DISCLAIMER: There isn’t any baking involved here…but they’re so delicious! I just had to share! 😉

While browsing for baking inspiration the other day, I came across a blog entitled Handle the Heat run by an awesome lady named Tessa. She has so many recipes! All kinds of desserts, and some savory options as well. Blogger idol right there!

I saved several of her recipes to try myself, but one stuck out as something I wanted to test out immediately: Peanut Butter Chocolate Energy Bites.

After a long forced hiatus (ugh, no fun!), I’ve been able to go running outside more. I try to run earlier rather than later, so I can then get ready and enjoy the rest of the day. However, that presents a breakfast quandary…I like to eat a little something but not too much before I go run. As such, I decided to try this recipe (from Tessa’s blog):

Tessa also notes you can really tweak this recipe to your liking – changing or adding/removing quantities or ingredients. For my first time trying this though, I left out the chia seeds, just to see how the base recipe treated me. A couple of other notes:

• I used regular old peanut butter…because that’s what I like!
• I picked honey over maple syrup. I used one of my favorites that I got at a farmer’s market in Cumming, GA – a wildflower honey. So amazingly delicious!

After 30 minutes in the fridge, my mixture still wasn’t solidly firmed up to my liking, so I left it for several hours. No joke! When I returned to it that evening, it wasn’t sticky at all, so I formed the balls and proceeded to the taste test.

The verdict? Yummy! The first taste I get is peanut butter (good in my book!), and the oats provide nice texture and heartiness. The chocolate chips add a nice touch of decadence. I also like the pop of wildflower honey too. However, the next time I make these (and there will be a next time!), I think I’ll use a little less honey – it’s such a bright sweetness that some bites were a bit overpowering. Like a HONEY EXPLOSION!

And to answer the burning question, yes, I did have a few of these before a run one day. And it went great! I think the peanut butter and oats were good sources of fuel, yet the bites were also light enough to not cause cramps or other bad stuff. Win for this recipe! 😀

EDIT: Forgot to mention this, but these delights are dairy free! They can also be sugar free with just a couple substitutions (peanut butter and chocolate chips)! 🙂