Pecan Pie Energy Bites (2024)

About the Recipe

Craving the taste of pecan pie but prefer to skip the baking? Gather just four simple ingredients – pecans, dates, salt, and vanilla, and try these pecan pie balls.

Despite their simplicity, they’re reminiscent of the rich flavors of pecan pie and perfect for a sweet end to a Thanksgiving feast, addition to your holiday goodie tray, or everyday snack.

For this recipe, you can stick to the original or try them coated in chocolate, sprinkled with crushed graham crackers, or with a pinch of brown sugar added to further bring out the pecan pie flavor. The recipe makes a versatile base for experimenting.

Whether you’re gearing up for holiday parties or just craving a sweet dessert, these bites are sure to be a your new favourite sweet treats.

Recipe Highlights

• Vegan (dairy-free, no egg).
• Gluten-free.
• No added sugar or oil.
• Easy to make in 10 minutes.
• Just 4 ingredients.
• No baking required.
• Taste like pecan pie!
• Versatile.
• Freezer-friendly.
• Great for holidays.

Ingredient Notes

• Dates: Any variety works as long as they’re soft and moist. I like medjool dates, sayer dates and deglect noor dates. If your dates are on the dry side, they can be soaked in hot water before use.
• Pecans: Use plain, raw pecans with no added oil or salt. These can be substituted with cashews, walnuts or almonds but of course, they wouldn’t be pecan pie balls! For extra flavour, you can roast the pecans in a skillet over low heat until fragrant or on a baking sheet at 350F for 5-10 minutes, taking care not to burn.
• Sea Salt: Use a good quality sea salt like maldon, pink, grey, etc. Table salt does not enhance the flavour in the same way.
• Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract will add the best flavour but artificial vanilla is fine if that’s all you have.

A complete list of ingredients with measurements and full instructions is located in the printable recipe card below.

Variations and Additions

• Coconut Pecan Balls: Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut or roll the balls in shredded coconut.
• Powdered Sugar: Roll the balls in powdered sugar for a holiday treat.
• Spiced Pecan Balls: Add a pinch of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cardamom.
• Sweetness: For sweeter pecan ball, add 1-2 tbsp brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey or agave syrup.
• Chocolate: Drizzle the balls in melted chocolate like these sunflower seed energy balls or add a chocolate coating to make pecan truffles. Place the chocolate coasted balls on a cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and chill until the chocolate hardens.
• Espresso Pecan Balls: Add 1-2 tsp instant coffee powder or espresso powder or try these chocolate coffee energy balls.
• Bourbon Pecan Pie Balls: Add 1-2 tbsp bourbon or dark rum for the holiday season, or try these vegan rum balls. You could also use rum extract for an alcohol-free option.
• Cookie Crumbs: Try adding up to 1/2 cup graham crackers crumbs, crushed vanilla wafers or other cookie crumbs for texture and more pecan pie flavour – kind of like the pie crust. You could also roll them in graham cracker crumbs. Try them rolled in graham cracker crumbs then coated in chocolate extra decadent holiday treat!
• Cornflake Crunch: You can add more texture to the balls by adding 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes, like used in these homemade butterfingers recipe or by coating them in crushed cornflakes to create a wafer layer before coating them in chocolate.
• Chocolate Chips: Add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips to the food processor after you blend the dough and pulse a few times to mix them.
• Almond Extract: Almond extract is a nice alternative to vanilla extract or you can add both.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Place pecans, dates, salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend into a thick, sticky dough you can easily press between your fingers.

If you’re adding anything else like chocolate chips or cacao nibs, add them after blending the dough and pulse a few times to combine. Extras like spices or coconut can be added with the other ingredients.

Quick Tip: If the mixture is too crumbly to roll into balls, add 1 tsp of warm water and process again. Repeat as needed. If your dates were soft, this shouldn’t be an issue but you may need 1-2 tsp of water if they were on the dry side.

Step 2: Roll the dough into bite sized balls and enjoy! You can eat them right away or chill in the fridge or freezer to firm them up a bit.

For further decoration, place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with melted chocolate or dip melted chocolate to coat.

Once coated, place them in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate hardened. For more guidance on adding chocolate, you can use this chocolate pretzel truffle recipe.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• Dates: It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe as they create the “dough” and bind the recipe. If your dates are overly dry, place them in a bowl (pit first) and soak in hot water for 15 minutes. After soaking, drain well and proceed with the recipe.
• Serving: As is for a sweet treat or dessert, or try crumbling over smoothie bowls, ice cream and yogurt.
• You can use a cookie scoop to help you divide the dough into evenly sized balls.
• The recipe should make approximately 12 balls but for a smaller portion, use a bit less for each ball to get 14-15 bites.

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