My four year-old has Sensory Processing Disorder and has a very short list of things he will eat. Grilled cheese, tortilla wraps (with lettuce and ranch only), grits, yogurt, fruit smoothies, and oatmeal…. these are his current go-to foods. In an attempt to open the doorway to a few new items last week, I made Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls – and he LOVES them! I have been making variations of these yummy breakfast bites daily ever since!
Why I love them: they are easy to make and less wasteful than bowls full of warm oatmeal that may, or may not, be eaten. If the kids wake less hungry than the day before and don’t eat them all, that’s okay, I can save them for a snack later (…if I don’t eat them first)!
How do I make these?
Pour your dry ingredients into a bowl and toss. Melt your peanut butter in the microwave (or double boiler) to make mixing easier. Add melted peanut butter to the dry mixture and mix well. (Wooden spoons work great so you can really mash the ingredients together.) After the mixture is combined, press into balls. Allow balls to chill in your fridge for ten minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator inside a tightly closed container or zipper bag.
Tips & Tricks:
When I first started making these I was pouring everything into a bowl and stirring it myself. After a few days, I decided pouring everything into my Nutri Ninja Auto IQ Food Processor with dough attachment was much less work.
My son doesn’t like anything “sticky” on his hands, so I do make our peanut butter balls much dryer than the recipe I gave you. I recommend you add, or take away, peanut butter or honey until your mixture is moist to your satisfaction.
Play with additions – I added a banana to one batch, little guy didn’t like it, but the rest of us did. While I haven’t worked on any other mix-ins in our recipe, I hope to try nuts, seeds, golden raisins, raisins, dried cranberries, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or honey in the future for more variety. (Probably not all at once…)
Why Molasses? Visit LiveStrong to learn more about the Health Benefits of Molasses (Teaser Info: Calcium, Magnesium, and Antioxidants!)
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Serves: 20-30 balls
- 3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 2 Cups Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Molasses
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cinnamon or Pie Spice
- ¼ Cup Dried Dates
- Combine dry ingredients in medium sized bowl.
- Melt peanut butter in microwave or double boiler.
- Add melted peanut butter to dry mixture and combine well.
- Press mixture into balls.
- Chill balls for 10 minutes before serving.
- Store in tightly closed container or ziplock bag. (Storage in fridge will prevent balls from falling apart but isn't required).
If using additional mix-ins, increase peanut butter or add honey, agave, or mashed banana.
*Food processor (with dough attachment not blade) speeds mixing process and is less work.
