As I’m writing this, I’m in a tent all by myself in the middle of nowhere. This is actually my first time camping alone and I’m quite enjoying it! I drove over 7 hours Tuesday to Quebec and I stayed in Parc National de la Jacques-Cartier for two nights. The first day it was raining, but I went hiking anyways. The clouds were hugging the mountains and it was beautiful! After hiking, I spent some time reading and doing yoga in my big tent, hiding from the rain (I had such a hard time putting up that tent by myself, I’m dreading having to put it up again tonight!) This morning I’m doing a small hike before leaving for Gatineau, where I’ll stay for one night. After that, I’m off to Toronto for the weekend with Shaun who’s already there for his friend’s wedding! It’s been a good vacation so far. 🙂

I made these treats for the road before I left. Energy bites are perfect for an on-the-go snack and I love to bring them on a hike, so it was the perfect opportunity to come up with a recipe! I know salted caramel is more of a fall flavor, but I’m currently obsessed. I used Medjool dates for the sweet caramel flavor (I highly recommend using Medjool dates, but you can always use other dates if you can’t find them.) I added salted cashews and chia seeds to make them nutrient dense and then rolled oats for the texture. Finally, I used cocoa nibs to add a crunch, but you can leave them out or even add mini chocolate chips if you want a real treat. 😉

These are so much better than store-bought granola bars and they’re so easy to make! I hope you like them as much as I do.

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No-Bake Salted Caramel Energy Bites

These energy bites are truly addictive. They’re perfectly sweetened with dates, which gives them a nice caramel-taste, then sprinkled with sea salt.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Ingredients

• 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup cashews, roasted salted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds
• 2-3 teaspoons cocoa nibs or mini chocolate chips (optional)
• Sprinkle of sea salt (optional)

Instructions

• Place the Medjool dates, the cashews and the vanilla extract in a food processor. Process until it the dough forms a ball (about 1 minute).
• Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients together. It’s normal for the dough to be very thick.
• Roll the dough into the palm of your hands to form 16 little balls.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge or in the freezer.

Notes

To make these nut-free, try using sunflower seeds instead of cashews or simply replace with more oats.

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photo #unsweetenedcaroline.