Healthy Monster Cookie Energy Bites packed with gluten free oats, shredded coconut, honey, pumpkin seeds, and all natural creamy peanut butter. These energy balls are perfect for a quick snack or an after dinner treat. They are gluten free, vegan, and so easy to make!
I first created this Monster Cookie Energy Bite recipe in 2020 and years later, it’s still an All the Healthy Things reader (and husband) favorite! If you love monster cookies then you’re going to love these healthy energy balls. They give you all of the peanut buttery chocolate goodness that you love about monster cookies, but in a bite size cookie dough ball that you can feel really great about eating.
These healthy energy bites are packed with good for you ingredients like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and shredded coconut. They’re also naturally sweetened with a touch of pure maple syrup or honey (you choose!) instead of refined sugar.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and can easily be made vegan if you choose to use maple syrup instead of honey. You can make a batch to take on your next road trip or picnic or just keep a few in the fridge when you need a quick snack. Keep reading to learn how to make these healthy little bites.
Peanut Butter: Traditional monster chip cookies are made with peanut butter and the base of these bites is creamy peanut butter as well. When buying a peanut butter to use in this recipe, look for one that is made without any added sweeteners or preservatives. The only ingredient on the label should be peanuts.
Gluten Free Rolled Oats: These help to bind everything together for the perfect cookie dough like texture. Be sure to use gluten free old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe and not quick oats.
Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are packed with healthy fats and add a little extra texture and crunch to these bites.
Pumpkin Seeds: Raw pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, add even more great texture and crunch.
Shredded Coconut: Look for a finely shredded coconut that is unsweetened.
Honey or Maple Syrup: A touch of honey, or maple syrup if you need to make these vegan, adds just the right amount of sweetness.
Vanilla Extract: They give the bites just the right touch of vanilla flavor.
Dark Chocolate Chips: You can’t have monster chip cookies without chocolate chips! Dark chocolate chips give these bites the perfect balance of sweet and bitter, but, if you do not like dark chocolate, you can use milk chocolate chips instead.
Chocolate Candies: The hallmark of any monster chip cookies are the chocolate candies! I love using these naturally colored chocolate candies that use a bit less sugar than traditional candies.
Sea Salt: A little bit of flaky sea salt is what sets this recipe apart form the crowd. It gives the balls the perfect delicious finish.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
If you are particularly concerned about your bites being gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten free rolled oats.
Feel free to add more of your favorite mix-ins to make this recipe your own! Things like dried fruit, sliced almonds, or ground flax seed would all be great options!
Want to up the protein content? You can add in a scoop of your favorite protein powder (vanilla, chocolate, or plain would work best) or collagen protein powder.
You can also feel free to leave out an ingredient if you have an allergy or do not love it. For example, if you are allergic to coconut, you can always leave it out and add a little more oats, pumpkin seeds, or 1/4 a cup of your personal favorite mix-in to stand in it’s place.
Switch up the chocolate!Don’t like dark chocolate? Use milk chocolate instead. Don’t have mini chocolate chips? Use chunks! If you need to keep this recipe dairy-free, be sure to grab a variety of chocolate that is completely dairy free.
Swap the peanut butter!If you have a peanut allergy, or just do not love the flavor of peanut butter, feel free to use another nut butter. Cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter would all work really well in this recipe. Whichever nut or seed butter you choose to go with, just make sure that it does not have any added sugars or preservatives.
Step One: Add the peanut butter, honey, oats, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, chia seeds, sea salt, dark chocolate chips, and chocolate candies to a large mixing bowl.
Step Two: Use a wooden spoon or non-stick spatula to stir the ingredients together until well combined and a sticky “dough” has formed.
Step Three: Place the mixing bowl in the fridge and let the dough chill for 15-20 minutes.
Step Four: Lastly, use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the energy bite dough. Use your hands to roll each scoop of dough into a ball and then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the bites and enjoy!
Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks
Be sure to use a smooth, creamy, and drippy peanut butter for the best results. That way the energy ball mixture will have a dough-like consistency and be easy to roll.
Don’t skip letting the dough chill a bit before scooping and rolling. I find this makes it much easier to form the “dough” into balls.
If the dough seems a bit too dry, try adding a tablespoon of extra peanut butter!
How Store and Freeze Energy Bites
Because these energy bites are made with only real food ingredients and don’t have any preservatives, you’ll need to store them in the refrigerator or freezer to ensure that they stay fresh.
Fridge: Store the bites in the fridge for up to a week to keep them fresh.
Freezer: My preferred method of storing these bites is in the freezer. They freeze incredibly well in a freezer safe storage container or bag and taste incredible straight out the freezer.
To freeze the bites, place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and then place the sheet pan in the freezer. Once each individual bite is frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer safe storage bag or container. When you are ready to eat, grab a bite and let it thaw for just a few minutes before digging in.
I hope you give these Monster Cookie Energy Bites a try! They are so easy to make and delicious!
If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
Add the peanut butter, honey, oats, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, sea salt, chia seeds, dark chocolate chips, and chocolate candies to a large mixing bowl.
Stir the ingredients together until well combined and a sticky “dough” has formed.
Place the dough into the fridge to chill for 15-20 minutes.
Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop the energy bite dough. Use your hands to roll each scoop of dough into a ball and then place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the bites and enjoy!
Keywords: monster chip cookies, monster chip energy bites, monster cookies, monster cookie energy bites, energy bites
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by:Eat Love Eat
I pulled this recipe up for the 1000th time to make them (yet again!) and was shocked that 1. I hadn’t already left a review, and 2. that I haven’t yet memorized this recipe after making it so many times! These little balls of deliciousness are an absolute staple in our house and these energy bites are enjoyed equally by my two littles (1.5 and 4 years old) and my husband and I (and anyone else who has tried them – I’ve shared this recipe link with more people than I can count!). They’re super easy and keep amazingly well in the freezer. I usually double or triple the recipe and keep them in a bag in the freezer to pull out whenever we want them. So. Dang. Good!
It’s hard not to eat every single one of these at once! So yummy and easy to customize. I didn’t have chocolate candies so I used the dark chocolate chips I had, and replaced the mini chocolate chips with dried cranberries. Also added some flax seeds. I used mostly almond butter and the last bit of peanut butter I had left in a jar. Turned out great! Thank you for another great recipe Ashlea!
These are INCREDIBLE! My bff is coming to town and I want some “healthier” snacks around for us and these are just perfect. I did without the coconut but added a bit of flax. AMAZING. Thank you!
Such a great snack!! Love making these and having them on hand for the week – they’re great as a pre-workout snack if you just need a little extra energy. I love how quickly these bites come together, and such a great use of nutritious ingredients that I already had at home.
Just made these for a meal prep snack and they are perfect! I love the flavors – they seriously remind me of a classic monster cookie. Mix was a tiny bit dry after refrigerating so I added a bit more maple syrup and it held together perfectly. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
I made the monster balls and shared with a couple of friends. They were the hit of the night. Great dessert/snack! I don’t bake so this was very easy to make. Thank you!
I made these with my 2 and 5 year old. We made a huge mess and had a great time! The two year old doesn’t talk, but he rates this recipe as mmmmm!!!
So nice to have fun things to make that are also good for us.
We’re on our third batch of these. To say that the 5yo is into them is an understatement, so we’ve had to put in place a daily limit. As a non-fan of PB, we’ve been using almond butter with good results. They are perfect right out of the freezer. Great stuff.
My girls had a blast making these! We left out the coconut, added a bit more peanut butter and a little bit of honey as well. They refrigerated well and were the perfect pb chocolate treat!
These are amaze BALLS! As a snack or dessert, these satiate my sweet tooth and help tide me over between meals! Thanks for another fab recipe, all the easy good foods on your blog are getting me through online grad school! 😀
Super delicious! Tastes like Reese’s cup but way healthier ingredients. Love the unreal chocolates (minus the price!). Will definitely be making it again. Had to add a touch more peanut butter to make it stick together-but it might be because I added cacao nibs and threw off the ratios. So GOOD!
Oh yum! I made these exactly as written and loved the cute colors of the Unreal candies. I had no idea these existed! These were soooo good. I have a feeling this will be on regular rotation at our house.
These were so delicious! They were easy to make and a great combo of salty and sweet. They are the perfect treat to grab when I’m craving a little sweetness but don’t want to feel guilty about it!
Just made these and they’re so delicious! It literally took like ten minutes to throw together. I used leftover Christmas M&Ms and a tiny bit of chocolate chips I found in the pantry and it all came together great. I love that they’re all pantry ingredients, and easy to swap a few things if you need. Great snack!
I had to make these as soon as I saw them on your Instagram!! The flavor is AH-MAZING, but when I tried to roll them into balls they fell apart in my hands (so we’re using it as a granola lol)! Is it possible that I over mixed?? Any tips you have would be so appreciated, otherwise I’ll just keep making as granola! Either way, 5 stars!!
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Love these…and love that my kids love them too!! Easy to make and I think they are best right out of the freezer!
★★★★★
These are some of my favorites too, Rebecca! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Just made this again!! So simple and soo good!
★★★★★
These are so good! I love how peanut butter forward they are. I use hemp seeds instead of chia because I hate getting them stuck in my teeth haha.
★★★★★
so glad you like them, Leanne!
I have been making and eating this recipe for years! My absolute favorite!
★★★★★
I pulled this recipe up for the 1000th time to make them (yet again!) and was shocked that 1. I hadn’t already left a review, and 2. that I haven’t yet memorized this recipe after making it so many times! These little balls of deliciousness are an absolute staple in our house and these energy bites are enjoyed equally by my two littles (1.5 and 4 years old) and my husband and I (and anyone else who has tried them – I’ve shared this recipe link with more people than I can count!). They’re super easy and keep amazingly well in the freezer. I usually double or triple the recipe and keep them in a bag in the freezer to pull out whenever we want them. So. Dang. Good!
★★★★★
These are SO good and easy. Making these to have as a post-dinner treat.
★★★★★
It’s hard not to eat every single one of these at once! So yummy and easy to customize. I didn’t have chocolate candies so I used the dark chocolate chips I had, and replaced the mini chocolate chips with dried cranberries. Also added some flax seeds. I used mostly almond butter and the last bit of peanut butter I had left in a jar. Turned out great! Thank you for another great recipe Ashlea!
★★★★★
These are DELICIOUS and so easy to make. Love them, thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
These are INCREDIBLE! My bff is coming to town and I want some “healthier” snacks around for us and these are just perfect. I did without the coconut but added a bit of flax. AMAZING. Thank you!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you made this recipe work for you, Caitlin! Thank you for sharing!
Such a great snack!! Love making these and having them on hand for the week – they’re great as a pre-workout snack if you just need a little extra energy. I love how quickly these bites come together, and such a great use of nutritious ingredients that I already had at home.
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, Megan! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Just made these for a meal prep snack and they are perfect! I love the flavors – they seriously remind me of a classic monster cookie. Mix was a tiny bit dry after refrigerating so I added a bit more maple syrup and it held together perfectly. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
So, so happy you loved the recipe, Danielle! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and sharing with us!
These were so much fun to make, and my kids were shocked that they liked “mom’s healthy dessert”!
★★★★
Love it! So happy everyone loved them!
I made the monster balls and shared with a couple of friends. They were the hit of the night. Great dessert/snack! I don’t bake so this was very easy to make. Thank you!
★★★★
I made these with my 2 and 5 year old. We made a huge mess and had a great time! The two year old doesn’t talk, but he rates this recipe as mmmmm!!!
So nice to have fun things to make that are also good for us.
★★★★★
Quick and easy to make. A fun activity with my toddler. Love that they keep for a while and are something I can grab easily.
★★★★★
Made these two weeks ago and have kept in the freezer for a little bedtime snack. Love them and they go a long way!!
★★★★★
We’re on our third batch of these. To say that the 5yo is into them is an understatement, so we’ve had to put in place a daily limit. As a non-fan of PB, we’ve been using almond butter with good results. They are perfect right out of the freezer. Great stuff.
★★★★★
Added these to the band practice rotation as well! Perfect for a healthy treat and another good source of protein to keep her energy from crashing!
★★★★★
My girls had a blast making these! We left out the coconut, added a bit more peanut butter and a little bit of honey as well. They refrigerated well and were the perfect pb chocolate treat!
★★★★★
These are peanut buttery heaven! Perfect straight from the freezer on a hot summer day!
★★★★★
So good!
I made these for a day at the beach. They were a perfect little snack for the littles and the adults alike.
Thank you for this sweet and healthy treat!
★★★★★
These are INCREDIBLE! So easy to make!
★★★★★
These are amaze BALLS! As a snack or dessert, these satiate my sweet tooth and help tide me over between meals! Thanks for another fab recipe, all the easy good foods on your blog are getting me through online grad school! 😀
This is a really quick, easy recipe that is super delicious — definitely going to make again.
Super delicious! Tastes like Reese’s cup but way healthier ingredients. Love the unreal chocolates (minus the price!). Will definitely be making it again. Had to add a touch more peanut butter to make it stick together-but it might be because I added cacao nibs and threw off the ratios. So GOOD!
SOOOOO Good! I would choose this over a peanut butter cup! Thank you!
Oh yum! I made these exactly as written and loved the cute colors of the Unreal candies. I had no idea these existed! These were soooo good. I have a feeling this will be on regular rotation at our house.
These were so delicious! They were easy to make and a great combo of salty and sweet. They are the perfect treat to grab when I’m craving a little sweetness but don’t want to feel guilty about it!
These are fantastic! My kids loved them. I used mini m&m’s because thats all I had, they worked perfectly. Thanks for the recipe.
Just made these and they’re so delicious! It literally took like ten minutes to throw together. I used leftover Christmas M&Ms and a tiny bit of chocolate chips I found in the pantry and it all came together great. I love that they’re all pantry ingredients, and easy to swap a few things if you need. Great snack!
I had to make these as soon as I saw them on your Instagram!! The flavor is AH-MAZING, but when I tried to roll them into balls they fell apart in my hands (so we’re using it as a granola lol)! Is it possible that I over mixed?? Any tips you have would be so appreciated, otherwise I’ll just keep making as granola! Either way, 5 stars!!
Just made these after I saw your Insta pics. They were so quick to make & taste amazing! Thanks.