If you need a late afternoon kick in the butt, these Cacao Nibs Brownie Bites are for you. I have an issue with a word “balls” lately, for example moist balls, let’s stick to bites…
So, this cacao nibs recipe is naturally sweetened and full of a caffeine kick from raw cacao powder and cacao nibs crunch. I just love the crunch, so more brain satisfying than just a smooth snack. Skip metabolism and sleep scrutinizing cup of coffee, and stay away from messing with your brain processed sugars. Have antioxidants rich bite with only 6 g of naturally occurring sugar! And this sugar in combination with fibre will metabolize differently, in a good way.
Have you ever seen or heard of cacao nibs?! You are looking at them above. Cacao nibs are made of pure cacao beans with nothing added – nature’s chocolate chips. Super crunchy with 0 sugar, cacao nibs are an excellent source of antioxidants, iron, magnesium and fibre. In fact, cacao nibs are one of THE most rich in antioxidants foods => superfood. Last month, I picked up a bag and fell in love with a crunch and chocolate taste without added sugar right away. For the longest time, I thought they are too expensive and had no idea what to do with these bitter “chocolate chips”. Now, I add cacao nibs to almost anything sweet and a little goes a long way. Kids love them too! It’s the crunch…
Next superfood that I used in this cacao nibs recipe was cacao powder, which not to be confused with highly processed cocoa powder. To enjoy antioxidants’ benefits, buy only cacao powder.
Unlike many other bites and “balls” recipes using nut butters and honey (maple syrup) as a base, I chose a few ripe bananas and avocado instead. Mashed together they become a base full of naturally occurring sugars and saving a few calories.
I also skipped food processor and blender for the sake of simplicity and texture. I love to use those appliances but I dislike to scrape the dough out of them, wash sticky parts with hard to reach areas, and I like chunkier texture old fashioned mashing and stirring has to offer.
Coatings are optional but oh so good! Cacao powder bites are reminiscent of truffles. And I truly enjoyed those organic long coconut flakes I finally found – their chewy texture can’t compare to short ones. I stopped buying sulphured long shred coconut flakes long ago and was missing them! I often envy unhealthy eaters because many of artificially maintained foods are so pretty and have that desirable crunch, chewiness or a kick. But not the health benefits. Haha, always something, right?!
I like to keep my bites in the freezer and thaw for a few minutes before enjoying. 2 bites are plenty to wake me up and keep energy going for a busy night with family until it’s bed time at 8…9 PM ( the earlier the better LOL). These are totally transportable to work, hike, park etc. Nut free too.
Enjoy this cacao nibs recipe and be healthy!
Cacao Nibs Brownie Bites
Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas ripe (yellow with brown spots)
- 1 medium avocado
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1 cup quick or old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 8 Medjool dates pitted & chopped
- Cacao powder and unsulphured coconut flakes for coating (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add bananas, avocado, coconut oil and vanilla; mash with a masher until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Scoop some dough using small cookie scoop and roll into a golf size ball between the palms of your hands. If desired, spread coatings on plates and roll bites in them. Place in storage container and repeat this step until run out of dough. Enjoy chilled or thawed from a freezer.
Store: Refrigerate in a glass airtight container for up to a few days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
Nice healthy snack choice. my batter was thin as well so I stiffened it with some almond flour and they came out great.
Delicious! I had to substitute almond butter for the avocado – the one I purchased had unfortunately gotten yucky. A great way to use the cocoa nibs I have been avoiding.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Jeanmarie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I don’t have an avocado but i do have almond butter. May i ask, how much almond butter did you use? Thanks!
I’m guessing medium avocado would be maybe 1/2 cup.
I can’t wait to try these healthy snacks!
Hi Trina! Don’t be shy to leave a comment and star review when you give this recipe a try.
I just made this and they were super tasty. Also my 4 and 6 year old thought they were a great dessert.
The only thing I found is that the mixture was a bit too runny to roll into balls. I put the mixture in a pan and sprinkled with coconut. Then I refrigerated for a few hours before slicing them into small squares. Worked perfectly.
I will use this recipe again.
Thanks!
Thank you. I love the raw healthy ingredients.
You are welcome. Enjoy.:)
I was so excited to see this recipe until I found out avocado banana are in it- since I am allergic to them . Does it to the highest cross-reactive food some people with latex allergy. These 2 foods are put in so many clean food recipes it’s crazy!
Overall I found this to be an awesome recipe. I put the bananas, avocado and dates in a food processor for a nice smooth consistently. Only trouble was it made the dough a bit too soft, I might use just one banana next time.
I generally find cacao nibs a bit bitter but they were fantastic with this recipe. Great job on this recipe it is delicious! Will definitely be sharing these with my vegan work friend!
Yes, dough is soft and moist. Not sure if you don’t add another banana you will have enough base mass and you might need to adjust sweetness. Cacao nibs’ bitterness gets lost in sweet recipes. So awesome, right?! My kids love them!!! Glad you liked these. I keep mine in the freezer usually.
Made the recipe thought it wasn’t sweet enough added a little maple syrup bad move they are to soft added more oats and stuck them in the freezer hoping they will firm up
Yes, that’s risky because proportions of dry to liquid are thrown off. Hope they will work out for you.