Monster Cookie Energy Balls

At a glance

What stands out: If you’re a fan of monster cookies, you’ll love monster cookie energy balls, with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&Ms. This no-bake treat is straightforward to mix (you can even freeze them) and kids love ’em!

How long it takes: 15 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large mixing bowl
Servings: makes 30 balls

Are you a cookie monster? Do you remember the lovable fuzzy blue Cookie Monster from Sesame Street who gobbled up cookies as fast as he could, while saying “Me want more cookies!!”?

We did hear that in response to concerns about promoting lighter eating to children, the producers of the show were going to change his name to Veggie Monster. Ha, good luck with that! Has anyone heard of the Veggie Monster? We didn’t think so. Obviously, that didn’t fly.

Cookie monster or not, everyone loves monster cookies with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and M&Ms all wrapped up in a nice big cookie. You can’t go too wrong with that combination. It would make anyone turn into a crazy cookie monster.

So we figure monster cookie energy balls are going to be an instant hit wherever you take them. A no-bake protein ball with all the goodies of a monster cookie. Hurray! It’s genius!

Learn how to put together an memorable after school snack board. Monster cookie energy balls play a starring role, accompanied by lots more lighter nibbles. The snack board is reliable for birthday parties, pool parties, or any event that includes children and those of us who are still kids at heart.

What goes in

• Creamy Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is a good source of protein, nutrients, fiber, and lighter fats. Stick to a brand that doesn’t have a lot of added ingredients such as sugar, vegetable oils or trans fat. Peanut butter is the glue that holds these balls together. And yes, sunflower butter or other nut butters can be substituted.
• Maple Syrup: A natural sweetener, maple syrup also has great flavor. Use pure maple syrup. Pancake syrup is often made with high fructose corn syrup and artificial maple flavoring.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Most cookies contain vanilla extract. It provides a pleasant, sweet flavor.
• Peanut Butter Protein Powder (Optional): Made from ground peanuts but without the oil, PB powder increases the nutritional value of the energy balls. Other types of protein powder are fine, too.
• Rolled Oats: These energy balls have a substantial amount of oats: two cups! Oats are a whole grain with lots of protein, soluble fiber, and antioxidants. They are gluten-free.
• Mini M&M’s: An essential part of monster cookies! We like the mini size for these energy balls but regular size M&M’s are fine, too.
• Mini Chocolate Chips: Another essential for monster cookies!

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How it comes together

Roll up your sleeves, wash your hands, and let’s get started! Find a nice big bowl.

Blend together the wet ingredients. Measure out the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and PB powder (if you’re using it) and put it all into the bowl. Stir it with a rubber spatula until it’s smooth and creamy.

Stir in the oats. The mixture will be thick. Stir it until the oats are combined with the peanut butter mixture.

Add the mix-ins. Now add the M&M’s and chocolate chips. At this point, the dough will be hard to stir and it’s okay to use your hands.

Form into balls. Using your fingers, roll the mixture into small balls, about one and a half inches in diameter. It’s okay to guess! If your energy balls are smaller, you’ll end up with more of them. If they’re larger, you’ll have a few less. No biggie!

P.S. Kids love this job, too! Enlist their help in rolling the balls.

Cooking Tip

If you’re having a hard time rolling the balls, try spraying your fingers with a light misting of nonstick spray.

If your mixture is too dry or too sticky, it may be difficult to roll. If the balls are falling apart, try adding a bit more peanut butter to the mixture. If the mixture seems too sticky, stir in more oats.

Refrigerating the mixture for an hour or so can help, too.

Store the energy bites in the refrigerator. They’ll firm up a little bit as they chill. They’ll keep for a week in the fridge or a few months in the freezer.

Serve the energy bites with a glass of cold milk or a tropical smoothie. They go great with a cup of coffee, too.

Before you start

Ways to change it

• Nut-free: Substitute sunflower butter (SunButter) for the peanut butter. Omit PB powder or substitute another protein powder of your choice.
• Play around with the ingredients. Instead of the chocolate chips and M&Ms, try dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries. Toasted coconut is good, too. Try to keep the ratios the same or you’ll have problems rolling them into balls.
• Increase the nutrition by adding chia seed, hemp seed, or flaxseed. Ground flaxseed can be added, too. Again, try to keep the ratio of dry ingredients to wet ingredients the same. If you add a lot of extra dry ingredients, the mixture may be difficult to roll into balls. For example, if you add a quarter cup of chia seed, you may want to decrease the amount of chocolate chips to a quarter cup.
• Rather have a cookie? Try trail mix cookies or our popular M&M cookies.

Make Ahead & Storage Tips

Refrigerate: Store the energy balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for about a week.

Freeze: We like to make a double batch of the energy balls and pop half of them into the freezer. To freeze energy balls, put them on a tray or baking pan in a single layer and freeze them for an hour or so, or until they are firm. Place them into a freezer container or freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Energy balls make a great lunchbox treat!

Looking for more snack ideas? Take a look at our list of 30 after school snacks. There’s something for everyone, big or small. Click on the button below for our complete list of snacks and appetizers.

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• Yield: 30 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 scoop PB (peanut butter) protein powder, about 2 tablespoons (optional)
• 2 cups rolled oats (quick oats are fine, too)
• ½ cup mini M&M's (or regular M&Ms)
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and optional PB protein powder using a rubber spatula.
2. Add oats and combine with the peanut butter mixture.
3. Stir in M&Ms and chocolate chips, using a rubber spatula or clean hands to combine.
4. Roll mixture into 1 ½ inch balls and place on a cookie sheet or platter. Makes 30 balls.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Storage: Store monster cookie energy balls in a sealed container or storage bag in the fridge for up to 7 days. To freeze, place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer for about 1 hour. Once the energy balls are firm, transfer them to a freezer storage bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nut-free: Sunflower butter may be substituted for peanut butter. Other types of protein powder can be substituted for the PB protein powder.

Nutrition boosters: If you like, add a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed, chia seed, or hemp seed (hearts).