1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats) 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional) 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional) 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Tip:

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients! Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)