Girl Scout cookie season comes too soon after the holidays. You’re still weighed down by those extra holiday pounds when the smiling little girls come knocking at your door. You haven’t even had a chance to give up on that New Year’s Resolution when the order form starts making the rounds at the office. Who can even think about ordering cookies when you just started your January diet?
Um, this girl.
Samoas, also known in some parts of the country as Caramel Delights, are my favorite. Chocolate, caramel, and coconut in one cookie is perfection.
But the sugar is those cookies is far from perfection. It leaves me bloated, de-energized, crashing — and craving more sugar endlessly. Not where I want to be, in January on the heels of the holidays, or any other time.
So I got to work in the kitchen experimenting to come up with a healthier version without all of the refined sugar.
I’ll warn you: These little bites can be dangerous. Just because they’re naturally sweetened, with real ingredients and almost no refined sugar, doesn’t mean you should eat the whole batch in one sitting. But when you try one, you might be tempted.
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No-Guilt Coconut-Toffee Protein Bites
Samoa Cookie-Inspired, Without the Chemicals and Sugar Overload
I love my sweet treats. Chocolate, cookies, any baked good (preferably with frosting) … all the sugary goodness is my weakness. So when Girl Scout cookie season starts, even if I’m 100% committed to the New Year’s diet, you can always count me in for a couple of boxes. Even if they go in my freezer until the diet has fallen by the wayside.
But over the past year, I’ve worked hard to clean up my eating and curb my sugar addiction. Because for me, that’s what it is: an addiction. One cookie turns into four cookies turns into a whole box of cookies, and then the downward spiral continues from there.
The easiest way to get sugar under control is to cut it out entirely. But that’s easier said than done, and the ritual of after-dinner dessert has been ingrained in me since childhood. I just don’t feel like dinner is over unless there’s something sweet to top it off.
Enter nut butters and protein bites.
The combination of oats and nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew – you can’t go wrong with any of ’em) has become my go-to after-dinner treat. Combined with a little bit of natural sweetener and some chocolate chips, the end result is a protein-packed snack that tastes like a cookie but fuels your body so much more effectively. It satisfies, keeps me full, and gives me the extra energy for a post-kiddo-bedtime workout.
In fact, I love these protein bites so much that I keep them in the freezer so they’re a little less accessible. It’s easier to restrict myself to just one or two if they’re frozen.
This version uses cashew butter and pure maple syrup for a buttery caramel taste that is further enhanced by the salty-sweet flavor of the milk chocolate toffee bits sprinkled in for a bit of indulgence.
No-Guilt Coconut-Toffee Protein Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats (dry)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup Heath milk chocolate toffee bits (make sure you get the version WITH chocolate!)
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Melt the cashew butter in the microwave (approximately 30 seconds depending on microwave wattage) so it is soft and easier to combine with the dry ingredients.
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Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Using clean hands is the easiest way to achieve a uniform "dough."
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Roll into balls and chill in the refrigerator about 20 minutes.
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Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Recipe Notes
Makes approximately 24 bites. Serving size: 2 bites
Tips:
- Make sure to buy Heath milk chocolate toffee bits, not just toffee! The bit of chocolate is key.
- I love the consistency of finely flaked coconut like Let's Do Organic brand. But my favorite for these bites, to get a true Samoa texture, is to mix half finely flaked coconut with half regular coconut flakes (1/4 cup of each type).
- If dough isn't sticking together adequately, add water 1 teaspoon at a time to achieve better consistency.
- When rolling balls, use firm pressure to mold together before gently rolling.
- I prefer to use a silicone mold rather than rolling them by hand. It's less messy and easier to press them together. Plus heart-shaped bites are so much cuter! Get the molds on Amazon:
Bakerpan Silicone Chocolate Mold, 1 Inch Heart Shapes, Jello and Ice Tray, Candy Mold, 15 Cavities - If hearts aren't your jam, any silicon mold try will work just as well: BAKER DEPOT 15 Holes Cylinder Silicone Mold For Handmade soap, jelly, Pudding, Cake Baking Tools, Hole Dia: 1.58inch Set of 2
NeverDoneWithFun.com
These keep great in the freezer but I couldn’t tell you for exactly how long — they don’t last longer than a week in my house. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
P.S. Let me know how these turn out by sharing on social media with #NeverDoneWithFun!
