Home » Diet Preference » Dairy Free » Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls

A few months ago, just after Christmas, I went on this no sugar-kick. I even shared my plan and had tons of encouragement from you. First, thank you. It always helps to know you have someone rooting for you.

Second, it was really hard.

I removed all sugar from my diet, including fruit, starchy veggies and all sweeteners for almost three weeks. And yes, wine included. While I definitely felt good, it felt like something was missing. Maybe it was just my mind playing games with me, but I couldn't imagine living in a world with out sweets – let alone fruit.

I caved when I visited my parents and I remember that first bite of fruit I took. Heaven. And it was an apple…just a plain old apple. It tasted amazing.

Chocolate covered peanut butter balls on a silver tray. They are covered in nuts.

 

I realized that fruit, and sweets, have a place in my diet, I just need to be mindful how much I'm eating them. I'm not going to sit here and say that I can eat an entire bar of dark chocolate and feel good. Or eat three bananas a day. But as long as I'm striking a balance between what my body loves – fruit and chocolate – and what it needs – green vegetables and lean protein – then it seems to find its rhythm.

Now that I am paying more attention to the amount of sugar I'm eating, I've found that I'm satisfied with just a small bite. I don't need to eat three cookies to get my fix. I can just have a teeny square of chocolate, a raw cookie ball, or a chocolate-covered peanut butter ball.

I've professed my love for chocolate and peanut butter before, but I have to say this particular treat takes it to the next level. A healthier version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, these little peanut butter balls are pure bliss.

Chocolate covered peanut butter balls on a plate. One is half eaten.

But what makes them even better is the addition of quinoa cripsies. They go from just truffles into these sensation dessert/snack bites that kind of remind you of a chocolate crunch bar (or granola bar), but in candy form. Does that even make sense?

Either way…they melt in your mouth, make your taste buds sing and are  mostly healthy. I say mostly because yes, they're still chocolate and they're still peanut butter. But compare the list of ingredients here with what you buy in the check-out line at CVS, and I'd pick these peanut butter balls any day.

For today's recipe, I've taken a slight adaptation from one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Angela from Oh She Glows, and turned it into a quinoa creation. Angela is incredibly talented, so if you haven't checked out her blog, you must! She also just released a cookbook (yay!) which arrived at my doorstep yesterday and I seriously was drooling over all the recipes. We're not vegan, but I can't wait to cook everything inside!

(View Oh She Glows cookbook on Amazon)

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Bites

I've professed my love for chocolate and peanut butter before, but I have to say this particular treat takes it to the next level. A healthier version of a Reese's Cup, these little peanut butter balls are pure bliss.
author: Alyssa
yield: 24 Bites
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Mix together peanut butter and maple syrup until fully combined and smooth. The mixture should thin out a little bit.
  • Add coconut flour and quinoa crispies. Stir until peanut butter begins to thicken and turns into a dough.
  • Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until no dough remains. Set aside.
  • Melt the chocolate and coconut oil over a double boiler until completely smooth. Using a fork, dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate and return them to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional quinoa crispies for decoration.
  • Place in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours, until chocolate has hardened.
  • And of course, enjoy!

Notes

These are best stored in the fridge or freezer.
 
slightly adapted from Oh She Glows

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.7mg
cuisine: American
course: Snack

Filed Under:

Rate and review this recipe!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

12 comments on “Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Balls”

  1. Alyssa, I LOVE Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!!!!! So do all my 6 children. I too have gone from one extreme to another regarding fruit and sugar. I really like that you’re using honey or maple syrup in these. I’ve actually made something similar in the past and used Pure stevia extract powder and they were very tasty. I can’t wait to try these with the quinoa crisps, that will be new. I’ve never used them before. I’m wondering if there’s a way to make your own quinoa crispies…..??? Thanks for your awesome website and blog 🙂

    1. Hi Janet, thank you! Glad you’re liking the sounds of this recipe 🙂

      Here’s a post where I talk a bit more in detail about quinoa crisps. https://www.simplyquinoa.com/crispy-honey-quinoa-cereal/

      Unfortunately, there isn’t a great way to recreate them at home, but when in a pinch I think you could substitute rice crispies in their place. Hope that helps you and would LOVE to hear what you think!! xx

  2. I was so excited when I saw this recipe ~ I’ve had such taste for homemade peanut butter cups! but have continued to keep them a thought, for months ~ but while the price of the quinoa crisps is doable! they want double that for shipping! I hate paying all that shipping, so I’m keeping it all just a thought
    🙁

    1. Hi Nancy,

      That’s understandable. I too don’t like paying shipping costs. If you can’t get your hands on quinoa crispies, gluten-free rice crispies would also work. You can usually pick those up at any grocery store. Hope that helps!!

    2. Edison Grainery does have Free Shipping with orders over $50! When I need quinoa cripsies, I just stock up on other goodies to reach $50! My kids LOVE their quinoa mac-n-cheese and one bag makes 2 batches (includes 2 cheese packets). Their other products are fabulous too!

  3. Good morning Alyssa, I just wanted to tell you that I always look forward to receiving and reading your emails. I am a big fan of quinoa and love all these different recipes to incorporate it in my day. Also, I am a HUGE fan of peanut butter, in fact, I cannot imagine my life without it, ha ha.
    I am very excited because I am pretty sure I have found quinoa crispies in my local grocery store! If, not the regular, I have definitely found a chocolate cereal version of them in a local bulk item store. So, yay for me and I would also like to add that I am VERY excited to make these and send you the verdict!
    Have a wonderful day and here’s to warm weather and hopefully the snow disappearing! We are buried in it here.
    Take care,
    Terry Lynn 🙂

  4. I couldn’t find Quinoa crispies anywhere so I followed internet directions to make my own…poor results. I used crushed Rice Krispies instead – still delicious, but will try again. Hoping to find crispies in Buffalo next time we visit the US.

  5. Avatar photo
    elizabethorourke

    Good!! Can find quinoa crispies from. Edisongrainery . amy@edisongrainery.com. (Plus lots of other great stuff)

  6. Pingback: Quinoa chocolade pindakaas balletjes | Wat eet je dan wel?

  7. Pingback: Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Quinoa Muffins - Simply Quinoa