydrate 15.2 g

Dietary Fiber 4.7 g

Sugars 8.4 g

Protein 5.0 g

Fruit	0.3
Meat Alternative	0.5