The Best Almond Butter Balls Ever

My family loves these almond butter balls. You can use any kind of nut butter, we just all prefer almond. We are a little picky about our peanut butter, read why here if you are interested.

Here is what you will need:

1 Jar Almond Butter (here is our favorite)

1 Block Kerry Gold Butter softened to room temperature (equivalent to 2 sticks). Kerry Gold tastes the best and the cows whose milk it is produced from are kept on pasture. You can use any butter you like, but using a high quality butter makes these much yummier.

2 cups shredded coconut, divided (You can use sweetened or unsweetened, or a mix of both)

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup chia seeds, divided

1 heaping cup pecans, divided (you can use whatever nuts your family likes best)

3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon sweetener (pictured above is date syrup because it is what I had. We also use honey or maple syrup. Sweeten to your taste. The almond butter we use also has a bit of added maple syrup so we don’t need a lot of extra sweetness)

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 capful almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt (use less if you use salted butter)

You will be combining some ingredients to make the balls themselves and also making the topping the balls will be rolled in. The topping isn’t necessary but it helps keep them from getting all over your fingers, especially when they are kept unrefrigerated for a while and they soften up.

For the balls:

First grind up pecans and pumpkin seeds separately in a mini food processor. You can also do this by hand, it will just take a lot longer because they should be chopped small. (If you do not have a mini food processor you should really think about getting one, I use mine almost daily.) Combine butter, almond butter, oats, half of the coconut, half of the chia seeds, half of the pecans, pumpkin seeds, sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Stir well. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours or the freezer for no more than thirty minutes so the mixture can be firmed up. Set a timer if you put them in the freezer so you don’t leave the mixture in there too long, as I have done many times.

For the topping:

Combine the other half of the coconut, chia seeds, and pecans.

Now you are ready to make the balls. The size doesn’t really matter at all, you can make them as small as a marble or as large as a golf ball if you want, although somewhere right in between those sizes is best. It is nice to have some different sizes though, because sometimes you may not be as hungry as others, and these are filling.

Find some adorable helpers to make the balls and then roll them in the topping like so:

The recipe will make about this much:

Give or take about a half dozen eaten by my helpers.

Another tip:

Don’t leave the  butter where the toddler can get it.I told you this stuff is good guys.

Store them in your fridge covered tightly for up to two weeks, although I can almost guarantee they will not last this long. We eat them for breakfast or as  part of a lunch or dinner. They are also great for snacks and we often take them on the go.

This recipe is very flexible and I have often times switched up, reduced or increased certain ingredients based on what I had. I have used coconut oil, walnuts, cashews, almonds, mini chocolate chips, cacao powder or even a little vitamineral green powder  (affiliate link). It is hard to mess this up!