Things are a little nutty over here. Coco-nutty. Ha!
Ok, that was lame. It’s Monday of what’s going to be a long week, forgive me.
*Disclaimer before we go any further…there are going to be many opportunities for TWSS in this post. It’s about balls for crying out loud. I’m going to put my big girl pants on and try to refrain. However, it’s Monday and I know you might need something to laugh about so feel free to TWSS it up. I won’t judge.
I make some sort of ball pretty much every week. They’re versatile, no bake, perfect snacks, and I can eat like 5 at a time if I want and not feel bad about it.
Yesterday I had planned on making some elaborate warm, cozy stew/soup kind of Sunday meal but then laziness, a long walk that ended up taking up more of the afternoon than I thought and a douse of self-pity about my upcoming 30th birthday left me too tired and craving sweets instead.
A few handfuls of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows later, I realized balls would do a much better job of satisfying the craving and at least I could combine some nuts with the copious amounts of chocolate for some protein and healthy fats.
These are probably the best imitation of any of the cookie dough balls I’ve made before. It’s either the 1/4 of a banana in this batch or the fact that my new food processor is way better at well, processing. Their consistency is legitimately like cookie dough and they’re studded with chocolate chips in every bite. The coconut isn’t too strong just more of a hint of flavor.
Perfect way to shut up your chocolate craving.
Perfect for snacking during your company’s upcoming annual meeting that usually leaves something to be desired in the food selections.
Perfect way to forget about the fact that you’re turning 30 this year and most likely the only way you’re going to end up doing something memorable for it is if you go on vacation by yourself. Which actually sounds somewhat appealing.
And if none of those apply, perfect way to kick the Monday blues in the butt.
Go ball-istic.
Yep, lame again.
- ¾ cup plain cashews
- ¼ cup oats
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- pinch of salt
- ¼ medium banana
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, divided
- Place cashews, oats and coconut flour in a food processor and process until reaching a flour like consistency.
- Add salt through maple syrup and process again until combined.
- Add half the chocolate chips and process until just broken up and combined. Dough should form a ball.
- Scrape dough out into small bowl, fold in remaining chocolate chips and freeze for 10-15 minutes. Dough will be somewhat wet and sticky before freezing.
- After 10-15 minutes, roll dough into balls.
- Keep refrigerated.
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
great flavor combo! get ready for all the search terms related to balls hahaha, you know what i had this weekend!!
Heya! I don’t know if I’ve posted before, but just want to say I read your blog daily and this one made me literally LOL. These look positively scrumptious – already pinned! Do you think almond flour could be an adequate substitute for the cashews? I’m a grad student and live in college housing, which means kitchen space is limited and sadly I don’t have a good food processor. But I definitely want to whip up a batch of these!
Allegra
PS don’t let the 30-y/o-blues get you down
I’d say give it a try! I’ve used almonds before with cashews and processed them until they’re like flour, so I assume it would work. let me know how they turn out if you try it that way!
Will do!
Yum– love dough balls like this. These look perfect!
love basically everything about this post. These look fantastic first of all and perfect for starting along week off with. I’ve been lacking seriously in the snack department lately, i just never have anything on hand snack worthy- gotta make some balls soon because they do seem like the perfect grab and go snack.
Oh, but these do look perfect! I like that they don’t have any wheat flour in them. As much as I love the stuff, it doesn’t love me back.
Loving this No-Oven-Necessary approach!!
Love the idea of no bake cookie dough. Because who doesn’t love raw cookie dough??!!
I’ve never seen balls with the inclusion of banana. Great idea!
I’ve been really into balls lately. I got the Mr into too. So far, I have yet to tell them they are raw & healthy. Win!
Sometimes ignorance is best
Love the idea of including the banana for some added sweetness!
These sound wonderful! I love chocolate, banana, coconut, and nuts all mixed together in almost anything.
I’m loving all of your recent coconut flour recipes – I’ve been at such a loss for what to do with the random bag I bought on impulse. These balls sound really, really good (TWSS!). I’ve been having some serious chocolate cravings and I know these would do the trick.
Is it sad that the very first thought that popped into my head when I saw the title was “Oh I LOVE Gina’s balls!” haha. To de-creepify it, I love your DOUGH ball RECIPES. These looks awesome.
Oooo I LOVE cashews!! I’m over these like crazy!! They are totally healthy enough to eat for breakfast, right?! LOL!
xxoo
um, of course! cookie dough for breakfast! I contemplated putting them in oats this morning but then I got too lazy to make the oats so I had cereal. haha
I love dough balls like these
Plus coconut is a huge plus for me. And gotta have cashews, they are so creamy and good 
I love that you added banana, I’ve never done that before. I’m going to try these out next time a cookie dough craving strikes 
I made peanut butter, chocolate chip, coconut, oatmeal cookies yesterday and ate some of the dough. If I made these, I’d have absolutely no restraint.
It’s just like a granola cookie! Perfect for before-hitting-the-gym snack.
Mmmm these look so moist and delish! Do you think I could sub whole wheat flour?
whole wheat pastry would probably be ok, but i wouldn’t do regular whole wheat. If you don’t have ww pastry, go with all purpose or spelt or almond.
These are so safe and unassuming until you eat 5 or 6.
Gorgeous!
I’m with Cait. I love your balls.
Ulysses might be starting to wonder…
gina, these look so so so good, and healthy. Cashews replace the butter… awesome job. And beautiful pics. I’m bookmarking this recipe.
Yum! I’m always looking for a way to sneak more cookie dough into my diet, as if the nearly daily baking doesn’t cut it.
Oh Gina I just had to share…. I read this the first time when it popped up in my feed and didnt have a chance to comment on how delicious this looks/sounds!
And then… I have to confess that I am accidentally back a second time all because of your Tweet “a post about balls” haha.
haha, I think a few people we’re taken aback by that tweet. I have no shame
Yum! I make choc chip coconut cookie dough balls, too. But I don’t use a banana in mine. I bet that brings out the coconutty flavor. Yum!
Great pics of balls…they can be real buggers to photograph well b/c of their size and glare factor.
Great post! This recipe looks so amazing! What a fun treat to cure your chocolate craving! These would be so fun to bring to work or to a girls evening!
I wish you a wonderful 30th year.
Cheers,
Christi
I wish I could eat cashews. My daughter is severly allergic but can have peanuts. Maybe they would work.
I have a question…I have a hard time stomaching bananas. Is there something I can substitute for them instead?
just leave it out! your dough won’t be as wet so you might not even need to freeze it before rolling into balls. If it’s too dry just add a tiny bit more maple syrup.
I want one now!!!
And “Go ball-istic” made me lol
Raw cookie dough balls are my favorite. I didn’t think they could get any better, until I got a dehydrator. Holy cow! They almost taste like *real* cookies. I’m going to have to try them with added banana – that sounds great.
Yumyumyumyumyum. I wish I had 50 of those in front of me right now.
I love this! I have never added coconut to chocolate chip cookies before. What was I thinking?! PS: I’m feeling you on the Monday of a long week thing. I said to my students today when there was two minutes of class left and they needed to finish an assignment, “Wrap it up in two minutes.” Definite TWSS and I didn’t even think it through. Blergh.
I’m such a sucker for anything cookie dough! I have no qualms about eating cookie dough with raw eggs in it. Horrible, I know, but I’ve never gotten salmonella… yet
YUM! Where do you usually find coconut flour? Is Whole Foods a good bet?
AND just made them! They are like Lara Bar balls!
yeah they are kinda! Except no date taste
Yum! I keep buying ingredients to make cookie dough balls, but I don’t make them! Ok, you totally convinced me too!!
Yum! These look so cute! I can’t decide what recipes I want to try this weekend! The cherry coconut chocolate chip balls look good too!
Balls to the wall!! How do you get them so round??? Mine always seem to end up in this weird un-round state. Not that they would taste any different if they were rounder, it just bugs me that I can get them that way for some reason. Sadness.
Magic hands
haha j/k. The 1/4 banana really made them the perfect “rolling” consistency.
ahhhhhh good to know!!
Yes, where do you find coconut flour? Do you buy it at the store, or do you just process coconut flakes until they are a flour consistency? These look great, BTW.
I found it in my local health food store. It’s the Bob’s Red Mill brand.
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