I made you brown balls today.
Yea… I feel bad.
Yea… you totally deserve better.
The summer is alive with color and gorgeous produce and I bring you brown balls? I’ve got some nerve.
In other news:
I’m looking for a place to live by the beach… turns out that it’s exhausting.
I’m currently eating popcorn for at least two meals a day.
I’m house sitting a dog that begs and farts.
Lastly, I spent a majority of this evening using two Sharpie markers, 18 pieces of white paper and a camera. It’s an art project to ask a boy out… because texting just seems too hard and awkward. Riiiight. Dang, I’m weird.
This is what happens when you stare at your barely stocked kitchen cupboards long enough…
Little brown balls of oats, cereal and dehydrated bananas glued together with maple syrup and peanut butter seems like a good idea after a solid 18 minutes of blank cupboard staring.
Uh….
Here’s what you should know about these little gems.
They’re hearty, made with raw oats and peanut butter (among other things)… if you want to use almond butter or sunflower butter you totally should.
I used maple syrup to bind the balls. Honey is also great!
Dehydrated banana slices (that I found at Trader Joe’s) are a little bit softer and tastier than banana chips. You can use either. You could also substitute dried cherries, cranberries or apricots.
Now… use an ice cream scoop with one of those revolving levers to portion these balls out. If you have trouble getting them to stick together, just help them along with clean, wet hands. They’ll harden and keep their shape in the fridge.
That’s it for the pro tips.
Now… brown balls.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Banana Granola Bites
adapted from Martha Stewart and my kitchen cupboards
makes 24 balls
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup cold cereal like Rice Krispies (I used wheat and flax flakes)
1 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup dehydrated banana slices, or dried cherries or cranberries or apricots
In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the maple syrup or honey, peanut butter and butter. Heat until the butter is melted and the peanut butter is loosened.
Combine cereal, oats and dehydrated banana slices in a medium bowl. Pour the warm peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and fold tom combine. Stir until all of the dry ingredients are moistened by the peanut butter mixture.
Using a small scoop, scoop mixture onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Press balls together with clean and damp fingers if they break apart a bit. Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes to harden and set. Place balls in cupcake liners and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
TJ
Hmmm, I wonder if I could roll them in something like chocolate sprinkles to keep them from sticking together? Help me out here, fans, what could I roll them in that will stick and taste good and not be too dry (like more oats). I guess there’s always melted chocolate, like truffles . . .
TJ
Kimberly
What about cocoa powder?
Missie
They look tasty! I hope the art project goes well with the boy!
Kelly
You make even brown balls sound fantastic. I wonder if trader joe’s flattened bananas would be good in these as well.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking
Joy, you are so cute! These granola bites are awesome, and that’s such a fantastic idea for asking out your crush… Wishing you all the luck in the world, though I don’t think you’ll need it. And hey, if the project doesn’t work out, just bake him something! I bet the boy would go ga-ga for this granola.
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef
these sound great. i would probably eat them all right away! yum!
Rocky Mountain Woman
Hey, it’s full on summer here and I try to avoid turning on my oven at all costs. These are perfect for summer!
Rachel
“I used maple syrup to bind the balls” might be the best sentence I’ve read in a long time.
Sarah
This is a FUN post! But wait- aren’t they all?
Deborah
ummmm, didn’t you just move into downtown? I don’t blame you, the beach rocks. Are you a Malibu girl or more Playa del Rey? That boy better appreciate artwork!
Heather (Heather's Dish)
this is awesome because it made me laugh out loud…that rarely happens from a blog :)
megan
good luck with the boy :) and the brown balls look great. Kind of wish I’d known about them last night, I would have made them to take camping with us this weekend
Julie @ Willow Bird Baking
You’re the cutest, you’re fun, and you bake! That boy’s a goner :)
These look yummy!
steph (whisk/spoon)
nice balls! good luck with the apartment search, and we all know the boy is prob secretly dying to go out with you anyway! :)
DessertForTwo
Brown balls are great! No need to apologize! I love that these are healthy and no-bake :)
The Boob Nazi
Good luck with the boy!