No Bake Matcha Energy Balls

These no bake matcha energy balls are a perfect snack to keep you going through the day. They're easy to make and contain the special ingredient, matcha, which gives them the nice green color and also gives you a boost of caffeine!

Matcha has been used all the way back to the 12th century in ancient Japan.

It is a special type of green tea, using the same plant but a different way of preparing the leaves. Matcha is shade grown for 20-30 days before being harvested which increases the chlorophyll and amino acid content in the leaves. Then the leaves are steamed, dried and ground into a fine powder so you are getting the whole leaf, rather than normal green tea.

Matcha has slightly less caffeine than coffee but the type of caffeine in matcha is what makes all the difference.

Your body metabolizes the caffeine in matcha much slower than caffeine from coffee. While coffee is released quickly in the bloodstream, causing insulin spikes, adrenaline rushes and the dreaded caffeine crash, matcha is released in the bloodstream over a 6-8 hour period therefore avoids all of those problems and leaves you energized for longer.

Now let's start with our recipe

To start off this recipe grab your food processor or blender. Like I said this recipe is super easy so you can throw in all of your ingredients in no particular order.

You're going to need ½ cup of nut butter, I used sunflower seed butter but almond or cashew butter would work just as good. ½ cup rolled oats, ⅓ cup cashews, 6-8 chopped dates depending on how sweet you like it, 1-2 tbsp matcha powder, 2 tbsp melted coconut oil.

It's important that the coconut oil is melted because it will help the mixture come together in the food processor and will solidify in the fridge.

Mix that in the food processor until thoroughly combined about 3-5 minutes. If the mixture is too dry add more melted coconut oil.

Once that's done take out about 1-2 tbsp of the mixture at a time and roll them into balls and place on parchment paper. I chose to role mine in shredded coconut but that step is totally optional.

Now put them in the fridge for 30 minutes to solidify and enjoy! 

Summary:

These matcha energy balls are so good and a great snack to get you through the day. They are super easy to make and packed with protein, perfect for a hike or a day on the go! I highly recommend giving these a try. 

*This article is intended for informational purposes. The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.