These bite-sized 3 ingredient peanut butter balls are completely addictive!
Happy Monday, chocolate sprinkles!
Happy Monday? Meh, who likes Mondays? Not me. Not during the school year, anyway. But you know what can turn even a Monday into a funday? Sweet treats! And the treats I’m offering today have only two to three ingredients, which means chasing away the Monday blues has never been easier… or more delicious.
So here we go; it’s finally time to add another recipe to my 100+ Oatmeal Recipes.
Did you have a favorite snack as a kid? One of my sister’s and mine was something known as Honey Milk Balls. Here’s my healthier veganized version (which are also healthier, although even the original honey milk balls are somewhat healthy).
3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls
- Very scant 2 tbsp oats or oat bran (12g)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter OR allergy-friendly alternative (30g)
- Optional, depending on the sweetness of your nut butter: 1-2 tsp agave or a few stevia drops (plus a few tsp water if needed).
Directions: First measure the oats into a bowl and crush them a bit (with your hands, a fork, or even the Magic Bullet). Then add the pnb and optional sweetener. If you take the pb straight from the fridge, you might want to microwave 20-30 seconds (or just leave the pb out for a bit so it gets soft enough to mix). Mix well, then form into balls… or eat the dough! The recipe makes a very small amount (shown above).
Obviously you can double, triple, or even centuple (that’s 100 times) the recipe. Variation ideas are listed below.
They’re high in protein, fiber, and—most importantly—taste!
Variation ideas:
- Melt chocolate with your pb, or add nibs or chips
- Add flakes of coconut, and/or chopped, dried fruit
- Put in some jelly for pb&j balls
- Add spices, such as cinnamon
- Try using wheat germ, or perhaps even crushed flaxseeds, in place of the oats
I’m thinking these 3 ingredient peanut butter balls would be really yummy with some Mighty Maple peanut butter. But I don’t happen to have any at the moment… and I probably shouldn’t buy a jar until I finish off at least one of the many other nut butters taking over my home. Observe:
Lauren @ WWoB says
These are awesome. And extremely easy to make!
When I was little I liked to snack on oreos and milk or chips after school…… I was a little fatty 🙂
I remember a guy on the school bus making fun of me when he found that out, total jerk.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ugh, guys can be such jerks (especially little boys… but oh wait, big boys too!). I bet he really liked you, though. My mom always said the ones who teased you secretly liked you!
Stefanie says
Your nut butter collection looks lovely. I control myself and only allow one jar of nut butter open at one time. This does not include the self ground nut butters from whole foods that I have as well. The most I had at one time was 4 jars. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Girl, give me some of your self control! 😉
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
Glad to know I’m not the only nut butter hoarder out there. 🙂
Anne says
That is definitely only a one-serving snack! I eat at least 2 tbsps of nut butter with something else for a snack. So those have got to be one serving for an “appetizer”. That or I eat way too much!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL I’m with you, Anne! I definitely like bigger snacks.
Anonymous says
These look so so yummy! Kind of like no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies but without the chocolate 😛 I’d gobble these up, no doubt!
I definitely have a slight nut butter addiction. There may or may not be over 11 jars in my cupboard..
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Eleven jars? Yay! Your addiction makes me feel better about mine :).
Jennifer - jcd says
Mmmm… peanut butter an oatmeal are the best combination! I wish I could eat my screen and taste them now.
Oh, the nut butter addiction… I’m right there with you. I buy peanut butter in 10 kg pails and they always disappear… but other nut butters make frequent appearances in our house too. Yesterday we had some more cashew butter 32C cups, and this evening I plan on making ants on a log with the last of the almond butter in the fridge.
Have you tried making nut butters in your Vita-mix yet? If so, how difficult was it, and did it taste good? Curious.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I haven’t. I know that you can… but I’m just so afraid that it’ll stick to the sides and bottom, which will mean a waste of a lot of yummy nut butter. Plus, it’s just so darn convenient to buy a jar. My favorite pb (from Whole Foods) is only $2 for a container, and they often have coupons.
LOL I remember your “Hug a Fat” photo!
jwoolman says
I’ve made peanut butter and cashew butter in an old Vita-Mix (the type with a steel canister and spigot). Works really well. Mine came with a wooden dowel to use to tamp the stuff down at some point in the mixing process, so it all gets ground. Takes only a few minutes. Haven’t tried other nuts and seeds, but both peanuts and cashews don’t need any extra oil at all. And just plan on using a long-handled spoon to get at anything stuck to the blades or side (somebody has to “lick the bowl”, right?). Not really a problem. Cleanup is easy also, even with my old spigot version, just put some soap in water and let the Vita-Mix run for a few minutes.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I have yet to make pb in my vita-mix. What am I waiting for?!
Melissa says
Just do what I do, Katie!
When I’m doing making nut butter I toss in some ice, bananas, almond milk and cocoa and make a smoothie. Uses up any butter stuck to the container and tastes AWESOME.
My Vita makes the best almond butter and coconut butter! I have to add a tiny bit of coconut oil to the raw almonds but meh. So gooooood. Also, homemade chocolate PB is ROCKING.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Mmm Melissa, you should start a blog lol!
Caitlin says
Awesome! I make this exact thing ALL the time. It’s like cookies, but so much easier!
Haha Ross. That’s one of my favorite episodes (though aren’t they all?).
Custard, good. Jam, good. Meat, GOOD.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I wasn’t supposed to put beef in the trifle!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Catherine L. says
Katie, I had everything to make these and when I saw your post about an hour ago, I RAN to my kitchen! Now I am happily snacking! 🙂 They’re awesome and took me 2 minutes to make! Your blog is awesome!
Nicole (Picky Nicky) says
Oooh those look yummy! I like peanut butter melted into oatmeal and this is much more portable 🙂
Thanks for the idea!
When I was a kid, my favourite snack was fruit gushers :S I’ve come a long way, haha
abby says
sooooo good, soooooo easy! i’m jotting this recipe down. but i could just do it from memory, that’s how easy it looks! have i said before how much i love how easy your recipes are? easy, but creative and fun and delicious and healthy all at the same time! love you, katie! 🙂
abby says
oh and yah i have a nut butter addiction to rival yours. it’s so funny, because when i was in the throes of my ED nut butter was the SCARIEST food on the planet to me, and now it’s one of my favorites and i eat it every day. my new favorite is coconut butter. that’s your fault too! 😉
mckella says
I’m totally addicted to nut butters! My current favorite is Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, kicks Nutella right in the butt.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I just discovered that one too! Sooooo good! 🙂
miss v says
three ingredients! i love it! it sounds like eating cookie batter, which is one of my favorite past times. 🙂
Albizia says
Oh, yes! Finally a treat a girl with no blender can do! Thanks, Katie!
I may not have a cupboard full of nut butters but I am kind of an addict because there is always some kind of nut butter in my cupboard although eating nut butters isn’t popular at all in my country. My jar of tahini traveled the whole country with me because I wasn’t sure I would be able to find it where I was going 🙂 .
susan says
Yummy balls! Haha sorry I’m a perv. But seriously, who doesn’t love nut butter? I must admit though, that even though I’ve tried many different brands and flavors of pb, good old smuckers is my favorite.
Gloria says
Yep I’m an addict! When I was little, I used to sit in front of the TV on the weekends and watch cartoons while eating peanut butter straight from the jar. Ahh… those were the days!
Valerie says
I did that too! Saturday morning cartoons! But back then, they didn’t have all these fancy flavors around nowadays.
Valerie says
These look like a perfect snack for my kids! Thanks, Katie! 🙂
You’re going to be such a fun mommy someday!
dragonmamma/naomi says
My absolute favorite is sunflower seed butter, which I get at Trader Joe’s. I occasionally use a different butter when a recipe calls for it (like almond or cashew) but then I always decide that the recipe would be better if I use sunflower seed butter instead.
Peanut butter is the one nut butter I don’t buy, because it does weird things to my husband.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I need to give sunflower butter another chance. I bought it once and hated it, but then someone told me that only the brand I bought is terrible. So it deserves another shot!
Tori says
Is that another Friends quote? Haha, you are too funny!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Haha yes! They kinda run through my head all day. There just seems to be a perfect Friends quote for every situation in life. I guess when you’ve watched as many episodes as I have… 😕
Sagojyou says
I CAN’T be addicted to nut butter, because it doesn’t agree with my stomach 🙁 So if you can make awesome nut-free (and avocado-free; that doesn’t work with me either. But of course vegan) recipe, that’d be great! 😀
Melissa says
Have you tried sunflower seed butter? Or soybean butter? Those are both nut free (and delish!) Mmm.
Brandae says
Katie,
These look great – thanks so much for your blog. I love checking it for new fun ideas. I was wondering…do you have any recommendations for me? I’m looking for a good blog that is vegan AND soy-free. I’m fighting an extensive food allergy list and need some more meal/snack ideas.
Thanks a bunch!
Brandae
Valerie says
Hi Brandae,
I know I’m not Katie, but did you see her soy-free banana yogurt post? I recently made this and love it:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2010/10/13/soy-free-banana-yogurt/
And a favorite snack of my kids has got to be the soy-free pudding base, found here:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2008/12/17/out-of-one-many/
We’re not soy-free, but we do like to limit our consumption. I’m sure Katie will have other ideas for you :).
Brandae says
I should add that I have to avoid corn and wheat too. That’s the tricky part – I find a lot of vegan bloggers who either still use corn, wheat, and/or soy in their recipes. Valerie, thanks for the links. I have appreciated the soy-free recipes that Katie posts – they’re all so yummy too.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hey Brandae!
Honestly, I’m probably not the best person to ask, because I’ve been so busy lately that I really don’t do much reading of other blogs. Many of my recipes can be made soy-free, because I try to remember that not everyone can have soy. But as for OTHER blogs… maybe check out a “raw foodism” blog? Most raw recipes I’ve seen are soy-free, I think. Hopefully my answer is at least somewhat helpful! 😕
Brandae says
Thanks so much!!!
caronae says
Love Veggies And Yoga is vegan and mostly soy-free; Choosing Raw is as well.
Nichole says
Those look so yummy!
Di @ http://thetreadmilldiaries.com/ says
My hubby is a big peanut butter lover. I’ll have to make these for him. Thanks Katie!
couchpotatoathlete says
Right now my nut butter collection is kind of sad — only 3 kinds 🙂 Usually I have 5-6 but I haven’t replenished my stash.
I like your PB ball recipe, although a spoonful on PB is good on its own!
Brandi says
When I was a kid we made something similar to these with peanut butter, wheat germ and honey. We gobbled them up.
Molly says
I love my natural peanut butter, but really, I’m not much of a nut butter addict. Sometimes I make a pbj and instead of using peanut butter, I use a layer of sliced almonds or peanuts. I love that crunch!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oooh what an awesome idea! I might have to steal it hehehe 🙂 :).
Gastón says
Yay, I have a snack for the afternoon! You know what else I would put in it? Grinded raisins. I’ll tell you how it goes.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Please do tell me!! I haven’t tried it yet with raisins, so I’d love to know what you think! 🙂
Gastón says
Loved it! I also added some chia seeds to them. They tasted DELICIOUS.
Great recipe. Love you!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Awww I’m so excited! And thanks so much for coming back and telling me how they were. I’m going to have to try your chia seed variation, because I’m always looking for more ways to get those little things into my tummy!
EmbraceYourSkin says
Oh my gosh, these sound so easy and delicious! Nice!
lauravirginia says
Mmm, those look delish! I am a total nut-butter lover! My collection doesn’t quite rival yours, though. 🙂 I currently have 3 jars and about 5 sqeeze packets. You can never have too much!
Soph says
Hi Katie! Long time reader, first time poster here, love your blog 🙂 Anyway, I was just basically looking for a bit of advice re: veganness – for moral reasons I’d really like to become vegan, however I’ve got a fairly enormous barrier against me: namely, I’m allergic to all nuts, seeds and legumes! So, no peanuts, no chickpeas, no lentils… basically, none of what appear to be the basic vegan staples! So, like I’d say, I’d LOVE to become vegan, but… erm, is there enough vegan food actually left in this world for me to follow a vegan diet and not die hideously of malnutrition? 😉 I’d really appreciate the input, thanks!
Brandae says
Can you have brown rice, oats, and quinoa? You may need a vegan brown rice protein powder to help you boost your protein intake.
Melissa says
Can you eat wheat?
Gluten based seitan is a DELICIOUS vegan meat replacement and it has boatloads of protein.
All whole grains do – is quinoa okay? I know we eat it like a grain but it’s classified as a seed. Sort of like amaranth.
I think you’d be just fine, honestly. We need much less protein than most folks think. Did you know that a bag of frozen broccoli has @ 15 grams of protein? I can easily eat a whole bag by myself. Veggies have decent protein. 🙂 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.html
You can get your good fats from things like avocados and whole grains and safe oils for you. The main benefits of beans/legumes/seeds are healthy fats, protein and fiber. Make sure you eat another other sources of protein, healthy fat and fiber and you’ll be fine on a legume/seed/nut free vegan diet, IMO. There are even non-nut, non-bean milks like rice and oat – they even make rice and oat milk based ice cream.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Melissa, you are awesome!
P.S. Broccoli is pretty darn awesome too :).
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hey Soph! Thanks for the sweet comment :). I don’t know that I can say anything better than what people already said, except to stress Melissa’s advice that you probably don’t need to worry too much about protein. Usually, as long as a person takes in enough calories to meet his/her energy needs, he/she will get enough protein just by default. Even oatmeal has like 6 grams per serving. But I’m not a dietitian or anything, so my advice is just my opinion.
jwoolman says
I have food allergies, too, but fortunately nuts, seeds, and legumes aren’t among them… But you might just try gradually easing into a more vegan diet rather than going at it whole-hog (whole-tofu?). Gather ideas for vegan meals and snacks and just see how it goes as you make those substitutions occasionally, then more frequently as you find things that work for you. Even if you end up just part-time vegan :), that is helpful for the conscience.
Also – if you have so many cross-reactivities then this might not help, but sometimes different forms of foods don’t cause a reaction because the offending protein might be altered enough by the processing (this is true for cooked vs raw as well). For instance, sprouted legumes and tofu might be all right even if the unsprouted legumes and soybeans are not. Also I find that rotating foods, eating very simple one-food or two-food meals as much as possible, can be very helpful especially when under stress. Also can help prevent developing more allergies, since exposure to specific potential allergens is more limited that way. Generally eating the same thing every day is a risk for people with food allergies, we basically have a tendency toward developing more … 🙁 There are foods that I will react to if I eat them all the time but not if I just eat them once or twice a week after a long period without them.
If your allergies were diagnosed long ago (especially if diagnosed by lab tests rather than eliminate and challenge using the actual foods) and your reactions aren’t life-threatening – you might try cautiously adding in some of the assumed allergenic foods to your diet to see if rotating them with a long interval in between (say, once a week or once every two weeks) doesn’t cause problems. Peanuts, however, tend to cause really bad problems regardless if you’ve had any reaction to them in the past. But other legumes, nuts, and seeds may be less aggressive unless they’re already in the “anaphylactic shock” category for you. Doctors tend to eliminate whole food groups based on reaction to only one food in the group – but the protein is different in the different types of food, so not everybody reacts to the whole group. Nuts and seeds are each in very different food families, so it’s unusual to react to all of them but common for doctors to tell you to avoid them all based on limited evidence of reactions to some. Lab tests and scratch tests are often full of false positives and false negatives – they do not mimic the actual reactions in the body well enough, and also they don’t test everything. Young children especially may react badly to foods while their immune system is immature but then when older can handle the foods properly. Or there may be a problem with C. albicans overgrowth especially in the intestinal tract – people who have dealt properly with the candida problem often find they are no longer reacting to so many different foods. (The theory is that microscopic holes in the lining due to the overgrowth can allow undigested food particles to get into the bloodstream, where they are treated as foreign invaders…) Immune system problems in general can result in temporary overreaction to all sorts of foods, but the difficulties clear up once the immune problem is resolved. I know that I myself have to eat very carefully from my list of “foods that don’t do anything to me” when sick, but can ease up when I’m not sick.
When following a strict rotation diet, I just set up a calendar with the choices within specific food groups listed for each day. It wasn’t really too hard to get enough food with enough variety, plenty of protein and fiber, and a lot of rotation, even eating strictly vegan.
Also don’t rule out the possibility that some other factor besides allergy to the actual food is involved in food reactions. Hence the advice to try organically grown if bothered by the regular stuff – we can be reacting to the pesticides rather than the food. People with penicillin allergies have reacted to residual antibiotics in meat. Trace amounts of the original food can cause problems with oils derived from those foods for some, so they might need to rotate oils. Some people react to cane sugar but not beet sugar, or vice versa. Reaction to molds or sensitivity to slight rancidity can be the real problem in some food reactions also. Or residuals from other food processed in the same place could cause a problem. Can be really hard to track down.
Cindy says
ohhh, I have a fresh new bag of oats and some almond butter to use up!
I bet these would be a good pre run snack and a fun toddler goodie too!!!…I might try adding some vanilla protien powder??
who knows.
THANKS KATIE.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oooh what a yummy idea! I might have to try it too! Thanks, Cindy!
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
These sound so yummy! I love, love, love nut butter more than anything in the world. My fave right now is the new Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter. OMG! I’m also a nut butter hoarder. My collection is about the same as yours!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I think I might’ve cried when I first tried that one (ok, not really). Finally, vegans can have Nutella!
vegansunshine says
I was so excited when I saw the Justin’s “Nutella”!
Aria says
I am most definitly addicted to nut butters. I only wish my collection was larger than yours however, my mom doesn’t seem to understand why we need to have at least three different types in the house at all times lol
Maria runningcupcake says
I did a post about my love for nut butters here
http://runningcupcake.co.uk/2010/08/nutty-about-nut-butters/
I love them!
:)Those PB balls look amazing!
Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey says
Katieeee! I tried these this morning with some Dark Chocolate Dreams and they are yumm. I love them, thanks for the recipe. 🙂
P.S. I am excited for your post tomorrow. 😀 😀
Kelsey @ Clean Teen Kelsey says
P.P.S. I spy the hazelnut butter you were telling me about. I bought a little squeeze pack to try it out. I will let you know what I think! 😀
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ooh definitely let me know what you think of the h butter. I loooove it! P.S. Sending you an email tonight :).
Amy says
After reading your blog consistently over the past few months and seeing all of the different nut butters out there, I now have a large amount of various nut butters, whereas before I had only ever just had plain peanut butter.
Currently in my fridge, I have: peanut butter, Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter, and two different kinds of MaraNatha Almond Butter (one roasted, one not)…
Last year my roommate was allergic to nuts, so maybe I am having a very delayed reaction to being without nuts for so long. 😛
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hahaha making up for lost time? 🙂
Little Bookworm says
Great recipe idea – do you think I could use almond butter instead though? Love the nut butter collection as well! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Definitely! As it says in the recipe, you can sub any other nut butter! Wanna guess which one I’m partial to trying next? Hint: it begins with a C ;).
thedelicateplace says
um…i’m actually an almond in disguise. totally in love with any kind of almond or cashew nut butter
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Well, you are the cutest-ever almond, missy ;).
Laura says
I was addicted for almond butter for a while, but that was during my eating disorder days and now, to be honest, I can’t stand the sight of the stuff! And I’m allergic to oats and can only digest white flour, so I don’t think I’m a typical healthy blog reader! 🙂
Rachel says
Katie! these were so great… yup, i already tripled the recipe 😀
question for you: what type of nut butter do you think is best for these cookies?
eatinglikeahorse says
I didn’t so much as go for the “roll it into balls” approach – more the “scoff it straight out of the bowl” method. Does that make me a bad person? 🙂
On the nut butter addiction battle, in my cupboard at the moment is chocolate peanut butter, almond, cashew, Brazil nut, hazelnut and coconut (all open). Hmmm…
Frances says
I am a HUGE nut butter fan. I make my own when I can– a blend of roasted cashews, sea salt, pecans, and a tad of coconut butter- it is HEAVENLY. my only hangup is that i feel a little badly when I eat this all the time…self esteem issues. But I know intellectually how healthy it is, and goodness, it tastes fabulous.
Caitlin says
I made these! I made these! Jumps up and down excitedly. And they were awesome!!! I added a little cinnamon, and some crushed peanuts for crunch (could have just used chunky pb, but I didn’t have any).
caronae says
I am nut butter obsessed as well, as you know. 🙂
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
those look great! I have been making peanut butter balls w/ PB and either coconut flour or peanut flour, never thought of using whole oats in them. Nice! I also put choc chips in mine b/c everything is better w/ choc chips 🙂 LOL
Nut butter hoarder…you know I have TONS…at least 15-20 types but I only usually want a taste, to see what it tastes like, and then end up with a jar. And then I have to find a use for the 95% of the rest of the jar. Not that that’s a bad problem to have…which is how I created my peanut butter ball recipe 6 mos or so ago. I was in nut butter jar overload haha!
Enjoy your week !!!!!
p.s. I dont think you’re going to Food Buzz but I wish you were!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m not :(. San Fran is just way too far away. Oh but wait, did you do the Pom thing? I’m off to your blog to check!
Shelby says
Mmm, I love nut butters! I wouldn’t say I am addicted though. I used to be but now too much weighs me down. I use a lot more oils (coconut and olive) and avocado now.
Rebecca says
I’m absolutely obsessed with Peanut Butter & Co’s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl, White Chocolate Wonderful and most of all ALMOND buttter! 🙂
lizlivingvegan says
Haha I’m so glad I’m not the only person that is obsessed with peanut butter!!! My friend from Ireland said peanut butter isn’t that big back home. I say that’s ridiculous!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ack! Ridiculous; you’re right! LOL but I’m sure they think we’re ridiculous too ;).
vegansunshine says
I made this with dark chocolate and they turned out to be awesome no-bake cookies!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh my gosh, I’m so excited you tried them already! Hehe I’m silly and always get excited when people try my recipes, even if the “recipe” is something so simple as to only have three ingredients :).
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan says
Funny you should ask that question, because YES, I am a nut butter addict, and I’m obsessed enough that I hoarded my last jar of PB Loco (R.I.P.)’s chocolate chip cookie dough peanut butter for well over a year, and I finally opened it…30 minutes ago. Seriously!
eatinglikeahorse says
Chocolate. Chip. Cookie. Dough. Flavour?! *swoon* 🙂
Amy says
I’m definitely a nut butter addict! Sadly Australia is lacking in nut butter inventiveness 🙁 I was over the moon yesterday to finally find hazelnut butter (sad isn’t it? And that was the plain version!) I got so desperate I pleaded with my in laws who recently visited the US to bring me back a jar of mighty maple pb and one of white choc. wonderful (they think it’s funny how excited I am over peanut butter :P).
I’m majorly jealous of your stash!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh gosh, I completely feel your misery… I remember how excited I was, living in China, when my aunt sent me a Luna Bar! 😕
BroccoliHut says
I have a serious nut butter problem, such that I won’t even go down that aisle in the grocery store anymore–my refrigerator can’t hold anymore!
Moni'sMeals says
oh Katie I love you! Thank you for this recipe. I make my own very similiar but after the Monday I have had and the fact that you say 3 ingredinets…done and done! Mine are a bit more work and time. hehe!
Thanks cutie.:)
Moni'sMeals says
also, yes addicted to all nut butters. 🙂
Casey @ Chasing Casey says
I am SO addicted to NutButters! It’s ridiculous. I remember the days of going clothes shopping and stuff. Needless to say I haven’t bought new clothes in like a year because I love grocery shopping so much now!
Pure2Raw Twins says
Love the little balls, too bad peanuts do not agree with either of us. But I am sure any nut would be great in this recipe 🙂 I do love nut butters… but I just can’t do them that often because my stomach does not handle them well, and if I have to much nuts I get really tired, but occasionally is fine, and when I do get to have a nut butter I really enjoy it!!!
Rachael says
Your nut butter collection is impressive. We keep a bunch of different ones around the house, as my partner won’t cook for himself, and the presence of nut butter means he’ll eat it instead of reaching for chips and bread (and thus sparing me the joys of his crankiness when candida hits).
Nice, simple recipe, by the way – I’m thinking of flattening them and calling them lazy woman’s peanut butter pancakes 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hahaha oh my gosh, too cute!
healthyhelper says
i am the exact same! i cant stop buying nut butters! i love them all……eveyr time i see a new one i have ot try it, and then i end up with a million jars that take me forever to finsh because i am contantly rotating between them! oh well nut butter isnt the worst thing to be addicted to LOL!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL oh so true! We could be addicted to chocolate… oh wait, I’m addicted to that too. Oh well!
celeryandcupcakes says
Im totally obsessive about nut butters, they make everything taste that little bit more special!
Erika says
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Balls?! It doesn’t get easier than this! Thanks!
PS – My nut butter collection is about as big as yours, but I have like 50 squeeze packets of nut butters too! 😛
lisasfoods says
What an easy snack! I’ve been thinking about making homemade Larabars, and these would work too. Nut butters always on stock? Peanut butter (organic please), cashew butter, and sunflower seed butter. I love Justin’s Chocolate HN butter too, but I don’t go through them all to keep lots in stock.
spoonfulofsugarfree says
Oh my gosh I used to make these all thee time They especially taste good with some banana and cacao nibs….but I guess that would be five-ingredient, huh?
Oh well…. As a kid I actually was the food-lover of all kinds!!! I would eat and love anything 🙂
Alexandra says
I made these yesterday, with a twist. I cut back a tiny bit on the peanut butter, used maple syrup for my sweetener and I added some Libby’s pumpkin!
They were like healthy PUMPKIN PIE DOUGHNUT HOLES!!
OMG My tummy loves you for this recipe! 🙂 🙂
Cindy says
yipeee….I linked you AND made 3 ingredient peanut butter balls.
(I kind of tweaked the 3 ingredients)
they are amazing!
hope you forgive me
xoxox
Anne@ Food Loving Polar Bear says
Hmmm… I was once addicted to Nutella but I don’t know if that counts 😀
Caroline says
Katie,
I love that these are dorm friendly!…so many variations, too. Right now, I’m thinking peanut butter and apple butter in the center for fall. And a good dessert for runners…obviously we can eat dessert, but we want to be eating wholesome foods more often!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Or get the best of both worlds: wholesome desserts! 🙂 Wholesome foods and desserts in one hehe.
Melissa says
For those watching fat/calories… these DO work with PB2!
If you like how PB2 tastes, you’ll like it in these. I added two drops of stevia. Mixed up 2 tbs of powder with 1 tbs water and blended with 10 grams oats. NUM.
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan says
Thanks for the tip! I used to order PB2 online, but couldn’t afford it anymore. Then, just this week, I found it at my grocery store! Perfect timing!
Rachel Lauren says
If you have Trader Joe’s in your area they now sell peanut flour, SOOO much cheaper than PB2(like $3?). It’s unsweetened so I add a dash of salt and sweetener of choice, also a serving is 1/4 cup for 100 cal.
Melissa says
I wish I liked it. I do. I got two packs all excited that it was so much cheaper but I just can’t eat it with apples, etc like I can PB2. Sigh.
It works well in smoothies, though! 🙂
YMMV, of course.
Gloria says
Even though I’m not watching my fat/calorie intake, I found some Chocolate PB2 hiding in the back of my pantry and made this version. OH BABY so good! I had them just before bedtime, and I think using regular PB would have been too heavy in my stomach to sleep well. I’ll make the fat lovin’ version for breakfast 🙂
Melissa says
YAY!
Yeah, I think pre-long run you’d want to go with a lower fat version, too.
Post run the fatty version would rock. 🙂 So it’s good to have options. 😀
Lisa says
I made this, but mine were really sticky for some reason. So I doubled the oats…and then I melted some chocolate and made them chocolate covered peanut butter balls 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
That sounds even better than my recipe!
tangyh says
that looks sooo good!!! I might be trying some for breakfast tomorrow 🙂
Lori says
I just bought some Dark Chocolate Dreams and tried it on sliced banana. It was good. Thanks for mentioning it as I had no clue it existed and never would have tried it. My son loves it too.
movesnmunchies says
I’m VERY much so addicted to nut butters! my goal n life is to try every kind out there!
Rachel Ramey says
My original recipe for these called for either milk powder or wheat germ (cook’s choice) where yours has oatmeal. So I don’t know why protein powder wouldn’t work – it’d be kind of like the milk powder. But flax meal doesn’t work very well; it’s too hard. (I know, ’cause I just tried it this week! lol)
Anonymous says
Nut butters were a huge fear food for me too. Now I eat em most everyday! I’m not a big meat eater and I have to get in my protein somewhere. I made these but couldn’t get them to roll, maybe it’s my PB (I get the 365 brand from Whole Foods). Oh and that dark chocolate PB you have looks so yummy! I’d totally want PB toast for breakfast everyday if I had that.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hmmm… maybe melt the pb a little first (ether in the microwave or oven). I use that one too, and if you store it in the fridge, I know it’s hard at first. I usually leave it out a few hours before using, so it’ll soften.
Natasha K. says
Seriously, after reading the ingredient list, I went in my kitchen and made them. But I was too lazy to roll them, so I just ate it with a spoon, haha! I have recently decided to cut sugar out of my diet (except for natural sugars like agave, pure maple syrup, stevia, etc), because I don’t like the way it makes me feel and I get so obsessive over it. I didn’t add any sweetener to this because I could probably eat an entire jar of peanut butter as is (haha)!
At the beginning of the month I was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity, and it has been a huge issue for me (I thought I had it under control, but I love my breads too much). Oats are one of those iffy things that may or may not affect me. Do you think I could use rice bran instead of oats/oat bran?
These were delicious btw, since I ate them with the oats anyway, haha!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I’m sure you can! Or even another flake… I don’t know much about gluten-free diets, but what about quinoa flakes? Or, are kamut flakes gluten-free? Oh, or can you buy gluten-free oats in the gf section? I know they sell them at my Whole Foods.
Natasha K. says
I cannot find quinoa flakes (of course, I could always try looking harder), but I don’t think kamut is gluten free.. I’m still figuring all this stuff out! I just have a big box of rice bran in the cupboard, that’s why I asked 😛 I could give them a shot and let you know how it comes out! And now I better start looking for other flavours of nut butters! Your collection makes my mouth water, haha!
Rachel R. says
No, kamut is not gluten-free; it’s a variety of wheat. Certified GF oats are probably fine. If you’re not worried about it being quite as healthy, you could partially crush rice or corn Chex, or cornflakes. (I’ve just recently learned that I need to go GF, too, so I understand the dilemma!)
Really, anything dry (but edible in its dry state) should work. I have a recipe that’s really, really similar, and it calls for either wheat germ or dry milk powder. (My kids like the milk powder version. I prefer the wheat germ version but, of course, can’t eat it that way now.) You might even be able to use something like the “grit” left over after making something like almond milk.
Natasha K. says
Thanks 🙂 I didn’t think kamut was gluten-free. I will try out a few different things and see what works for me. I really like the oats, and I don’t think I reacted to them, but it’s hard to tell because I still have gluten in my system (since I’ve been.. not very good the last week or two, haha).
jwoolman says
Be aware that sometimes people will try to sell you on kamut or spelt, simply because some people with wheat allergies (rather than gluten intolerance) digest those better than our normal wheat (kamut and spelt are older forms of wheat). Watch out for barley and rye and triticale (which is a wheat/rye hybrid). Some celiacs do react to oats, but more likely because of stray wheat grains in them. One very sensitive celiac said he got around the problem by buying whole oats and checking them over first, removing any wheat grains. But if there are tested oats available, that should work. Or maybe you’re not sensitive enough to be bothered by trace amounts of wheat in commercial oat products.
You can make your own crackers/tortilla-like things from any type of flour, grain or non-grain. Just add enough water (oil and salt if you like) to work the dough enough, form into golf-ball sized lumps and smash down manually or with a tortilla iron, and either bake in an oven or in a pan or tortilla iron (with the iron, about 3 minutes on each side; with the oven, just check frequently the first time). You can make up a batch and freeze them with no problem, they’ll thaw quickly. Great for open-face sandwiches of any type. Also Lundberg rice cakes are great for open-face sandwiches (any kind of nut butter, of course! or avocado!), I’m partial to the mochi rice ones but the ones with sesame are good also. They have a variety to try.
I’m sure I’ve seen quinoa flake breakfast cereals somewhere, probably mixed with rice. (There are also quinoa cookies from AndeanDream that are wonderful and individually wrapped although pricey.) You can get quinoa flour. Plus you can get the whole grain for cooking, or if you’re lazy like me or just want to try it first – check out the precooked, shelf-stable GoGoRice bowls of plain quinoa (really, really tasty, don’t even have to heat up if you don’t want to), I get those by the case from Amazon but got one to try first from somewhere online. Also look for millet cereals – that’s gluten-free, also millet as a whole grain is as easy to cook as white rice (basically the same directions; and millet flour is available) and very tasty, so you can try that if you’re tired of rice morning, noon, and night … . Teff (aka injera) is another very tasty gluten-free food, you can get it as a flour or as the whole grain, has tiny little seeds (I’ve made crackers/tortillas out of the flour). If you’re tired of corn, try milo (sorghum), sold as the flour or meal usually and can be used just like corn flour or corn meal.
Good places to check for gluten-free foods (prepared and for do-it-yourself cooking/baking) are glutenfreemall and Amazon grocery section (you can choose gluten-free as an option). Vitacost seems to have a number of gluten-free foods as well, good for trying before getting a case of anything. You can get ideas of the variety available from glutenfreemall and then you can look for other sources as well. There are many different kinds of pastas to try – for rice pasta, try anything by Lundberg (they hold up well to cooking). Their rice cakes are great also (nothing like those cardboard things you get from a certain company that should have stuck to oats…) and likewise for their rice chips (which are blended with corn). For corn pasta, Mrs. Leepers likewise holds up well. I like Pastato elbow macaroni, which is a blend of potato, rice, quinoa, flaxseed, psyllium and very tasty and high fiber and doesn’t fall apart when cooked.
There are other places that also sell gluten-free – just plug in “gluten-free” plus any other words of interest into the google search engine, and loads of information will pop up. If you add the word shop, for instance (“gluten free” shop) you will more easily find places that sell gluten-free food online or in realspace. Besides dedicated gluten-free sites, you might have luck finding “odd” gluten-free foods at vegetarian/vegan shops because veggies tend to be more adventurous food-wise than carnivores. I’m a veggie myself and not actually gluten-intolerant but with a tendency toward food allergies, so I do better with a lot of variety. (Meaning that you might also look for “wheat allergies” to get more ideas, actually.) But more and more places are identifying their gluten-free foods because more customers are looking for it.
Also google “gluten free” or celiac or “gluten-intolerant” plus the word forum – that will steer you toward places where people will talk about living gluten-free and answer questions about where to buy and what’s available. Enjoy!
Stephanie says
Yes, I am definitely addicted to nut butter! I love trying new varieties! My blog contains quite a few posts on nut butters.
Michaela says
Most definitely addicted to nut butters especially peanut butter and ESPECIALLY peanut butter from peanut butter& co. ( the maple one is totally my favorite ) =)
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I haven’t had that one in way too long!
Jen says
Just made these with mashed banana to sweeten it! So good 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh wow, I love your idea!
Kristin says
I LOVE that episode of Friends. Ross is one of my all-time favorite t.v. characters. At which store do you usually find these different types of nut butters?
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Whole Foods… or sometimes even just a regular grocery store like Kroger :).
Karen says
We’re making these in my kids’ cooking class this week. I’ve got coconut flakes, mini M&M’s, raisins, and pretzels so they can make mini snowmen with them!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Awww! Such a cute idea, Karen!
Emely says
Yum! These are so simple and delish! 🙂 I just discovered your website through Pinterest yesterday. Already made 2 recipes just from things I had on hand. And I’m in love! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Aww thank YOU for such a sweet comment :).
Jocelyn says
There are so many comments for this one! And no wonder… these are so delicious! I don’t know if anyone mentioned it, but the peanut butter balls are wonderful rolled in cocoa powder 🙂
Thank you for so many wonderful recipes! This blog has changed my view of desserts from “unhealthy” to “more please!!” And I can share them with my 3 year old without feeling guilty! I have loved every recipe I’ve tried and a lot of my friends are making them too 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yum, I love your cocoa idea! 🙂
Katie says
My youngest son is dairy sensitive, so since I am nursing him, I have had to eliminate dairy from my diet, which eliminates most normal desserts. I was led to you website and am so happy! I made these lt night, doubled it actually, mixed in some jelly since my homemade peanut butter turned out slightly too salty this time. I am in heaven!
Becky says
This look sooo good! I can’t wait to try them! I have also been wanting to cry that cinnamon raisin swirl peanut butter…is it any good? Thanks Katie! 🙂
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
It is!
Kristin says
I am known to just sit down and eat 2 T of peanut butter (I’m counting calories)… this recipe was perfect to satisfy my peanut butter craving and it cut down on the stickiness of the peanut butter. Thanks for all you do 🙂
Felicia says
I made these with maple syrup (: Mmm
Julianne Mahoney says
You should try PB2, it’s a new powdered peanut butter. All you do is add water! It removes 85% of the fat and calories. I absolutely love it. I found it at Whole Foods, and even more delicious…they just came out with a chocolate flavor!!
http://bellplantation.com/
Stacy says
I made these this weekend and my 2 boys loved them. Tripled the recipe and it was the perfect amount for a family picnic and snacking. So simple and delicious!!
Kelsie says
Giiiirrrllll, Oh man. I’m thinking that pretzels would be amazing in these! Also, this white chocolate PB with cranberries. Mmmm!
Cait says
I have also added ground flax seed, agave and coco powder. Love these little guys!!
Chocoholic says
I’m defiantly trying these!!
Chocoholic says
I made these and they just tasted… I don’t know, I guess simple, like it wasn’t actually a treat. I still liked them, but just as much as plain out peanut butter (which I DO enjoy!). I made them with maple syrup. But it is still a good recipe. I guess I just think of something more like a treat when I’m actually putting it together from a recipe.
trajayjay says
Nut butter is teh bomb.
My favorite is peanut (I have to make my own b/c I don’t like skippy as much) and cashew (i have to make my own b/c they don’t sell it at walmart)
I have to say that I’ve made a lot of nut butters with different nuts in the past. B/c I had received a Magic Bullet, the first thing I wanted to do was blend nuts into a creamy paste.
But peanuts and cashews are the best.
Macadamia-Ugh.. tastes like rotten fish and garbage and paint and metal
Pistachio-Not a very sweet nut, more like a savory nut
Walnut-Too rich and forms a dough with a bland, bitter taste
Almond-Bland, overly pungent flavor
Pecan-I actually like the taste, it just forms a dough, not a paste
Sunflower Seed-Technically a seed butter, but it’s bitter and it doesn’t butter up
Pine nuts-taste like metal.
Aubrey says
Love love love these!!!