Fig & Chocolate Orange Energy Bites

Following on from the success of my apple pie protein bites, I thought I’d have another go at creating a highly portable, highly palatable, high energy snack.

The result is something rich and sweet, offset by the tang of the orange, kind of like a Jaffa Cake. The light crunch that comes from the fig seeds and the coarsely chopped cacao nibs create a lovely, satisfying texture, which to me raises these beyond the uniformly soft Jaffa Cake. Not to mention they're better for you.

There's no protein powder in this one, so it's a good choice pre-workout if you're in need of an energy boost. Post workout you're better off going for something that contains more protein. Make up a batch of these and pop a couple in with your gym kit; or they're equally good as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack when you just need a bit of a pick-me-up.

Makes 10 x 20g Bites

Ingredients 

• 100g dried figs

• 50g oat bran

• 25g whole oats

• 25g cacao nibs (available from health food stores)

• 10ml orange oil

• 2 tbsp water

You’ll also need a small blender or food processor.

Method

• Heat a non-stick pan over a low heat and add the whole oats and the oat bran. You want to just toast them lightly, so keep shaking the pan, and stir if necessary, to prevent them from burning. When they begin to turn light brown, and you can smell them toasting, they’e done, so turn off the heat and pour them into a medium size bowl.

• Put the dried figs and orange oil into a blender and whiz until smooth. Loosen with just a little water if they're clumping into a solid ball and you're struggling to get them sufficiently whizzed. Empty into the bowl with the oats.

• Add the cocoa nibs to the blender and pulse; you want to keep a bit of texture, so be careful not to cut them too fine. Then pour them into the bowl along with the other ingredients and stir until everything is well mixed together.

• If you want to make equal bite size pieces, you’ll need to weigh out the mixture. The recipe should make 10 x 20g pieces. Take a scoop, weigh it out, then roll into a ball in your hands, squeezing as you go to pack it all nice and tight together.

• Store the energy bites in an airtight container or wrap up individually. They will keep for at least a week.

Nutrition

	Per 100g	Per bite (approx. 20g)
Calories (kcal)	359.7 kcal	71.9 kcal
Carbohydrate	49.7 g	9.9 g
of which sugars	25.0 g	5.0 g
Fat	13.9 g	2.8 g
of which saturates	5.4 g	1.1 g
Protein	7.4 g	1.5g
Fibre	8.6 g	1.7 g