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I made these Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites as a random little treat and I got so many questions on my Instagram account for the recipe so I am sharing these little balls of joy here! It’s actually perfect timing now that we are almost mid- September which blows my mind because I SWEAR it was June like five minutes ago. The flavor in these bites has me longing for sweaters, booties and scarves. My favorite! Except in San Diego, it will be a while before the weather cooperates. In the meantime, vanilla pumpkin spice energy bites (that's a mouthful) to the rescue!
In this recipe I added vanilla collagen peptides and I did that for a few reasons: the vanilla flavor, the added protein and the benefits of collagen. I have talked in a few posts (like this one!) about why I take collagen religiously. The collagen peptides I use have helped my hair and nails so much and significantly help with my recovery after intense workouts. When I was dealing with acne and taking intense medication, it was the collagen peptides that provided me some relief from joint pain.
I have another recipe for collagen bites using the Vital Proteins Matcha Collagen but I most often use plain collagen peptides as part of my everyday coffee routine. I alternate the peptides with the beef gelatin and I find the beef gelatin really gives me a creamier texture to my coffee which I LOVE.
Ok so I got way off on a tangent here about collagen but if collagen isn’t your thing (even though I totally think it should be!) you can absolutely omit that from the recipe and it will still be a little delicious taste of fall. The ingredients for these are all Whole30 compliant but if you still want the vanilla flavor without the collagen, you can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract if you’re not on a round of Whole30.
You can also use some variation with the nuts you decide to use. I've made these with just cashews but decided to add the pecans the second time for more of that fall flavor and I was not disappointed. Basically you can't go wrong by throwing a bunch of delicious things in the food processor and rolling it into bite sized balls. 🙂
I love using these for a pre-workout energy source, as a nice little treat after my meal or just a tasty addition to my morning cup of coffee. They are seriously so good! I’m already thinking of all the possibilities for a winter version.
Vanilla Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites: Whole30, Paleo, No-Bake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Desserts
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup pecans, divided
- 8 pitted dates
- 1 Tbs nut butter (I used cashew butter)
- 2 Tsp Pumpkin Spice
- 1 scoop Vanilla Collagen Peptides or 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup pecans to food processor and pulse until pecans are crushed into small fine pieces
- Set pecans aside on a plate
- Add cashews, vanilla collagen peptides (or extract), pumpkin spice and rest of the pecans to the food processor and blend until the mixture reaches a flour like consistency
- Add in dates and blend for another 1-2 minutes until mixture is warm and begins to stick together
- Roll into 10 balls and once formed, roll into chopped pecans
- Let the bites set in the refrigerator for about an hour and then enjoy!
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