No-Bake Energy Bites and Bars That Don't Taste Like Health Food

One cup rolled oats, half cup nut butter, third cup honey or maple syrup, half cup mix-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, seeds). Mix in a bowl, roll into balls, refrigerate for thirty minutes to firm up.

The nut butter is the glue. The honey is the sweetener and additional binder. Skip either and the bites won't hold together.

Peanut butter, oats, honey, mini chocolate chips, a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla. Roll into balls.

This is the most popular formula in my house. The trick is using real peanut butter, not the ultra-processed kind with added sugar and oil.

Almond butter, oats, honey, shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, chopped almonds. Roll into balls and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.

Tastes shockingly like the candy bar but with a fraction of the sugar.

Almond butter, oats, honey, grated carrot (squeezed dry), raisins, chopped pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg.

Roll in coconut to finish. They taste exactly like carrot cake, in a snack you can carry in your pocket.

Cashew butter, oats, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, shredded coconut, a tiny pinch of turmeric for color.

Bright, fresh, and unlike most chocolate-heavy energy bites. They taste like little bites of lemon cake.

Blend one and a half cups of medjool dates with one cup of nuts (almonds, walnuts, or cashews) and a quarter teaspoon of salt in a food processor until it forms a sticky dough. Press into a parchment-lined pan, top with melted chocolate, and chill.

Cut into bars. This is essentially a homemade Larabar and tastes far better than anything sold in a wrapper.