I’m back with more balls! These little beauties are made with oats, raw cashews, maple syrup, dates, vanilla, and salt. They taste like cookie dough (!!!) and yet they are a vegan, gluten-free, nutritious snack bite. I almost titled these “power balls” but I think that might have been too much. But oh, they are power balls, for sure.
You already know my feelings on snack balls. I want them every day, every way. I used to make these balls all the time, then Trader Joe’s stopped carrying cashew meal, and I accepted defeat. Yes, I know I can make cashew meal at home, but those cashew balls were so perfectly cookie dough-y that I couldn’t bring myself to make them without the cashew meal. Sometimes I make bad decisions like this. Don’t be like me. 
While I love the peanut butter balls and fudge brownie balls cold, both of them are still great at room temperature. These balls, though, really need to be cold to reach that blissful cookie dough texture. To achieve this cookie dough ball magic, all you have to do is mix 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender, roll them into balls, and pop them in the fridge to chill and firm up. Easy as balls pie. Only easier, because pie is a little complicated.
These balls are bursting with nutrients from the combination of oats, cashews, dates, and maple syrup. I’m talking protein, fiber, iron, zinc, magnesium, healthy fats, and a crazy long list of other vitamins and minerals. They also manage to achieve all the essential cookie dough flavors and textures at once: floury, buttery, brown-sugar sweet, ever so slightly salty, and a little crumbly and tender. From cashews. Hallelujah!
If you’re like me, there’s always room for a new snack in your life, especially if that snack comes in a cute little ball. These ones could even become a sneaky-healthy dessert if you stir in some finely chopped chocolate! I bet your kids would love snacking on cookie dough balls; but really, who wouldn’t? With just 7 ingredients and minimal work (thanks blender!), there’s really nothing standing between you and these balls. If you make them, leave a comment below to let me know how they turn out, or tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can see all your doughy balls. Um. Yeah. You know what I mean. ?
Cashew Cookie Dough Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashew pieces
- 3/4 cup oats
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 soft pitted medjool dates roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Put oats and cashews into a food processor or high-speed blender, and blend until they are a coarse, flour-like texture. Some small bits of oats left is okay.
- 2. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, and blend to combine, scraping down the sides as needed. Batter will still be a bit dry and crumbly.
- 3. Finally, add in dates and pulse several times, just to break down and incorporate the dates a bit. You should still see small pieces of dates in the dough.
- 4. Dump/scrape batter into a bowl, and stir to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. If dough is very dry, mix in extra maple syrup, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough sticks together. I rarely ever need to do this. Scoop dough into balls using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, then roll between your palms to make a more rounded ball.
- 5. Store balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Balls are best eaten when cold, as their texture is most like cookie dough when chilled.