KITCHEN CURATIONS: CARROT CAKE ENERGY BITES

Some people are chocolate people through and through. I, on the other hand, love a good piece of carrot cake. So when I started making these no-bake energy bites, I knew I'd have to try my hand at a carrot cake version. And I am so happy that I did! As someone who has a pretty high standard when it comes to carrot cake, I can personally attest to the legitimacy of the deliciousness in these babies. They hit all the right notes — sweet from the dates and carrots; warm and spicy from the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg; and nutty from the walnuts, hemp hearts, and sunflower butter. Seriously perfect.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 15 balls)

• 1 cup oats (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 3/4 cup carrots, grated (probably 3 medium-sized carrots)
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped + more to coat
• 2 Tbsp hemp seed hearts
• 2 Tbsp sunflower butter (I used Once Again)
• 3 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 1/4 tsp cardamom, ground
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. (I use a Vitamix)
2. Form into balls.
3. Place extra walnuts on a plate. Roll balls in chopped walnuts to coat. (Can use hemp hearts as well.)
4. Freeze for 2-4 hours to set. To preserve freshness, keep frozen, but move to fridge before serving to allow balls to thaw slightly.

Note: I used my Cuisinart food processor to grate the carrots because I was lazy, but you can totally use a hand grater. Plus, it doubles as a good arm workout!

ALSO, these bites are vegan, soy free, gluten free, and have zero added sugars :)