Pumpkin Energy Bites

 

Hello Friends!

Today I am going to give you a little taste of Fall with these wonderful tasting Pumpkin Energy Bites.

I hope that you had a wonderful summer!  As I get older, the span of time between Memorial Day and Labor Day becomes shorter.  Do you feel that way, too?  As a child, summer days were long.   They were filled with a lot of nothing but always memorable.  Our family seemed to have one of those plastic “kiddie” pools every summer.  You know the ones–they hold about three small kids and usually have a cartoon picture of a turtle or frog on them.  Yes, that was my pool, my summer oasis, my relief from the heat.   Aunt Pat (Patti Pooh is what we call her) had a real swimming pool where our family would go to swim–but most days were spent at home trying to stay cool in the very hot and humid Georgia summers.

I grew up in the days where the best tan (or burn) was achieved by rubbing yourself down with sticks of butter and we sprayed our hair with Sun-In, a spray-in hair product that brought out your hair’s natural highlights OR turned it orange.  Sunscreen was rarely used but Noxema was a regular staple for cooling off sunburned skin.  Those were the days…

Fast forward 30+ years and here we are.  Hanging out by a pool and doing nothing is only a memory.  My days are full with work and family…and staying cool is best achieved by my home’s air conditioning.  This summer, I found myself working much more than in the past.  I am a Realtor and the market in the area I live has been very active.  The beauty of summer was most admired from the window of my car.  I really had so many good ideas and plans for the summer.  I know, it’s August and it really is still summer, but as school begins our minds start to wander to the next season.  (Just ask the guys over at Hobby Lobby…turkeys were out before the last July 4th fireworks were lit.)

This week, I got THAT feeling.  You know the one…the feeling where you can sense crisp Fall air is right around the corner.  You want to buy pumpkins, watch a football game and eat chili.  I went down to my basement and pulled up a few Fall items just to ease my cravings.  I also asked Mary to help me come up with a few recipes that could be enjoyed in August but taste like October.  I am working on an apple punch that I hope to share soon.  For now, here’s a great tasting snack that is full of healthy, energy producing ingredients that gives you all the flavors of Fall.

I began by dumping all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Peanut butter, canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling), honey, oatmeal and pumpkin pie spice.  I tested another batch with semi-sweet chocolate chips and my personal taste-tester liked it–so the recipe has mini-chocolate chips as optional.

Mix ingredients until combined.  Measure approximately one tablespoon of mixture, roll into a ball and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.  Continue with remaining mix.  This recipe should make 40-50 balls.  Place baking sheet in the refrigerator for about an hour until firm.

This is where things get tricky. These bites are very tasty and you’ll be tempted to sneak a few here and there while they’re in the fridge.  I did. Be careful or you’ll pull the pan out and find that others in your family have also been eating them and 1/3 of your bites are gone!

Don’t do as I did…show some self-control people!

Once the bites have had some time to firm up, place them in a bowl with powdered sugar and cinnamon that has been mixed.  Toss the bites so that each one is covered well.

I recommend serving immediately after tossing since some of the moisture in the bites will begin to dissolve the powdered sugar.

Store remaining bites in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

YUM!

I hope you try these and enjoy the great pumpkin flavor to get your “fix” of Fall in August.  If you do, please let me know what you think of them.  If you make any adjustments, let me know that, too!  (Remember, Mary recommended mini chocolate chips!)

Thank you for visiting Mulch & Paint!