Chocolate Macaroon Energy Balls

Jump To Recipe 3 reviews posted Jun 15, 2018 by Jessica Hoffman

These Chocolate Macaroon Energy Balls are made with dates, shredded coconut, and cocoa powder for a sweet treat that’s easy to make! The three healthy ingredients make this recipe vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free!

Simple ingredients for a sweet and raw/no-bake treat

Honestly, this must be one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever made. I’m talking three ingredients, one food processor, and five minutes type of easy.

I always love making raw desserts & treats, especially in the summer months. These Raw Salted Caramel Slice and Raw Vegan Raspberry Cheesecakes are the perfect examples – easy to make, raw and healthy ingredients, and naturally sweet!

It’s nice to not have to use the oven (which heats up the whole house) and just use ingredients that can be eaten as is. If you like making raw treats, you’ll want to make sure you have a food processor handy. It’s the ultimate kitchen applicant for raw “baking.”

How to make these chocolate macaroon energy balls

The base of these energy balls starts with dates. I always recommend using Medjool dates for energy balls and granola bars, because they tend to be stickier than regular dates and act as the “glue” that holds everything together. They also have a really sweet and caramel-like taste to them, which is just delicious! They’re kind of like the chocolatey cousin to my Salted Caramel Coconut Bliss Balls.

If you don’t have Medjool dates on hand or prefer to use regular dates, just made sure to soak them in some warm water for 5 minutes or so. Then, drain them and use. This will help the dates absorb some moisture and make them stickier.

Next, this recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut. Make sure to check that the packaging says “unsweetened” on it! If you use sweetened coconut, you’ll end up with overly sweetened macaroons that are loaded with processed sugars. I generally use this brand.

The third ingredient (and star ingredient if you ask me) is cocoa powder! You’ll want to use a high-quality cocoa powder to make these energy balls. Cheap cocoa powder can be much more bitter and won’t have as great of a taste. (Though if you can only get your hands on the baking cocoa powder at your local grocery store, don’t worry! They will still taste good.)

Tips to make these energy balls

These energy balls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, which will keep them sticky! They’ll keep for longer than a week if you store them in the freezer.
You can roll these energy balls in more unsweetened shredded coconut, for an added layer of sweetness and texture!
Make sure to use Medjool dates to help them stick together, other kinds of dates will fall apart more easily!

More energy ball recipes to try

If you tried these Chocolate Macaroon Energy Balls or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!