I was rolling up some matcha energy balls in my mom’s kitchen before having dinner with my parents and grandparents the other night. I had to beg my mom to be my taste tester. She even said, “why would anyone want those?” I’m not really sure why she was so nervous. After taking a bite she got out a container and asked me to put a few in there for her. I chuckled to myself because I knew they’d be a winner. She then proceeded to say, “Nanny would probably like some of those too.”

My grandparents opened the front door just as I was finishing up. My grandpa and dad walked into the other room and caught up while my mom, grandma and I were in the kitchen. I made a tiny one for my grandma to try after my mom’s prompt. She was also a skeptic. “I’m about to have wine and these with wine just wouldn’t go,” she said. She took a bite and said, “actually, these are pretty good.” Although, she still wasn’t entirely convinced on having it with her wine.

At last, my grandpa and dad walked in. I’d say their pallets aren’t necessarily the most curious, unlike mine. My grandpa, “The Superior Skeptic,” always questions my concoctions. He just wonders if they’d actually be good with all these random ingredients. He even told me to bring my blue smoothie to Christmas dinner for everyone to try.

My grandpa asked what was in the matcha energy balls. I told him, cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut, sunflower seeds, almonds, chia seeds, adaptogens, and matcha. He and my dad asked what adaptogens were but still took a bite. I told them they’re herbs, mushrooms and plants that help your body adapt to stress. I think my grandpa liked them the most out of anyone that had a sample.

“Those would go great with my beer,” he replied.

I laughed because I thought he was kidding after hearing my grandmother’s comment about the energy balls and the wine. So I asked, “are you serious?”

“Yes. Nuts and beer go good together. I’d imagine these energy balls would be perfect with beer,” he replied. He even asked for a second one later in the night because “the first one was a tiny sample size.” They are pretty energizing due to the matcha and the cacao nibs so I’d recommend eating them in the mid-morning or as a mid-afternoon snack.

Serves: about 18 balls

Hands-on time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free, soy free

Ingredients

1 cup coconut flakes

½ cup Coconut oil, melted

¼ cup coconut butter

¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup raw cashews

⅓ cup raw almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp adaptogens *Optional* (I used Spirit Dust from Moon Juice)

3 medjool dates, pitted

1 Tbsp matcha

1 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp. cacao nibs (I get mine from Imlak’esh Organics. Use RIDGE10 for 10% off).

Directions

1. Soak dates in warm water if they are hard.
2. Blend all ingredients except cacao nibs in a food processor. Pulse in cacao nibs.
3. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes then roll into bite sized balls.
4. Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container. They will last for months in the freezer.
5. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite ways to eat matcha?