If you love Cowboy Cookies, you will love this no-bake version with no flour and no eggs, and additional healthy ingredients, like natural peanut butter, to turn them into energy balls. A great snack on the go or for your outdoor trip!
Have you taken time to enjoy the outdoors this summer? It is so hot here in Mississippi, that we typically find indoor activities during the summer months, but the time is approaching where we will get back outside and breathe in the fresh air! This also means time to explore!
We're making plans to visit Vicksburg National Military Park soon and learn more of Mississippi's Civil War history. While there, we want to also discover how we can help preserve our national parks, whether that means we take a bag with us and pick up trash, sign up to contribute financially, or find ways to take action with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
Do you have other ideas on how we can help preserve our local parks, nature center, or community?
I developed this Cowboy Cookie Energy Balls recipe in celebration of Smucker's® Natural Peanut Butter teaming with the NPCA to "Make a Natural Difference" in protecting and enhancing America's national parks. Through this partnership, Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter is encouraging you to Make a Natural Difference and giving you the chance to win a Sony Digital SLR camera and 18-135mm lens, along with a carrying case, Shutterfly gift cards and jars of natural peanut butter. Click here for more information on how to enter this giveaway.
In the meantime, you can also enter another giveaway Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter is sponsoring just for my readers! More on that at the end of this post...
First, let's talk about these energy balls that are a great snack for you to take to the park! Not too long ago, I shared with you a Chocolate Cranberry Almond Energy Balls recipe. These are similar, but take on the flavor of your favorite Cowboy Cookies. I had been in the middle of testing out different Cowboy Cookie recipes, and then thought "I can easily make energy balls with the same flavors but healthier ingredients and less time!" So, these were born!
As much as we love the Chocolate Cranberry Almond Energy Balls, we love these Cowboy Cookie ones even more! It must be from the pecans. And, although I'm not the biggest coconut fan, the addition of the flakes was welcoming for me and not overpowering. These truly are a great snack to take with you (keep them cool, though!) or just to grab from your fridge when you need a healthy sweet bite!
And... can we ever argue a recipe that takes only 10 minutes to put together?
This post is brought to you by The J.M. Smucker Company. All opinions are mine.
Giveaway (Enter using giveaway widget below):
Recipe Card
No-Bake Cowboy Cookie Energy Balls
Ingredients
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup flaked coconut
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until creamy. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, raisins, flax seed, and chia seeds.
- Use a small cookie scoop to spoon bite-sized mounds onto a lined baking sheet, then form each mound into a ball by rolling between your hands. Place baking sheet in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Carolsue says
Probably the most important one right now is conserving water since I live in California and we have a severe shortage of water
Stephanie says
I carpool to work with colleagues, use recycled bags for grocery shopping, and buy earth-friendly products for cleaning the home.
Nicole says
We use reusable lunch bags
Maggie Terlecki says
In an effort to help keep bees which are so important to the world, we now only cut the grass in the front yard and have allowed the backyard to become a wildlife meadow where bees are happy and healthy. We also see a lot more butterflies and birds because of it. 🙂
Michelle L. says
We make a natural difference by creating less trash. We use reusable products whenever possible.
Melissa Hartley says
I make a natural difference by picking up any trash I see in ditches or neighborhoods..I also recycle plastic & paper items, thanks.
Alona Y says
We make a point of recycling everything that we can so less ends up in landfills! Also, freeboxing is really common in our area which is a great way to reuse items or get more life out of them!
Lennette Daniels says
To make a natural difference in our community, my daughter and I have committed to our "Strive for 75" recycling program where the goal is that 75% of your waste is recycling and the other 25% is true garbage. So far, we are going strong.
Kristen says
My husband is actually an environmental chemist, so he makes solar cells everyday! We recycle and are saving up for an electric car.
Jessica Beard says
We recycle every chance we get! I love to see the excitement in my son's eyes when he puts something in the recycle bin.
Kimberly says
We don't have a recycling program in the town where I live, so I drive to another town over half an hour away. {magazines, newspapers, plastic, glass, tin cans, cardboard}
Sarah Lenhart says
Using reusable bags for all shopping and re-filling metal water bottles!
Jenna Osborne says
Helping with community vegetable gardens at our school!
Jennifer Y says
We try to reuse just about everything that enters our home. We have given up paper towels and use old towels instead to clean.We also use more vinegar for cleaner vs chemicals.
Tara says
My love of clean eating is new, but a wonderful all natural hit. I donate to a locate pregnancy crisis charity store & shop there also. Use my tap water (I'm a lucky one, it's wonderful) & use my cloth grocery bags.
Can't wait to try the recipe.
Diana says
We recycle and have a compost pile
Andrea says
You can recycle and it isn't that hard at all! We do this at our house and it's very good for the environment.
Daraya says
We volunteer at our local park's nursery (to replant plants/trees), recycle (plastic, paper, cardboard, cans, glass, plastic bags, and styrofoam), go to our local park and pick up trash on Earth Day, carpool, and collect rainwater in buckets for the garden! 🙂
christine j says
I recycle. we love the outdoors!
Evelyn Chuter says
We recycle plastic, aluminun, and paper in my house. I always keep the offs until I need them, and when I walk my dog every evening I pick up trash around the neighborhood.
Hideki Yamada says
We pay attention so that on the collection day we always have more recycling material than garbage to put out.
Rebecca B says
I want to make a difference in my community by cleaning up local rivers.
Ann Marie Mones says
Recycle, compost, grow my own organic veggies to share
Michelle S says
We recycle all the time and find other ways to help the environment. We also talk with family and friends and mention to them how they can save the environment as well.
gianna borden says
I make a difference by recycling and teach my kids to recycle too!
Stacey Roberson says
We recycle all of our plastic, glass, cardboard and aluminum goods.
Sarah L says
We recycle and compost and are trying to eat more local foods.
Danielle H says
We live in Arizona and we have low water, desert plants in our yard that don't need much water.
Rebecca Parsons says
I think by making healthier options for youth group would be a great idea.
melissa herrmann says
we recycle and we have a garden!
rachel says
We compost and recycle!
laura ari says
I can make a difference in my community by recycling faithfully what can be and reusing some of the stuff that I can't recycle.
tiffany says
I try my best to recycle and also compost for the garden.
Bianca @ Sweet Dreaming says
conserve water!
Susan Tuma says
Recylcing!
Angie Jerde says
We do recycle and have been trying to cut down on our water usage!
Alaina says
I am trying to reduce my electricity usage by only turning on the lights when I really need them. This is also helping with my sleeping habits!
vivian s says
We use cloth diapers and recycle plastic water bottles.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
We love energy balls in this house!!! Good reminder to make another batch soon.
barbara n says
My family uses fabric napkins and reusable lunch bags and wraps!
Sandy Headtke says
We pick up trash on our walks.
Sharon O. says
I make a natural difference by mowing and trimming the local community park.
latanya says
We recycle
Sara Bargas says
When taking showers, we wet our bodies first, turn off the water, soap down, hair and all, turn water back on, then rinse. We save tons of water.
I recycle my garbage, by putting it in a wheelbarrow along with good old earth and earth worms. Once the garbage has broken down (about 1-2 months), we use it in the garden to grow food or for the flower beds.
Lise says
Recycle and donate unwanted, good, clean items to Goodwill.
Use your own refillable water bottle.
Katie says
At our house we recycle everything.
Melissa says
I try to make a difference by using my reusable bags whenever I go shopping.
sara says
We started composting.
Bryn says
I teach my girls to leave minimal footprints and we always use both sides of our paper when we draw 🙂
Shaina says
I very rarely turn lights on, I like to use the natural sunlight from open windows!
Dandi D says
We use natural products as much as possible and try to recycle.
Sherri says
We always try to leave nothing but footprints and pick up any trash we see.