How to Make the Best Cinnamon Walnut Banana Muffin Energy Balls
One of the main reasons why I love this recipe so much is because these honey balls are so quick and easy to whip up. Sure, it might take a little bit of time to roll your dough out into 30 balls but actually preparing the batter and everything else is an absolute breeze.
The only thing that you’ll need to do is use a food process in order to pulse together two cups of walnuts (or your nut and/or seeds of choice), one cup each of shredded unsweetened coconut and fresh pitted dates. You’ll also need to add in a chopped banana, honey, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and just a pinch of salt.
Pulse all of these ingredients together until you end up with a soft dough. Roll your dough out into about 30 balls (you can make less or more depending on how big you want them to be), and then you can optionally roll each of your balls in some extra shredded coconut if you would like.
Once you’re done making these honey balls, you’ll want to keep them stored in an airtight container inside the refrigerator.
Can I Use a Blender Instead of a Food Processor?
It’s certainly possible to use a blender to make these honey balls instead of a food processor, but I honestly wouldn’t recommend it. Blenders are typically better for making liquid recipes like protein shakes and smoothies. Food processors on the other hand are designed to do exactly what the name implies: process food.
With that being said though, there are indeed some brands of blenders that are powerful enough to easily blend food. If your blender is up to the task, there’s no reason that you can’t use that instead. On the other hand, if your blender is more of a budget friendly option, then I would definitely recommend sticking with a food processor.
What Other Types of Nuts and/or Seeds Can I Add to this Recipe?
While this particular recipe calls for using walnuts, you can definitely feel free to get a little bit flexible when making these honey balls. In fact, here are some of my top recommendations for other nuts and/or seeds that you can add to this recipe:
- Chopped raw almonds are a great replacement for walnuts. They also contain an abundance of heart healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, protein, dietary fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Almonds are also a great food to include in your diet in general as they help to protect against cardiovascular disease by lowering both high blood pressure and the ‘bad’ kind of LDL cholesterol levels. (1)
- I also like to make honey balls with chia seeds because they’re an incredibly nutrient-dense seed option to include. They’re absolutely packed full of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, fiber, protein, antioxidants, and so much more. Some studies have even found that chia seeds may have potential when it comes to helping prevent certain chronic inflammatory diseases. (2)
How Long Do These Honey Balls Keep in the Refrigerator? Can They Be Frozen?
As long as you store your honey balls inside of an airtight container or ziploc bag, you can expect them to last for about one week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze them instead. In that case, simply put them in a freezer safe bag to put in the freezer. These honey balls can be safely frozen for up to six months.
The Best Way to Store Your Banana Muffin Honey Balls
As briefly mentioned above, the best way to store your honey balls is to keep them sealed up inside of an airtight container or ziploc bag. They will stay fresh for one or two days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.
If you’re planning on freezing them instead, I would actually recommend taking the extra step of wrapping each ball individually in cling wrap before putting them in a freezer safe bag.
(You may also like: Cinnamon Banana Bread Energy Balls)
Cinnamon Walnut Paleo Banana Muffin Honey Balls
Jess (Paleo Grubs)
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