My son has started kindergarten and is in a tree nut-free school. He packs his lunch pretty much every day, and we’re always looking for new treats for him to bring for snacktime and lunch. His favorite dessert of late are these granola bars, but we decided to switch things up and create a new treat — introducing these energy balls! They’re sweet enough that he eats them after his lunch and we’ve started calling them chocolate cookie balls.

If you’re seeking a snack recipe for school (or home) that has no tree nuts or peanuts (read: no almonds, etc.), then you must try this! Please note that they have coconut, which can be another allergen, and sunflower seeds, which aren’t a nut. These take 5 minutes to make and only have 6 ingredients! Plus, they’re so easy to make, my 3-year-old daughter had a blast helping me. 

Chocolate Energy Bites (Nut free!)

Here’s what you need:

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup flaxseed
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 12 ounces pitted Medjool dates
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Here’s what you do:

1. Place oatmeal and coconut in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
2. Add flaxseed, cocoa powder, dates and sunflower seeds. Pulse to combine until the mixture comes together into a very sticky dough.
3. Roll into small balls, and store room temperature. I prefer to put mine in the fridge (or freezer) if they’re going to be uneaten for more than 2-3 days. Depending on how big you roll them (or your helper rolls them), the recipe makes 20-24 balls. Mine made 22, but we may have eaten 1-2 before we counted 😉

Optional: I also like to add fun things to the outside of these. To make them extra kid friendly, feel free to roll in sprinkles, or put a few mini M&Ms on the outside.

Questions:

What free nut-free snacks do you love?

Do you prefer baking alone or having any baking buddies/helpers?