No Bake, Gluten Free Chocolate & Peanut Butter Dessert/Energy Bites.

I thought it would be fun to do a spin-off of my energy balls with a dessert-ish type of variation.  I made two batches last night (almost gone) and one batch this morning to test the recipe out again.  LOVE them!  They are rich and quite decadent!!

Ingredients:

1/4 c of creamy or crunchy peanut butter (I used Smart Balance crunchy)
1/3 c of dried tart cherries (I’m thinking pitted prunes would also be wonderful – I’ll be trying those next)
3 tbl of roasted unsalted or salted peanuts
1/4 tsp of salt (you can omit this if you decide to use salted peanuts)
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tbl of shredded and toasted coconut
2 tbl of dark cocoa powder
1 tsp of chia seeds (optional)
1/4 c of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
In your food processor, blade attached, blend all of the ingredients until they form a ball.  Looks similar to dough.  This takes about 1-2 minutes or until completely blended.  I then refrigerated for 10 minutes to chill.  Then roll into balls and store in an airtight container on your counter.

— Knead to Cook