Cranberry Almond Oat No-Bake Bites

Living in South Florida there are days where turning on an oven is the last thing you want to do. Even though it’s technically spring, lately it’s been feeling a lot like summer. So the thought of baking on a hot afternoon, doesn’t sound pleasing at all. So this past weekend I figured I’d attempt to make some no-bake bites. I’ve attempted a few times before but they never came out right. One reason being that I was trying to avoid using peanut butter or any type of nut butter, since I seem to get a semi- allergic reaction from them.

So this time around I decided to use sunflower butter in place of peanut  butter. It held the bites together perfectly while providing a nutty taste similar to peanut butter. I pretty much added what I had on hand in my pantry but the ingredients can definitely be swapped out for more fruit or seeds. With a few ingredients swaps, this recipe is nut allergy friendly, vegan, gluten free and even paleo.  So technically nobody has to miss out on these bites. Check out the recipe below:

Cranberry Almond Oat No-Bake Bites

• 2 1/2 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground into a flour)
• 2  scoops protein powder (optional)
• 4 tbsp flax-meal (flax-seeds ground into a flour)
• 1 tbsp fiber (optional)
• 1/2 cup of rolled oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seed butter ( any nut or seed butter)
• 1/3 raw honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 raw almonds
• 1/3 raw sunflower seeds
• 1/3 raw pecans
• 1/4 dried cranberries
• dash of salt
• dash of vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour,  protein powder, flax-meal, fiber and salt.
2. Melt the sunflower seed butter and honey together until the mixture becomes liquid (stove top or microwave )
3. Combine the honey butter mixture, vanilla extract and almond milk to the dry mixture and stir until fully mixed.
4.  Stir in the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, almonds and pecans until fully incorporated.
5. Using your hands, form small balls or squares and place them on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Happy Baking!