These healthy cookie dough balls will become your go-to snack when you want something sweet and nutritious!
Cookies will always be a classic dessert, but there is something amazing about eating chunks of cookie dough before it goes into the oven.
Of course, you can’t eat tons of raw cookie dough, because it will make you sick, but that’s why people have come up with recipes that taste exactly like the real thing and are even better for you.
Not only are these super delicious but they will also give you a burst of energy when you need it the most.
This post is all about peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls.
Whew! That was a mouthful!
Now, these healthy cookie dough balls don’t actually include most of the ingredients that go into popular cookie dough dips but instead consist of a lot of oats and seeds.
As a result, the cookie dough balls are easier to hold and consume, and you can make them as big or as small as you want to. They don’t fall apart very easily, so you can keep them stored in a container without having to worry about opening up a mess later on.
These healthy cookie dough balls are also great to take with you on the go, either as a snack, or part of your meal.
They may not be the best thing to eat alone, however, because they are not filling enough to satisfy hunger.
For a snack, they are okay, but make sure to bring other foods along if you plan on eating them with your meal.
Keep in mind that these healthy cookie dough balls are something you are going to want to make an advance to when you need them. The recipe itself is pretty simple, but it takes a lot of time to scoop and shape each one.
If you have time on your hands, this recipe is perfect for you! I recommend doing this on a Sunday or at the beginning of the week so you can eat them on the days moving forward.
This is a great recipe to prepare for the week ahead and could save you time that you may have been using to make breakfast or lunch.
Or if you have children who are a part of sports teams, these peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls make for a great quick snack that will give them some energy without a stomach ache.
As someone who used to have these snacks during breaks at practice, I can assure you that these are perfect for the occasion and super delicious!
Whatever doesn’t get eaten can be stored back in the fridge or freezer for a week or several weeks depending on where it is.
But considering how yummy these are, they may not even last that long!
For this recipe, you won’t need any special baking tools, so it is super convenient to make.
These are the things you will need:
A bowl
A spoon/spatula
Parchment Paper
Cookie Scooper
Plastic Containers or Cookie Sheets
Everything is combined into the same bowl, and there is no extra baking required.
These are supposed to be cookie dough balls after all!
I recommend either using a wide and shallow container or a tall container. If you use a tall container, you can stack the peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls on top of each other with parchment paper.
(Which will be covered in the steps once you get there!)
Although this recipe is quite simple, I’ve divided it up into a couple of steps to make the process even easier.
Prepare these ingredients:
½ cup of peanut butter
⅓ cup of agave syrup
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 cup of rolled oats
½ cup of ground flaxseed meal
¼ cup of chocolate chips (either regular-sized or mini, you can choose)
This recipe was actually inspired by the no-bake energy bites, which can be found on the back of flaxseed meal bags!
Only a couple of ingredients were changed, but you can use the original if you prefer to do that instead.
These healthy cookie dough balls are truly a fan favorite wherever they go! Whether it’s to the field or on a lovely picnic, they pack just the right amount of sweetness and energy to make you want to keep going back for more.
If you really want to, these are also great treats to sneak veggies into, especially if you have children who are not a fan of eating healthy.
With or without them, these peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls are high in fiber and protein.
(RELATED POST: Tasty 7-Step Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies)
Hopefully, you’re convinced by this point to try these delectable sweet snacks, and ready to move on to the next steps!
How to assemble and when:
Step 1:
In a large bowl, add the ½ cup of peanut butter, ⅓ cup of agave syrup, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix well until everything has become fully incorporated.
Step 2:
Next, pour in the 1 cup of rolled oats and ½ cup of ground flaxseed meal into the wet ingredients mixture. Stir and fold the dry ingredients together until each ingredient has been evenly distributed and there are no chunks.
Step 3:
Add the ¼ cup of chocolate chips and fold until the desired consistency has been achieved. If you plan on making this for a big crowd, you can double the recipe and still use the large bowl.
At this point, you can taste and decide whether to add any extra portions of the ingredients.
Step 4:
Set out your open containers and put parchment paper on the bottom of each one. If you are using a cookie sheet, make sure that it can fit in your freezer!
Step 5:
Use the cookie scoop to make each healthy cookie dough ball into the same size, and place them onto the parchment paper.
If you don’t have a cookie scoop, you can always try and eyeball it with a regular spoon, or if you have a tablespoon you can try to use that too.
The sizing doesn’t have to be perfect!
They don’t have to be too far apart from each other, but just enough so they don’t touch. They may get stuck together if they are touching for too long.
If you layer the cookie dough balls in a container, you can separate them using parchment paper before adding more on top.
You may need to stop yourself from eating the whole batch in this step!
Step 6:
Freeze for an hour to let them set, then enjoy! You can store them in the freezer for up to several weeks, and let them defrost when you are ready to eat them or you can store them in the fridge for a week.
If you plan to bring them to work or on a car trip, you may want to keep them cold with an ice pack or in a cooler. While they do not completely melt, they may get soft and sticky to handle if too warm.
These peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls are super yummy and worthwhile!
If you have an allergy to peanuts or just don’t like them, you can also use almond butter, which works just as well. Similarly, if you don’t like chocolate chips you can choose to exclude them from the recipe.
Instead, cranberries or raisins can act as a substitute! They carry along the same sweet taste and the role of the topping.
Because there is such an extensive list, here are some of the things you can add that are not chocolate chips:
Raisins/Cranberries
Almonds
Dried Fruit (like apricots, blueberries, etc.)
Peanuts
Shredded Coconut
These are just a couple of the other options you can add instead, that will taste just as good!
You can also choose to add extra ingredients for an even heartier cookie dough ball, with things like chia seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. They make the ball super crunchy with their texture and nutrients too!
If you choose to add one of these to the recipe, start with ¼ cup of whichever one you want, and slowly add from there.
You may also need to put more peanut butter and agave syrup in if you add a bunch more of the seeds.
This is all just experimental, however, and you don’t need to change the recipe if you don’t want to!
Peanut butter chocolate chip healthy cookie dough balls are perfect for any time of the year, and make a great snack when you’re in between classes or meetings.
As long as they don’t get too soft, the recipe isn’t messy and you won’t have to worry about dealing with sticky fingers.
If you think of anything else you could add to the cookie dough balls to make them even better, share them in the comments below!