Cranberry Walnut Powerballs – No Bake Healthy Snacks
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These Cranberry Walnut Powerballs remind me of a no-bake cookie recipe that used to be popular when I was a kid, with a healthier twist.
I still remember going to see The Jungle Book with my best friend, Emma, and her mom, smuggling in no bake cookies in our coat pockets. We liked to live on the wild side. 😉
It’s been about 40 years since we smuggled cookies into the movie, but I remember that those no bake cookies had peanut butter and powder sugar.
These cranberry walnut powerballs have “the good stuff” like coconut oil, walnuts and flaxseed.
Coconut oil, peanut butter and hearty rolled oats help fill you up while honey adds natural sweetness.
Cranberry Walnut Powerballs
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or another dried fruit like raisins, cherries or goji berries)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts or seeds)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs (I prefer Enjoy Life)
- 1 cup peanut butter or nut butter
- 1/2-3/4 cup honey
- 1/4-1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil (my favorite is Nutiva, which tastes like fresh coconut)
- coconut flakes, unsweetened, to coat the balls
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients except coconut flakes. Mix well.
Add honey, coconut oil and peanut butter. Blend thoroughly.
If you’re in a hurry, you can skip rolling the cookies into balls.
Simply sprinkle enough coconut into a 9″x9″ glass pan to cover the bottom of the pan so the bars lift out easily. Press the mixture into the pan, refrigerate for a few hours, then slice into squares.
If you have more time for prep, roll the mix into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter, and then roll the balls in the coconut flakes to coat. This makes them less sticky.
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Place in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up. Store in the refrigerator. Makes around 35-40 1-inch balls/squares.
Allergy Friendly Options
If peanut butter is an issue, almond butter or sunflower butter can be substituted. If you can’t tolerate walnuts, go ahead and swap in peanuts or pepitas.
Enjoy Life chocolate chips are allergy friendly. They are nut free, soy free, dairy free, and gluten free.
For the coconut, you want to make sure to use unrefined high quality coconut oil and unsweetened coconut flakes, to maximize the coconut flavor.
If you can’t tolerate coconut, substitute palm shortening and roll the finished cranberry walnut powerballs in cocoa powder or crushed nuts.
To Make your Cranberry Walnut Powerballs Gluten Free
Make sure to select gluten free oatmeal if you want your powerballs to be gluten free.
Oats don’t have gluten, but they can be cross contaminated, so look for packages that are specifically labeled “gluten free”.
Cranberry Walnut Powerballs
These cranberry walnut power balls are easy to make with healthy ingredients and no refined sugar.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 40 balls 1x
- Category: snack
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or another dried fruit like raisins, cherries or goji berries)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts or seeds)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- 1 cup peanut butter or nut butter
- 1/2–3/4 cup honey
- 1/4–1/2 cup coconut oil, unrefined
- coconut flakes, unsweetened, to coat the balls
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients except coconut flakes. Mix well.
- Add honey, coconut oil and peanut butter. Mix thoroughly.
“Quickie” option
- Sprinkle enough coconut into a 9″x9″ glass pan to cover the bottom of the pan so the bars lift out easily. Press the mixture into the pan, refrigerate for a few hours, then slice into squares.
“Normal” option
- If you have more time, roll the mix into balls roughly 1 inch in diameter, and then roll the balls in the coconut flakes to coat. This will make them less sticky.
- Place in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Makes around 35-40 1-inch balls/squares.
These will easily keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, if they last that long.
More Snack Recipes
You may also enjoy the other Sweets and Snacks recipes on the site, including:
- Chocolate Raspberry Granola Cookies
- Honey Sweetened No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
- Maple Candied Walnuts
Originally published in 2012, last updated in 2020.