These Healthy Cookie Dough Balls are a healthy snack and take minutes to make. They are filled with nut butter, sweetened with honey, and only five ingredients total.
If there’s one thing I know about myself, it’s that I need a snack in between lunch and dinner or else I will become hangry, and no one likes hangry Erin.
That’s where these healthy cookie dough balls step in and not only satisfy my mid afternoon hunger craving, but also my hankering for something sweet.
I always wonder how people can make it from when they eat lunch at around noon until when they eat dinner at around six without any snacks in between, and I mean I typically am eating a filling lunch with carbs, protein, and fat, and while that keeps me full till about 3 or 3:30, I always start to hear my stomach rumble in the afternoon.
When I worked in corporate America (I say that as if it was years ago..) I was the queen of afternoon snacking. I remember my colleagues always making fun of me because I would always have some form or homemade protein ball or granola bar in the afternoon, and then would pair it with an orange or a peach.
Snacks are life. And so are these balls.
They are filling. They fuel me through the remainder of the day. They taste good alone or paired with something else.
So many pre-packaged grab and go options are filled with gross ingredients and packed with sugar, so that’s why I always prefer homemade.
I want to be able to control what goes in them and while that isn’t always the case and there are tons of brands of snack bars and bites that I absolutely love (RxBars, Emmys Cookies, Larabar), I really prefer to make everything homemade.
Plus they are super simple to make and you can make them ahead of time to have for the entire week. It’s a win-win.
This recipe for healthy cookie dough balls only calls for five basic ingredients.
If you don’t have oat flour (which you can buy at any grocery store and it is wicked cheap), you can make your own by pulsing rolled oats in a food processor or Vitamix until completely fine and flour-like consistency.
For the nut butter, I prefer using peanut butter because I am obsessed with all things peanut butter flavored, but you can easily use any other type of nut butter. Cashew butter works great, almond butter will work great, even sunflower butter will work too!
All you need is one bowl, about five minutes, and some refrigeration time and you’ve got yourself the best little healthy cookie dough balls ever.
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Healthy Cookie Dough Balls
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5
- Yield: 12 balls 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
These Healthy Cookie Dough Balls are a healthy snack and take minutes to make. They are filled with nut butter, sweetened with honey, and only five ingredients total.
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
- 1/2 cup nut butter, I prefer salted peanut butter or cashew butter COLD from the fridge for easier handling.
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Pinch of salt if none in nut butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used mini)
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.
- If too wet to roll into balls, chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll into balls and store in fridge or freezer. If freezer, defrost for a few minutes before eating.
- Category: gluten-free, snack, dairy-free
Keywords: healthy snacks, protein balls, healthy peanut butter snacks, gluten free snacks, peanut butter snacks
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Meghan N says
YUM – I want to make but I don’t see choc chips in the recipe – how much did you use?
Erin says
Updated!! Sorry about that! I used 1/2 cup mini chips 🙂
Jerrod says
Do u have the nutrition facts on these?
Alex says
Hey I want to try and make these! So do you chill the mixture in the fridge before rolling into balls?
Erin says
Hey Alex! Yes, that is correct. Let the dough chill for easier handling. Hope you enjoy them!
Rachel Whalen says
These look so good! I rarely buy coconut oil though. Is there an alternative you would recommend?
Erin says
You could use any other oil, or leave it out! If you leave it out, add in a little bit more nut butter.
grace says
have you experimented with any flours besides oat? 🙂
Erin says
I haven’t but I think almond or all purpose or cassava would work great here! Just may need to adjust ratios.
Autumn says
What would a good substitute for honey be? Would agave work?
Erin says
Agave would work great.
Claire says
These look so good, are these ok for someone who is lactose free? I’ve only recently found out I’m lactose free so still getting to grips with what I can and can’t have.
Claire
Erin says
Yes! They are completely lactose free!!!! Good luck to you!
Suzanne says
These look so good! Does the nut butter taste come through much?
Erin says
if you use peanut, yes! Any other not as much!
Chelsie says
These. Are. Amazing.
Do you know how many calories per ball?
★★★★★
Erin says
Thanks, Chelsie! I will add in the nutritional information now 🙂
Suzanne says
These look so good! Do you think teenagers would like them?
Erin says
Oh yes they will love them
lucy says
Once made how long will they keep in fridge and or freezer ?
Thanks
Erin says
3 months in the freezer and two weeks in the fridge! Enjoy!
Maggie says
Any nutrition info?
Erin says
It’s at the bottom of the recipe card.
Angela says
Still waiting on that nutritional info
Erin says
Hm… its at the bottom of the recipe just like all of my recipes! If you still can’t seem to find it, please let me know.
Cláudia says
Dear Erin,
I have just came across your website and I am loving these recipes! I struggle so hard to find healthier alternatives to candys and deserts, and now I can start venturing around, I see your recipes are very simple and they look delicious!
What I wanted to know is, considering a see a lot of coconut oil in your recipes and I have a very troubled relationship with anything related with coconut, what kind of oil do you think would be able to replace the coconut one in most of these recipes?
Thank you so much!
Erin says
Hi Claudia! Thanks for the amazing words. One oil that I love to use in place of coconut oil is avocado oil. Most grocery stores carry it now. You can also really use any oil you want (olive may be too strong..so stay away from that, but I would suggest avocado)
Sarah says
What a tasty snack! I really like them out of the freezer! Also can’t wait to try with the banana ice cream! ?
★★★★★
Erin says
Thanks for sharing Sarah!! SO glad you like them!
Morgan says
Hi. I’ve made these a few times now but mine always come out a little dry and chalky. Should I add more coconut oil? They are very good but want to get the correct level of moist next time.
★★★★★
Erin says
Yes! Or a little almond milk. Or use less flour.
Kay says
Hi! I wanted to make these, but swap in oatmeal for the chocolate chips. Would you recommend any other changes to the recipe, and/or do you have a recommendation of the right proportion of oats to add in? Thanks– these look amazing!
Erin says
Since oats are drier, I would add in a little more coconut oil, honey and peanut butter. Try out like 1/2 cup oats! This recipe is very forgiving and can be flexible with many ingredients. Too dry, add more liquid. Too wet, add more dry.
Kaylea says
Can you bake these?
Erin says
these are only meant to be eaten as a snack, unbaked!
Emily says
Hi! I’m so sorry, but I don’t have any coconut oil, do you know of anything I can substitute for this? Thank you so much!
Erin says
Any other oil or butter!
Amy says
any alternative for nuts as im allergic
★★★★
Erin says
You can use tahini and gluten-free flour.
★★★★★
Alysha M. says
I would love to try this cookie dough ball recipe, but have to make a few substitutions. I can’t have coconut oil/anything coconut, but I also can’t have oats/oat flour. I saw that you recommended almond or cassava flour to someone in an earlier comment. Do you have any idea what amount I would need to use in place of the oat flour (would it be a 1 to 1 swap)? Thanks!!
Jacqui says
So good and super easy! Made them in 10 mins 🙂
★★★★★
Rachel says
recipe is alright but tastes very heavily of flour and I’d recommend adding more vanilla to combat this
★★★
Angela says
I love this recipe. It is very forgiving and you can switch it up to be any of you yr favorite cookie dough. I made oat flour from oatmeal and it wasn’t as fine but it just makes it seem more like a monster cookie dough and would be great with mini chocolate chips.
★★★★★
Angela says
Sorry mini M&Ms ?
Kelsey says
I’m pretty sure that I could live off of these.
★★★★★
Nicole says
I have made these 2x now and my family loves them! They are a great treat for nursing mamas in the middle of the night too! Maybe a little too good..??
★★★★★
Tallinna says
This is amazeballs👌🏼so good!!! you need to have them in the fridge. Erin you are helping me save money buying less snacks🙏🏼
★★★★★
Katarina says
These were so good! Perfectly sweet and super satisfying if you’re craving something sweet as a pick me up or for desert. Will definitely be making again. I used almond butter instead of pb because that’s what i had at home and really liked it!
★★★★★