Three weeks ago, my husband came in with the sweetest look in his eyes (the one that has made my heart flutter for all these years) and asked me if I could make him some chocolate protein balls.

I’m not sure if it was the look?

Or the flutter?

But I took on the challenge.

I’ve never made a protein ball in my entire life, and I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients and different amounts of different ingredients.

And I think we found a winner.

But don’t just listen to me.

Everyone keeps asking me to make these again and again, and here’s an official recommendation from the official chocolate protein ball taste tester:

“I am a big fan of KariAnne’s protein balls! She keeps modifying them to be even better (and tastier!). They are probably even better for you if you eat them in moderation (I wouldn’t know!).”

This is the snack of the summer, and here’s the easiest recipe (no cooking needed).

Before I share this recipe, I wanted to have a discussion.

Please pull up a chair.

There are five ingredients that I use to make these protein balls.

But I’d encourage you to experiment, too. Everyone has a different texture and sweetness that they like, and this is the most flexible recipe I’ve ever encountered. I just kept experimenting until I found the combination and ingredient portions that were the best for us.

Also, they are so filling keep in the fridge for about a week and freeze really well.

I’ll add these notes to the bottom of the recipe card if you want to print it out.

Here are a few suggestions to make these your own:

• If they are too dry for you, just add a little more honey or almond butter (don’t add too much or they will be sticky)
• If they are too sticky or you like a little more crunch, just add a few more oats
• You can also try different protein powders (they can taste slightly different)
• I added chocolate chips to several batches, but my husband didn’t like it as much
• You can add vanilla extract or salt to enhance the flavor slightly

Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls

Ingredients:

2 cups of old-fashioned oats

1 cup of chocolate protein powder

1 cup of almond butter 

2/3 cup of honey

4 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp of water (if needed)

1. In a bowl, mix dry ingredients, oats, protein powder, and flaxseed.

You can see the exact chocolate protein powder I used here.

2. Add almond butter and honey.

3. Stir until combined. The mixture should be thick and slightly sticky.

4. If it feels too dry or cumbly (or you have too many oats in the bottom of the bowl), add 1 tsp of water.

5. Roll into 1-inch balls (mine are bigger, about two inches).

6. Chill in fridge for 20-30 minutes to set.

A few recipe notes:

• Use a cookie scoop for even protein ball sizing
• Let the mixture rest before rolling (about 10-15 minutes). This allows the oats and flaxseed to absorb moisture, and the texture will even out.
• Toast the oats if you want even more crunch.
• Mint chocolate chips or shredded coconut are great flavor boosts, too.

This husband of mine is one of the hardest workers on the planet. He never met a task around the house that he didn’t immediately start to work on.

He spent yesterday fixing all the garden beds.

And the best thing for rewarding yourself after a hard day in the garden.

You guessed it.

Chocolate protein balls.

disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.

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