Savory Spiced Walnut & Tahini Energy Bites
I love creating savory snacks for my little toddler that are healthy, full of good fats, tasty, and easy to pack into a lunchbox or snack pack for on the go nourishment. We love the traditional nut and date balls that I make but I wanted to create something less sweet that packed a good punch in the flavor department. I think it’s really important to get my girl’s taste buds used to savory flavors more so than sweet flavors and while there’s nothing wrong with sweet treats on occasion, I like having savory options be our go-to on the regular. These savory nut balls fit the bill. They’re easy to whip up in our food processor and one batch will last two weeks in the fridge. Though I’m sure you’ll go through these before the two weeks are up! I love the spice combination in these and for fun I sprinkled ours with some local hemp seeds (local folks you can purchase local hemp seeds from Queen of Hearts) Though I’ll admit that Pepper, my little toddler, picked all the hemp seeds off of her balls before eating so feel free to leave them out completely. Honestly, these don’t need the “topping” they’re perfect as is.
The dough for these is a little more dry than traditional nut and date balls (the dates always act as a nice sticky binder) but since we’re forgoing the dates in these they’re a little more dry when you first start working the dough. Be patient, it comes together!
Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy these as much as we do. They’re a great snack for toddlers and adults alike. Happy snacking everyone!
Savory Spiced Walnut & Tahini Energy Bites
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes Serves: 12 bites
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 3/4 cup sprouted oat flour or regular oat flour (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoons well stirred tahini
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Hemp hearts for sprinkeling (optional)
Preparation
- In a food processor pulse the walnuts until they become a fine meal. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until a dough begins to form. This may take a few minutes, scrape down the sides as needed. Taste the dough and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Use your hands to scoop out about 1 Tablespoon size portions of the batter and shape into balls. If desired, sprinkle on some hemp seeds for good measure (totally optional). Store in a sealed glass container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Notes
*Sprouted oat flour is easier to digest than un sprouted oat flour. You can find sprouted oat flour at specialty grocery stores or online and healthyflour.com or SecondSpringfoods.com. If you don't have oat flour at all you can make your own by pulsing rolled oats in your food processor or blender until it becomes a "flour-like" consistency.
I was excited to try these – love the idea of tahini and walnuts. Disappointed in the result – to my taste it was very bland and the texture too uniform. I added more of the spices, another tablespoon of tahini. I added more walnuts but only processed them a bit so there were small chunks to add texture. I ground up a few more walnuts pices to roll the balls in.