Recipe: Totally Addictive Peanut Butter Energy Balls

I resuscitate this gem of a recipe from my teenage athlete years from time to time, and have yet to grow tired of it.  It’s tasty, simple, and healthy; is extremely portable (read:  non-perishable, compact, doesn’t melt), and is a great fuel for sports, workouts or long outings as a little definitely goes a long way.  Best of all, you can tweak it almost endlessly.  While the base recipe calls for dried fruit, I have mixed, matched, switched and substituted ingredients ranging from carob powder, shredded carrot, cinnamon, roasted sunflower seeds and soy protein powder (the Spiru-Tein flavors from Nature’s Plus are particularly good)…to dark chocolate chips (hey, it’s now good for you), granola, oats, flax seeds, maple syrup (in place of the honey), almond or cashew butter (instead of the peanut butter), and wheat germ.  I have also rolled the balls in cocoa powder (“healthy peanut butter truffles”?), sesame seeds, graham cracker crumbs and shredded coconut, with every variation a delicious success.  No doubt you can come up with your own variations as well!

Peanut Butter Energy Balls

• 1 cup NATURAL crunchy peanut butter (stay away from the stuff with hydrogenated oils, sugar, etc.)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey (to taste)
• Approximately 1-2 cups nonfat instant dry milk (start with a small amount and add until you get the desired dough-like consistency)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, chopped dates, chopped apricots, dried cherries are all great examples)

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter and honey and blend well.  Add the nonfat dry milk powder in small increments, until a stiff dough consistency is achieved.  The best way to add the dried fruit is to mix it with you hands, to ensure it’s distributed evenly.  Form the dough into small balls, about 3/4″ to 1″ in diameter.  Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to harden.  Transfer to an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.