Dried Cherry and Mixed Nut Energy Bites

Since I have started my internship at the YMCA I have been bringing an energy bar with me every day. I usually need a boost of energy during my 5-6 hour shifts there and I've been experimenting with making my own energy bars and bites in order to save some money.

This recipe came about by accident, as so many of my recipes usually do. I was looking for a Larabar recipe on Pinterest and all of them called for about 1 cup of cashews. I only had about 1/3 cup of cashews on hand, so I decided to incorporate a few different types of nuts into these energy bites.

I decided to do a mix of cashews, walnuts and slivered almonds, mostly because those are what I had in my cabinet. You can really use any kinds of mixed nuts that you want or have available to you. 

I also decided to add in the dried cherries because the amount of dates that I had on hand were not enough to make the mixture stick as well as it needed to. The dried cherries added the extra stickiness that the mixture needed and they add great flavor as a bonus!

These energy bites are one of my favorite flavors that I have made. I may even like them more than my paleo apricot energy bars, which are another one of my favorite homemade energy bar recipes. 

Do not let the tiny size of these bites fool you. They are so filling and extremely satisfying. These prove you don't need a huge snack to be satisfied and full!

Dried Cherry and Mixed Nut Energy Bites:

1 cup pitted dates (about 12-15 dates)

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1. Place the nuts in your food processor and pulse a few times to chop the nuts into tiny pieces. Add in the dates and dried cherries and process until the mixture comes together and all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
2. Transfer the mixture to a greased or parchment lined loaf pan and press down evenly. Let the mixture set in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once set, cut into 8 bites, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.