Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

Baking season is upon us but that doesn't always mean you have to fire up the oven.  Today's recipe is made with ingredients you probably have in the pantry and can be pulled together in just a few minutes.  Little hands are great at shaping these sticky treats and enjoy eating them just as much too.

I keep a baggie with these No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls in my freezer and throw them in lunchboxes or keep them around for a quick afternoon snack.  With protein, whole grains, coconut and chia seeds they are a snack you can feel pretty good about indulging in.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls
     makes ~32 small balls
     time: 15 minutes (minus freezing)

Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1Tbs chia seeds
- pinch salt

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.
2. Using a small dough scoop, scoop into balls and place on a parchment lined tray.
3. Freeze until firm.  Keep in the freezer in an airtight container until ready to eat.

Notes

• I use unsweetened shredded coconut because I find the honey and peanut butter to be sweet enough as is.  If you can't find the unsweetened variety, feel free to substitute sweetened shredded coconut.
• Mini chocolate chips are the perfect chip for this recipe!  Since these are being made into small bite size balls you'll get a ton of chips per ball by using the mini variety and it feels more indulgent for the same amount (or less) of chocolate as regular chips.
• This recipe can be a blank canvas.  Feel free to experiment with other mix-ins that your family might enjoy.  Some ideas would be: raisins, craisins, and cinnamon chips.