Protein Packed Buckeyes

I am from the midwest. Specifically, the Buckeye State (Ohio). Naturally, I grew up savoring these delicious peanut butter and chocolate balls, also known as Buckeyes, I still remember a tour I took with my grandparents of one of the chocolate factories in Columbus that made buckeyes. What a cool process but man, what a waste of some of the stuff that goes into traditionally made candies. From fillers to soy to an insane amount of sugar. It just isn’t worthy the bite to me anymore.

So I started to experiment with making protein balls…then I tasted them and thought, “hmm, these would be really good covered in chocolate.” And thus, I give you the Protein Buckeye Balls.

These are traditionally made with peanut butter but really, any nut butter will do. For those that have a peanut sensitivity, I have personally tried these with sun butter and they are amazing. Just try to use a nut butter that is organic (nuts are highly sprayed with chemicals otherwise) and only is made of nuts (yes, some companies add in some oils which are just inflammatory. If you’d like to make your own nut butter, this is super easy with a food processor and nuts. That’s it!

Protein Packed Buckeye Balls (10-12 balls):

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup organic & gluten free quick cooking oats

• 1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter is traditional for buckeyes, but any nut butter will do)

• 2 tablespoon hemp seeds

• 2 tablespoons ground flax

• 1 tablespoon raw honey* (or maple syrup) - option to omit for an even lower sugar option or double for a sweeter fix

• 1/4 cup unsweetened organic chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips (Pascha brand is great here - I do half and half to reduce the cane sugar content and make the Buckeyes slightly darker in chocolate content)

  *Never use honey under one year of age.

Directions:

• Lay out parchment paper on a small cookie sheet.

• Combine all ingredients except chocolate in a bowl. Mix using a spatula (or hands - I find this much easier) until a dough forms. Dough should not be sticking to hands and a large ball should form easily.

• Form 10-12 balls using a small scoop or hands (again, much easier to create perfect balls).

• Place the formed balls in the freezer for 30 minutes.

• Once the protein balls are sufficiently chilled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or melt in microwave at 20-30 second increments).

• Take each protein ball and cover with chocolate. I typically dunk the ball in the bowl of chocolate and swirl it around until sufficiently covered.

• Place completed Buckeye back on the parchment covered cookie sheet and slip into the freezer for 10 more minutes.

These will last in the refrigerator for at least one week. I am sure the freezer will keep these for a longer period of time, but I’ve never made it to that point!

Some more ideas:

• Use a different seed or nut butter.

• Play around with the sweetener.

• Maybe add some adaptogens, such as Lion’s Mane or Reishi mushroom powder to create a super food.

• Substitute Carob powder in lieu of Cacao if you are eliminating cacao for the time being or cannot tolerate it!

I hope you enjoy this spin on the Buckeye! Let me know if you try these in the comments and I’d love to hear about how you make it your own!