These cocoa lemon energy bites pair pure cocoa powder with fresh lemon zest and a handful of other “good-for-you” ingredients you give you the most luscious, no-bake, healthy treat!
I think you would agree, that chocolate and friendship go hand-in-hand, and that’s the reason I created these “pop-in-your-mouth” super healthy and delicious No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Truffles for you today.
You see, this month’s Recipe ReDux theme is Favorite Chocolate Matches…
Does your chocolate need a friend? This month’s posting will be after Valentine’s Day, so you may have a bit of extra chocolate around {Hello! I always have chocolate around!} What’s your favorite chocolate match? Be it traditional peanut butter or something more exotic like cayenne + chocolate. Show us your favorite healthy chocolate recipe.
My first thought was chocolate + orange. A match made in heaven, IMO. But then I thought about it a little more, and I remembered the most divine chocolate bar with lemon {yes, lemon!} I had in Lisbon, Portugal from a little gem of a shop called Chocolataria Equador.
Oh, my goodness.It was SO delicious, but to tell you the truth, I spent a good 10 minutes in that chocolate shop while my friend waited ever so patiently, as I waxed and waned over whether or not to get the chocolate bar with lemon, or the chocolate bar with orange. You’d have thought each bar was coated in gold. I mean, in retrospect, I should have bought both, But this is me. Someone who must weigh ALL the pros and cons before I can make a decision. What it I hated the taste of chocolate and lemon together? Would Armageddon happen???
Luckily I didn’t find out, because I was hooked from my first bite of that lemony chocolate bar…
And, later, I walked back to the shop and bought some more. Yep.
So here I am now, thousands of miles away from Lisbon, obsessing about chocolate and lemon.
And, add to that, my lemon tree is bursting with fruit, making it the perfect time for a little experimenting, don’t you think?
Hence, these most amazing cocoa lemon energy bites were conceived.
If you’re wondering what’s up with two different names, I thought I would create two different versions depending upon your tastes and dietary preferences, cause that’s the super nice kind of person that I am. 🙂
Both recipes are gluten-free and vegan, and the ingredients are quite similar, except the Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites have less pecans plus oats making them suitable for a low FODMAP diet, while the Cocoa Lemon Truffles have more pecans plus hemp seeds in place of the oats, making them suitable for a paleo or grain-free diet.
Personally, I love them both!
No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites & Cocoa Lemon Truffles
Chocolate and lemon are a delicious pairing in these luscious {and super healthy} No Bake Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Cocoa Lemon Truffles.
Ingredients
For Energy Bites AND Truffles
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
For Energy Bites
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients {depending upon which version you are making} in a food processor, and process until mixture is sticky and well combined.
- Shape mixture in to 10 ~ 1-inch balls, and place on a tray or plate lined with parchment paper. You can eat them immediately, or place them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes {you can store them in the freezer as well} before eating.
Recipe Notes
- Both versions are gluten-free and vegan.
- The Energy Bites are suitable for a low FODMAP diet.
- The Truffles are grain-free, and suitable for a Paleo diet.
- The nutrition label is for the Energy Bites. For the Truffles, the nutrition information is as follows: Calories 140, Total Fat 12 g, Total Carbohydrates 8 g {3 g fiber, 4 g sugar}, Protein 3 g.
I hope you love these Cocoa Lemon Energy Bites and Truffles as much as I do, and be sure and check out all these other delicious chocolate creations my ReDux friends have created!
P.S. Looking through my photos of Portugal has inspired me to start working on my WAY long overdue travel posts from my trip to Spain and Portugal last fall, so stay tuned, and in the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous shot of the colorful buildings and red tile roofs in Lisbon!
Click here to see all the other delicious chocolate creations.–> An InLinkz Link-up
Have you tried chocolate paired with lemon before? What’s your favorite chocolate pairing? Ever been to Portugal before? Are you a snap decision maker, or would you have spent 10 minutes obsessing over which chocolate bar to buy like I did???
Hi There! I’m EA, an integrative nutrition coach & recipe developer. I create healthy, seasonal gluten free recipes & low FODMAP recipes for a wide variety of diets (anti-inflammatory, low carb, Mediterranean, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, & more) to help you live your healthiest, happiest, most DELICIOUS life. Cheers!
Hello! They look delicious…..What can i use instead of Hemp Hearts, which I can not find??
Hi Ioanna~Thanks so much! If you can find “hemp seeds” instead of “hemp hearts” they are the same thing, but if you can’t find hemp seeds, I think ground flaxmeal/seed would work well too. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Oh my goodness, sounds so delicious! I definitely try this recipe. Very nice photos too!
These look wonderful! I’ve been really into snack bites lately, definitely have to give these a try!
Mmm.. citrus and chocolate are so good. And pecans? Yum! 🙂
I’ve never tried chocolate and lemon together – what a beautiful fun treat!
Citrus and chocolate go so well together!
these look great and can;t wait for your travel posts
I’ve never paired these flavours before but I have enjoyed a ‘full-fat’ version from a classy box of chocolates and loved it. These healthier ones look fabulous. Stumbling, pinning etc. LOVE it. PS Thanks for the sneak preview of your holiday snaps. We love Portugal but despite having spent 2 weeks there for work I never managed to get to Lisbon. Looking forward to more snaps. 🙂
Wow. This recipe is amazing. I never would have thought to pair chocolate with lemon. LOVE it! Pinning now .. and look forward to trying this one.
Sounded so great that I made the truffles right now! They taste great!
Looking forward to your Portugal trip post!
Thanks so much Andrea and I’m so glad you had all the ingredients on hand to make the truffles 🙂 I’m quite motivated to get all my pics edited, so hopefully I’ll be posting them soon!
Haha I’m exactly the same way! I mean it wouldn’t be the end of the world to purchase both rather than stand in the middle of the store agonizing over which one reigns supreme. All I can say is..Poor Tim…Well, at least he’s learning to have patience ;). I’ve actually never tried chocolate + lemon combination, but I sure do love it with orange. Good for you for choosing something out of the ordinary..I probably would have stuck to what I know #sonotarisktaker. Pinning and can’t wait to make this soon! Love it when I find a recipe I want to try and I happen to have all the ingredients on hand!
We should get Hungryman and Mr. Spicy together and they can commiserate on together on being married to two indecision makers 🙂 Hope your week is off to a fabulous start Min!
First off, love that you and Danielle both did lemon/chocolate bites but both in different ways (so I can make both 🙂 and I would have been the same way in that chocolate store debating. I agree that orange & chocolate are magical but I don’t think I’ve ever had chocolate & lemon and I cannot way to try this recipe!
Oh, yay! A Lemon and Chocolate tasting party. Can I join you?!!! Can’t wait to make Danielle’s version too 🙂
Lemon with chocolate?? Yes, please!! Forget the orange lol. Portugal has been on my travel list for years and now I must go to that chocolate store 🙂 These look so delicious – pinning!
Yes to Portugal! Yes to the chocolate store in Portugal!!! Hope you love these as much as I do Alanna 🙂
I probably would have taken forever to make a decision between orange and lemon too, haha! I have no idea why, but the thought of chocolate and lemon has never crossed my mind before. I guess it makes sense because chocolate and orange go together perfectly! Can’t wait to try these no bake lemon energy bites. Happy Sunday!
I felt the same way as you after I FINALLY made up my mind to buy the Lemon Chocolate-why had I never thought to try this fabulous combo before?!! Hope you’re week is off to a fabulous start Genevieve!
We were on the same page this month! Great minds think alike? Your energy balls look delish!
Yes!!! Love your different take on chocolate and lemon Danielle & can’t wait to try them out!
What a fabulous combination! These look delicious! Hope I get to travel to these amazing places someday!
Thanks so much Jessica! Hope you get to travel to Portugal one day too!! xoxo
I’ve never had chocolate + lemon, but that sounds amazing! (Definitely with you on chocolate + friendship going hand in hand! ;P ) I think there’s a very big chance that I would’ve caved and gotten both! 😛 These look delicious!
Hi Farrah! It seems funny to me now, that lemon and chocolate are served together more often, but they really make a delicious pairing, as the zingy, citrusy taste of the lemon, helps to brighten the somewhat intense flavor of dark chocolate. Both? Oh, yes!!!
Can’t wait to see your travel pictures! Portugal is one of the few European countries I haven’t visited and it’s REALLY high on my list! You sound like me in chocolate shops. I’m always that jerk holding up the line! #sorrynotsorry
So nice to know I’m in great company holding up the chocolate line 🙂 Hope to have my travel photos up soon, and in the meantime, you should definitely start planning your trip to Portugal. You will love it!
Hey there E.A.! I am so jealous of your travels!!! Adore the photos of Lisbon and that nostalgic shot of Chocolataria Equador! I am sooo curious about these; healthy ingredients that sound like uber delicious partners! Pinning so I can make sometime soon. Thanks, E.A.
Hi Diane! Thanks so much 🙂 Hope you try making these soon, and would love to know how they turn out!