Pumpkin Pie Protein Balls
Beans in your protein balls!? Yes mam! I love this recipe because it is a different take on the typical homemade protein ball using beans and whole food-based ingredients only vs. protein powders and added sweeteners! I like to use Eden Organics brand of beans to help the digestibility factor and you can likely sub chia for flaxseed here as well if you so choose! Sugar addicts-these may be less sweet than you are used to therefore I recommend the dark chocolate drizzle component or adding chocolate chips into the batter. I can best describe these as the result of pumpkin pie and cookie dough having a baby-therefore they have a soft cookie dough-like texture with a spiced punkin pie flava-I love adding the walnuts to add a crunch (if you are nut free add pumpkin seeds instead)!
What you need:
1 can organic white cannellini beans
1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree
1/4 cup + 1 T coconut flour
5-6 dates-pitted and soaked in hot water to soften for 5-10 min
1.5 T ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla extract
~2 tsp cinnamon
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin seeds or walnuts (if you don’t need nut-free) to mix in, dark chocolate chips for melting (I used a bar of melted taza 95% dark chocolate + coconut oil)
How you do it:
All in a food processor: combine beans, pumpkin, coconut flour, dates, flax, vanilla, cinnamon
If adding walnuts/add ins-fold into batter now
Line parchment paper on a baking sheet
Scoop out batter (should be a thick/sticky batter) and form ~tablespoon size balls, place on baking sheet
If drizzling with chocolate melt chocolate bar with ~1 T coconut oil; drizzle or dip balls into chocolate ( I topped with a few sprinkles of bee pollen as well)
Freeze at least 30-40 minutes and enjoy!
Tip: Store in the freezer or in the fridge for 3-4 days
Makes about 12 balls.
