Some people adore the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, all the time. I'm not one of them. I only like it sometimes, when I'm in the right mood for it. But once I'm in the mood for chocolate peanut butter, like these chocolate peanut butter bites, I devour it!
When Amelia was a baby, I came across this recipe for chocolate peanut butter bites in a breastfeeding group; technically a lactation cookie or snack, it should theoretically increase your breastmilk supply. Now, I can't say whether or not it works for that, but it is about the healthiest chocolate peanut butter cookie/dessert/snack recipe you can find.
It's a simple combination of peanut butter, honey, chocolate chips, oatmeal, and flaxseed meal. I love that it's no-bake and can be made using only the microwave, perfect for making during the hottest part of summer.
Other pluses? Each tiny bite has protein and lots of fiber (1 grams of each). You're snacking, but they really fill you up! I've skipped lunch by eating chocolate peanut butter bites more than once.
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Making Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites
In the recipe as I originally found it, you combine the peanut butter and honey, add the remaining ingredients, then roll the sticky snacks in extra oats or slivered almonds or something. That sounded both messy and fussy, neither of which I like. So, I cut back on the honey to reduce the stickiness (and sweetness).
I decided everything would mix together more easily if I heated the peanut butter and honey together first. When I mixed in the remaining ingredients, magic happened. The chocolate chips melted into the peanut butter, turning this into something like a healthier peanut butter cup.
This recipe takes no more than 15 minutes to make - maybe a little longer if you don't have a cookie scoop. The dough can be a little crumbly, but whenever mine is, I use my hands to finish rolling these into balls. I like to use a tiny 1.5-teaspoon cookie scoop (affiliate link) for these to make them bite-size.
I prefer quick rolled oats, rather than old-fashioned oats, because the quick oats are smaller and blend into the bites better. But you can use either.
Be sure to use ground flax seed meal, rather than whole flax seeds. Whole, unground flax seeds are not digested by the body - they pass through your gut whole! You'll want them ground so your body can get the benefits of its fiber - not to mention, the ground stuff will blend into these, whereas the whole seeds will not.
I haven't tried it, but I expect that you'd be able to use any nut butter to make these peanut-free. You may need to add additional honey to get it to the right consistency if your almond or other nut butter has no sugar added. To make them peanut- and nut-free, I bet sunbutter would be a good substitution.
I've been known to eat several of these instead of eating a meal when I'm busy, and I don't feel guilty thanks to all the oatmeal and flax meal, which provide lots of fiber, and the peanut butter, which provides protein. Sometimes I find that I can taste the flax meal in these. That doesn't bother me, but if it bothers you, you can use more oatmeal and less flax meal. You can also try adding more honey or chocolate chips.
Like this recipe? Rate it and leave a comment below!
Love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? Try Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, or Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies with chocolate chips.
In the past:
Three Years Ago: Light Wheat Bread, Monkey Bread
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Coffee Cake
Five Years Ago: Cherry-Peach Sangria, Peach-Raspberry Pie
Seven Years Ago: Sourdough Brat Rolls, Sourdough Buns
📖 Recipe
These delicious chocolate peanut butter bites are loaded with fiber from the oats and flaxseed meal. Peanut butter provides protein, and chocolate provides decadence. A perfect nutritious and satisfying snack!
- ½ cup peanut butter (128 grams)
- 3 tablespoons honey (63 grams) (can use up to ⅓ cup or 5 ⅓ tablespoons)
- ½ cup chocolate chips (85 grams)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons oats (90 grams) (I prefer quick oats here)
- 6 tablespoons flaxseed meal (42 grams) (substitute entirely with oats if desired)
- extra oats, almonds, or crushed peanuts for coating (100% optional - I never do it)
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Place peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips in a heatsafe bowl, and microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Stir together until mixture is smooth.
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Add oats and flax meal, and stir until combined. Mixture may be crumbly and hard to mix, but it will come together. If you're worried, stir in a little extra honey.
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Scoop into balls; I prefer to use my smallest cookie scoop for bite-size balls. If mixture is crumbly, use your hands to finish rolling the balls. If mixture is sticky, roll peanut butter bites in extra oats/almonds/nuts.
If you're a vegan who doesn't eat honey, I bet golden syrup, agave, or molasses would substitute nicely.
(Post updated August 2018 with pictures and a little additional writing.)
Jenn says
These were really good! I used almond butter and maple syrup like you suggested (same ratios) and I think I maybe should have used less oats because at the end, they weren't sticking as well. I did press the rest into the bottom of a container to cut into bars. The kids loved them too!
Leona Konkel says
I'm so glad you liked them! And I'm glad to hear that the maple syrup worked!