Why limit yourself to pumpkin pie only over the holidays? These easy gluten-free energy balls are a great way to incorporate the treat all year round!
If you are seed cycling for hormone balance (stay tuned for an upcoming article on that!), these also feature pumpkin seeds and flax seeds, making them a perfect treat for the follicular phase (first half of your menstrual cycle).
They feature maca, which is a root thought to increase energy as well as fertility. You can read more about maca in my Maca-Scuse Me? smoothie recipe. It falls into the category of adaptogens, compounds that enhance the body’s own ability to regulate hormones, depending on what it needs, regulating cortisol and sex hormone production. Maca is high in vitamin C, copper, iron, potassium, and vitamin B6. If you have high blood pressure or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should probably hold off on incorporating maca into your diet…just leave it out here, and the recipe will still work.
I used coconut flour and ground flaxseeds as a gluten-free base (you can feel free to sub in almond meal for the coconut flour).
I mixed in pure organic pumpkin puree and peanut butter (again, feel free to sub in any nut butter here).
I spiced it up with the maca and pumpkin pie spice, and added a touch of maple syrup for sweetness. You could skip the sweetener, but I don’t have a sweet tooth, and—trust me—these need something or they just taste blah. You could try stevia, but I haven’t tried that (I’m not particularly fond of its aftertaste). Just watch the texture to make sure you can form it into balls.
I mixed in cacao nibs and dried coconut flakes for crunch and texture.
I rolled them into 1-inch balls, and the recipe made about 24 balls.
These were delicious! Pop one or two for a perfect afternoon snack. They’re even better after a long chill in the fridge (at least 12 hours), so make them part of your weekly meal prep for easy snacks all week!
With 4 grams of protein and 12% of your daily iron needs, these balls are a healthy plant-based treat that just happen to be gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free!
Pumpkin Pie Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tbsp maca
- 2 tbsp cacao nibs
- 2 tbsp dried coconut flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour and ground flaxseeds.
- Add the pumpkin, peanut butter, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and maca, and stir until well combined.
- Mix in the dried coconut and cacao nibs.
- Form into 1-inch balls. Makes approximately 24.
- Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
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