Reese's peanut butter cups were hands down my favorite treat of all time and I especially loved the holiday ones, because they had more peanut butter to chocolate ratio...

When I want something sweet, this is usually what I crave; dark chocolate with peanut butter. I find it to be super satisfying; creamy peanut butter (salty) with dark chocolate (a touch of sweetness). So, I decided to make some snack bites to fill that void. These are basically an updated version of my raw brownie bites; I simply added in a few hemp seeds (just for some nutritional benefits), peanut butter, and left out the shredded coconut flakes. 

I used dates in the recipe to bind everything together, but if you choose to use a liquid sweetener of choice note that it will change the taste and texture a bit. You may need to add in more peanut butter or nuts to hold everything together. Either way they will taste amazing!

A bit salty from the PB and just enough sweetness from the dates to balance it all out. I store mine in the fridge and before I eat one or two I leave them out for a few minutes so they are a bit softer and meltier when you take a bite. 

You can also use any nuts or seeds for the base. I find that walnuts and oats work the best together (or either all walnuts or all oats) to get that creamier texture without it being too nutty that you might get from almonds or brazil nuts. 

Let me know if you make them! 

Snack / Raw Dessert
Total time: 15 minutes
Yields roughly 15 bites

What you need:

1.5 cups rolled oats (quick kind!) 
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cacao powder
6 dates, pitted
1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp. hemp seeds
1 tbsp. vanilla
dash of cinnamon
dash of sea salt
optional add in: 1/4 cup coconut butter

What you need to do:

1. In your food processor grind together the walnuts and oats until flour like consistency is formed. 

2. Next, add in the dates and give the mixture a quick pulse

3. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until well combined. If the dough is too dry/crumbly add in: either; more peanut butter (spoonful at a time), 1-2 dates at a time, OR 1 tbsp of water / nut milk at a time. Blend. If the dough is too sticky/wet; place in fridge until the dough becomes firm (15 minutes or so), or add in more nuts that have been blended together. 

4. Roll into balls and cacao powder or drizzle with peanut butter! 

5. Store in the fridge for up to 1 & half weeks or freezer for longer!