It’s October! And you know what that means: pumpkin season! I love pumpkin flavored food but if you’ve ever had raw pumpkin puree, you know that pumpkin itself is not very sweet. Unfortunately, most often, you have to add a lot of sugar to pumpkin to get it to that sweet flavor that everyone (including myself) loves. That’s why I wanted to create these energy balls. They have the perfect balance of sweetness and that delicious Fall pumpkin flavor.

Pumpkin itself is actually quite healthy. It’s a great source of carbs, protein, fiber and Vitamin K to name a few.

Ingredients

Pumpkin puree – You can’t make pumpkin energy balls without pumpkin! Just make sure to get canned pumpkin puree at the store and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and spices and it will definitely make this recipe too sweet.

Almond butter – I love using almond butter instead of peanut butter because it has a much more subtle flavor. While you can substitute peanut butter if that’s what you have on hand, it will overpower the other flavors and you will definitely taste the peanut butter. Almond butter does a much better job at not overpowering the pumpkin spice flavor.

Maple syrup – This adds sweetness to the energy balls. You could also substitute honey or agave.

Oat flour – You can buy this from the store or make your own. To make your own, blend oats in a food processor until they have the consistency of flour.

Almond flour – I like the subtle taste of this flour and how fine it is. You could also substitute oat flour but you will need less of it.

Pumpkin pie spice – You can buy this spice at the store or make your own. I made my own by following The Pioneer Woman’s recipe.

Coconut shreds – This is optional, but I love how they look rolled into coconut shreds. You could also cover them in chocolate, roll them in cacao powder or leave them as is.

Instructions

1. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add in all of the dry ingredients, except coconut shreds, and mix until combined.
3. Form into 12 balls by rolling them in your hand.
4. Roll balls in coconut shreds, if using.
5. Place on parchment lined sheet and chill in fridge or freezer for 1 hour until set.
6. Enjoy!

Storing Instructions

Store balls in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.