I absolutely love this recipe, for so many reasons. Firstly, it uses up what you likely already have in your cupboard. Apart from the dates, which can be a little costly, the ingredients are relatively economical – a 1kg bag of value rolled oats will make over 40 large energy balls!

Therefore if you’re looking for a healthier AND cheaper snack than popping to the shops, making your own energy balls is the way to go.

I think this recipe is a great go-to step for anyone trying to move more towards a wholefoods diet. If you find that you simply don’t have enough time or have too few options when choosing healthy snacks when out and about, these are ideal. You can make up a big batch at home and take them into work or school without having to refrigerate them – making them a great travel snack.

These are also ideal if you have a sweet tooth and find reducing your overall sugar intake tricky to manage. Start by swapping your daily chocolate bar or sweet with one of these and watch your energy (and cravings) slowly start to shift.

Ingredients (makes 7 large balls)

• 15 dates or 7 medjool dates (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and rinsed)
• 160g rolled oats
• 5 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder

To coat: additional desiccated coconut

Method:

What makes this recipe so great, is that it couldn’t be simpler. Chuck all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz until they form a dough consistency. I like mine a little chunkier so I blitz until it forms a dough with chunks of date kept in the mixture.

Take a handful of mixture and roll between your hands to form a spherical shape. Roll the ball in desiccated coconut and there you have it.

These can be kept in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for up to two months. You can even eat them straight out of the freezer so there is no chance of food waste with these.

If you try them for yourself I’d love to hear how you got on!