chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls are an easy & totally wholesome snack! inspired by chocolate chip banana bread, but in the form of a healthy, raw energy bite, these chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls are loaded with dates, cashews, almonds, walnuts, and banana. the perfect little no-bake energy bites to keep on hand as an on-the-go snack during the week or as a healthy little dessert!
this post may contain affiliate links for products i use on the reg & completely love. should you buy a product using one of these links, pwwb will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. thank you, as always, for supporting plays well with butter! ?
confession: balls have been totally saving my life this month.
all 7th grade jokes aside, i’m totally being serious.
because holy smokers! this past month has been the craziest month i remember having in like…ages. it started with a week-long trip to milwaukee for some work projects. a few days after i got home from milwaukee, chris & i left for our trip to london. & while we’ve been back for a couple of days, i’m already packing up for a conference in salt lake city this week/weekend! so much travel!
& speaking of balls, london, by the way, was amazeballs. like, wow. i never expected to really enjoy london. honestly, everyone i talked to prior to our trip was so quick to say, “…you know the food there is terrible, right?!” london gets such a bad rap!
but we had the BEST time. seriously! the food? it was great! we ate lots of italian (pasta at padella in borough market was life changing ?) & we had great indian (dishoom was incredible, omg. ?).
aside from eating all the food? i really just loved strolling the city with chris. the architecture was beautiful – i especially loved the how lush & green the parks were, & the kensington neighborhood is what dreeeams are made of. & we even treated ourselves to a couple of tickets to see hamilton, which omg was incredible. slightly strange to see a show about the american revolution in a london theater alongside a crowd of full of brits, but it was really such a great show. we both ugly cried!
anyway.
all this to say: being so, so, so go-go-go makes me appreciate some good, healthy eats even more.
& healthy eats that have really saved me through all this travel? (& all the amazing, indulgent eating that comes with it?):
chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls. 
it’s no secret that i’m the queen of packing snacks for trips & flights. i love the assurance of knowing i have a good, healthy snack close by whenever hangry vibes start to creep up on me. (anyone else have hanger issues? ??)
& bliss balls? they’re the perfect healthy on-the-go snack.
these chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls taste just like are loaded with good-for-you ingredients:
- medjool dates
- old fashioned rolled oats
- almonds
- cashews
- walnuts
- banana
- & some chocolate chips for good measure! ?
like, hellooooooo, what’s not to love about all that goodness?!
the dates, oats, almonds, & cashews make the perfect base for these banana bread bliss balls. once they’re pulsed up together, you add in a ripe banana (the kind you’d use in banana bread!) & some walnut pieces. (…& some chocolate chips, obviously.)
the result? healthy little energy bites with just the right amount of sweetness & banana flavor. the walnuts add great texture – just like a slice of walnut banana bread! (& those chocolate chips? they don’t hurt either. obviously.)
plus!
you know the center of a loaf of banana bread? how it’s soft & kind of melts in your mouth? these banana bread bliss balls taste exactly like that. ?
i, for one, am so about that.
tips for making banana bread bliss balls: 
key to making banana bread bliss balls is a good food processor. this is the one i use (almost on a daily basis!), & i love it. it’s powerful enough to break down the nuts in these banana bread bliss balls like a boss, which helps these bliss balls come together in less than 15 minutes. yes, please.
& while they’re full of nutrient-rich ingredients already, i like to add an extra punch of nutrients with collagen peptides. collagen is great for gut health & touts some amazing beauty benefits (stronger hair? ✔️stronger nails? ✔️). plus it’s totally flavorless, so you can sneak a few scoops into these banana bread bliss balls without affecting the flavor at all. this is the collagen i use – it’s great!
& if you’re gonna add some extra nutrients to your banana bread bliss balls, a few scoops of your favorite protein powder would be great. vanilla or chocolate would be fab! or even coconut! or peanut butter…because peanut butter banana bread, omg…?
one the last bit of advice? store ‘em in the freezer. frozen banana bread bliss balls are ahhhhhmazing with morning coffee.
i mean. just sayin. ?
if you loved this banana bread bliss bites recipe, here are a few other easy & healthy snacks you’ll love:
- 5-ingredient chocolate coconut bliss balls
- medjool dates with almond butter & dark chocolate
- peanut butter breakfast cookies with dark chocolate chunks
- plus, all pwwb healthy-ish recipes
chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls
- Prep Time: 15 mintues
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 24 bites 1x
Description
chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls are an easy & totally wholesome snack! inspired by chocolate chip banana bread, but in the form of a healthy, raw energy bite, these chocolate chip banana bread bliss balls are loaded with dates, cashews, almonds, walnuts, and banana. the perfect little no-bake energy bites to keep on hand as an on-the-go snack during the week or as a healthy little dessert!
Ingredients
- ½ cup pitted medjool dates (5-6 large dates)
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup raw walnut pieces
- 1 small ripe banana, mashed
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- optional: 8 scoops collagen peptides
Instructions
- Soak the dates: Add the pitted dates to a medium bowl. Cover with 1 cup of warm or hot water. Let the dates sit and soak for a minute or two, until they’re completely softened and pliable. Drain off the water, reserving it for later use, and set aside.
- Make the banana bread bliss bites: Transfer the soaked dates to a food processor. Add in the oats, almonds, and cashews. If you are using collagen peptides add them in at this time too. Pulse the mixture a few times, to break down the large nuts, then let the food processor run for a minute, until the mixture is flour-like. Add in the banana and the walnut pieces, pulsing to combine. The mixture should be slightly wet with larger pieces of walnuts remaining, but will hold once formed into a ball. If you are using mini chocolate chips, stir them in by hand at this time.
- Roll the bliss balls into 2-tablespoon sized balls. I use a small cookie scoop to ensure the bliss balls are uniformly sized. Enjoy immediately, or store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I store mine in the freezer – I love them when they’re cold, perfectly delightful with hot coffee!
Notes
- A good food processor is key for making bliss balls SO EASILY at home. This is the one I use – highly recommend it!
- Collagen peptides boast wonderful health & beauty benefits including stronger hair & nails. I love using them in smoothies & bliss balls. This is my favorite brand!
I just made these last night… Omg. They are so amazing!! I froze mine and had them with coffee this morning, so wonderful.
YESSSSS!!!! this makes my day. that’s exactly how i like to enjoy them, too – the perfect start to a week! happy monday, jillian! xoxo
Nice energy balls, plenty of good fats from chocolate and the other nuts. I find these kinds of balls keeps me satiated too so I don’t need to snack on junk food.
totally agree! hope you try them, leo!
I just made these to have as a snack this week, and they are amazing! I love the nutty banana flavor. They’re just the right amount of sweet and don’t taste “healthy”, even though I’ll be eating them guilt-free! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
xx Allison
P.S. If you’re forming the balls with your fingers (instead of using a cookie scoop), I found it much easier to do with damp fingers so that the “dough” didn’t stick to my hands as much.
allison!!! yassss girl, thank you so much for sharing this! i’m so glad they are going to be a great guilt-free treat for you this week – that’s exactly how i feel about them too. great tips for forming with your hands – the mixture is a little sticky, but that goes away once they’re formed. enjoy!!! xo
I need these in my life!!! Lately I’ve been dipping into the cookie jar for a snack instead of something healthy. These would help me out! Also, why do you suppose London/England has a bad reputation for food??? I’ve never been, but it’s on my list for sure!
they are definitely perfect for cookie cravings – trust me, i’ve been there too!!! just the right amount of sweet without derailing your day. & i’m totally not sure about the bad reputation for food in london/england – i mean the traditional dishes don’t use spices & are on the more comforting end of the spectrum, but we ate amazing food our whole trip. you’ll love it there!!! xo