Disclosure: This recipe was created for Ancient Harvest. See below for more details.
The majority of time, if I'm going to make holiday cookies, I'll make them with all the butter and sweetener. To me, the occasional cookie during the holidays doesn't warrant a special "healthy" cookie. It's a treat and meant to be a something special which is why you won't really find any cookies marked as healthy around this site. However, there are a couple of treats I can't make because I'll eat them all. In one sitting. The traditional buckeye (a peanut butter ball with chocolate coating) is one of those treats. I'm a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate.
This particular recipe is a riff from Edible Perspective's date buckeye ball with peanuts and A Couple Cook's variation on that buckeye ball. My added ingredient? Popped quinoa. It adds a nice crunch to the texture (not found in traditional buckeye recipes, but still good). Plus, it keeps with the healthy theme of these treats!
PrintPeanut Butter: I used peanut butter that had salt. If your peanut butter doesn't, you may need to add a pinch to the mixture. Also, if your peanut butter has a looser texture, start with 3 tablespoons of peanut butter and add more as long as the mixture isn't too soft.
Instructions for popping quinoa (and other pseudo grains) can be found here.
Recipe adapted from Edible Perspective + A Couple Cooks
I'll be honest and say that I haven't deviated much from the above recipe as the combination of peanut butter, quinoa, and chocolate is really good. However, there are some ways you can mix the ingredients up.
Peanut Butter: I'll always be a peanut butter and chocolate girl but almond butter or even sunflower seed butter can be used.
Quinoa: I think quinoa works best in this recipe but you can also pop amaranth and use in place or with the quinoa!
Chocolate: If wanting to keep these vegan, be sure to pick up vegan chocolate.
If you get on a kick of popping quinoa, it can be kind of fun and can be used in quite a few different ways.
Granola: Toss popped quinoa in with your granola or use in place of your granola on a yogurt parfait.
Salads: Popped quinoa adds a nice, healthy crunch to salads.
Granola Bars: Add to granola bars along with oats and other nuts/seeds.
Ughhh goodness these look delicious. I've always been a fan of microwave melted chocolate with a spoonful of peanut butter as a late night treat, but these look like an elevated, sophisticated version of what I would typically eat in my bed.
That sounds so yummy! I must try to make these
http://xoxobella.com
Yummy! I love baking with quinoa