When I say oatmeal raisin, I mean exactly that. Unlike a Costco version of Oatmeal Raisin cookies, these are made of 95% oatmeal and raisins, as opposed to being 95% butter, sugar, and white flour. They are sweetened with just raisins, and they are actually super delicious and have amazing cookie flavor!
Why you should make these:
- perfect hiking snack
- no dates
- no nuts
- no gluten
- delicious cookie flavor
- easy for kids of all ages to eat (even without teeth)
- super quick to make
- use just 6 common pantry ingredients
- can be prepped ahead for quick snacks in the future
There are some rare souls out there who don’t like dates. There are also many people who don’t buy dates, or (like me) run out of them quickly or can’t justify spending $30 a month to sweeten all their family’s treats with dates. This recipe is for them. Raisins are cheaper, and they are kind of like mini dates in a way. When blended up, they create a sweet paste that makes these little balls of bliss stick together and be perfectly naturally sweet. Raisins are a good source of iron, fiber, calcium, and antioxidants.
Making treats like these is actually a way I get needed nutrition into my kids. Yes, treats for nutrition, haha. When I make nice cream (fruit blended into soft-serve ice cream), or chickpea cookies, or balls like these, they are getting calorie-dense bites which my kids really need. If your kids could live off of low calorie foods (cucumbers, grapes, berries), healthy treats may just be an answer. When made of only whole plant foods, they are very nutritious. My kids snarf these. And, well, their parents do, too.
If you enjoy bliss balls, you’ll also enjoy these Carrot Cake Bites, Chickpea Cookie Dough Balls, and these Sunflower Seed Chocolate Bliss Balls.
No nuts, no dates! These energy balls taste just like oatmeal raisin cookies.
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (or any nut/seed butter)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/8 tsp salt
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Soak the raisins in hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain.
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Put the raisins in a food processor, and process until well-chopped and forming a ball.
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Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until well-combined. Taste, and add more salt/vanilla/cinnamon as desired. Add additional oats if your dough is too sticky. Form into balls, and enjoy!
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Keep in the fridge in an air-tight container.
I love the taste of sunflower seed butter here, but the next best option would be almond butter. Peanut butter would give it a different taste, but still yummy of course!
These were great! I used almond butter and the whole family loved them.
I can’t quit these when I am craving something sweet! These always hit the spot and are so delicious! Plus, any recipe that calls for soaked raisins is a winner in my book. It’s a tip I learned years ago that makes any recipe calling for raisins 100x better (and I love raisins!). Thanks Faith!
So glad you enjoy these! Raisins are so much cheaper than dates, that’s one reason I like them!