Raw Energy Balls (with figs and dates)

Awhile back, Foodbuzz featured a photo of energy balls on their homepage that caught my attention. I ended up clicking through to learn more and found Jessica at Dairy Free Betty's recipe for raw energy balls. It was so easy to be enamored by this recipe. Jessica provided step-by-step photos for making the energy balls with brief descriptions of each ingredient. It's a no-fuss recipe that takes 10 minutes to make. No measurements provided for the nuts or other fillings - you go by instinct on what flavors you like. Just make sure you have enough dried dates (I used figs and dates) to be the "glue" for the other ingredients. 

This is what I consider to be a perfect recipe - a protein-packed healthy snack requiring no measurements and no cooking. It is super quick and easy to pull off.

        

For my raw energy balls, I tossed a variety of nuts, goji berries and flax seed into the Cuinsart chopper. And then I separately ground a handful of dates and mission figs. To be decadent, I succumbed to my sweet tooth and added dark chocolate. Melted a half bar of organic stone ground 70% dark chocolate by Taza. 

To form the balls, I mixed in a spoonful of the fig and dried dates and rolled them into the nut mixture. Afterwards, I dipped the balls into the melted chocolate and then sprinkled unsweetened coconut flakes on top.

So tasty! And much more economical than Lara bars. I will still buy the bars for on-the-go convenience, but now I know that it takes absolutely no time to make these at home at a fraction of the cost. Enjoyed with a tall spinach and banana smoothie.