Type energy balls for runners into any search bar and you will find the same formula a hundred times over: dates, oats, nut butter, rolled and chilled. Almost none of those recipes account for the other thing a long run takes out of you, the sodium you lose in sweat. These no-bake bites cover both. Medjool dates and peanut butter bring the carbs, while two stick packs of Saltivate Raw Unflavored knead invisibly into the dough. The powder is plain, and its clean salty edge deepens the dates and peanut butter instead of making the bites taste like a supplement. Hands-on time is about 15 minutes plus a 30-minute chill, and the finished dough is glossy, fudgy, and flecked with oats. Eat two or three before you head out, or tuck a couple in a vest pocket for the long miles.
Ingredients
Makes 18 bites. With two stick packs in the batch, three bites carry about a third of a serving of electrolytes, roughly 90 mg of sodium per bite.
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (about 10 to 12), packed
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 stick packs (2 servings) Saltivate Raw Unflavored
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 to 2 tbsp water, only if needed
Instructions
- If your dates feel firm or dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- Pulse the dates in a food processor until they form a thick, sticky paste.
- Add the peanut butter, both stick packs of Saltivate Raw Unflavored, the vanilla, and the cinnamon. Pulse until evenly combined.
- Add the oats and pulse until the dough holds together when you pinch it. If it stays crumbly, add water 1 tbsp at a time.
- Roll the dough into 18 balls, about 1 tbsp each. Damp hands keep the sticking down.
- Chill the bites for 30 minutes so they firm up before you pack or eat them.
Tips
- Swap the peanut butter 1:1 for almond butter, or use sunflower seed butter to keep the batch nut-free.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months and thaw 10 minutes before eating.
- Using the jar instead of packets? Two level scoops equal the two stick packs in this recipe.
Stick packs are the easy way to measure here: tear, knead, done. Grab Saltivate Raw Unflavored on-the-go packets and keep a few in the same drawer as your running snacks.
Per serving: about 100 kcal (estimate).
