Ah, here it is, Summer! Outdoors season for Hubby and me has arrived! Whether it’s Hubby taking his bike up and down the surrounding mountains, me rolling out my Yoga mat beneath my favorite tree in the park or the both of us hiking the trails, having a healthy dose of backup energy stashed away in easy reach is always a good idea. Since I don’t do storebought energy/granola bars on principle, I have made a habit, as you guys might have noticed, of coming up with new energy ball combinations – while also whipping up our favorites, of course – on a very regular basis. That’s why there’s an fruity energy bite to be found in every single one of my chocolate boxes~!

This particular one is a bit of a special, almost celebratory one. First and foremost, Hubby’s a big fan of anything coconutty and/or pineappley, so originally this one was meant to be a ♥ Hubby Special ♥. Until, that is, I made my first batch of their prototype, had a minuscule test-bite and noticed that the major one of my Terrible Three allergies didn’t immediately kick in. See, normally, a tiny bit of kiwi or not-absolutely-perfectly-ripe pineapple make me feel like a two-legged, sore piece of kiwi skin – both inside and out. The enzyme responsible for this unpleasantness luckily takes its leave once the pineapple in question has either reached a perfectly-ripe stage or a temperature beyond 65°C at some point – which is why I get to indulge in pineapples after all every once in a while. However, I didn’t expect the desiccated pineapple pieces to have left the enzyme behind, so you can probably imagine my delight at not developing a case of the prickles after that first bite~! So here’s to my beloved Hubby, his personal favs in the fruit-and-snack department that led me to discovering more ways to cheat my allergy and, last but not least, to Summer shining on the great outdoors, giving me more reasons to rock and roll… up some energy balls~!

The Pineapple – Coconut “Virgin Colada” Energy Bites
125g Dried Pineapples – make sure they’re still on the soft/juicy side of the “dried fruit” business, the chips-style ones will not work, no matter how much you try to rehydrate them… Also, although this might be a it of a challenge, try to get your hands on the ones without any/much added sugar since they do tend to push the boundaries between “dried” and “candied”. Unless you like it really sweet, that is~
5 Tbsp Desiccated Coconut Flakes or Freshly Grated Coconut, lightly toasted
50g Dried Cranberries
50g Macadamia Nuts
Alt: 50g Paranuts
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Unwaxed Lime, Zest
1 Tsp Lime Juice
Opt: To deepen the obvious Piña Colada flair of these, you could add 4-5 drops of Rum Extract/Flavor~ Oooor maybe allow the cranberries to soak in the real (golden) deal over night – you’re going to have to adjust the coconut ratio as you go in that case though since you’ll be adding a lot more moisture with the boozy… re”hydrated” berries.
1 Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
About 1 Handful of Coconut Flakes – toasted, raw or both, these ones are for an outer coat, so go with whatever you think looks more yum~!
Fleur de Sel Flakes

Alright, these are energy bites… so as usual, they start the “energy” bit by not making you spend a lot of it during their prep~!

1) Grab a large plate, cutting board or baking tray and line it with a sheet of baking parchment.
2) Sprinkle the entire surface of the parchment with Fleur de Sel.
3) Pop all of the ingredients, sans the coconut flakes for the coating, into your food processor and give them a good whizz until the “dough” starts balling up inside the container.
4) If it’s sticking all over the walls of the container in a gooey yet somehow crumbly layer, add more coconut and macadamias. If it doesn’t come together at all, add a bit more lime juice, (rum) or a few drops of water and give it another go.
5) Once the mixture allows you to firmly roll it up into tight little bites, go ahead and roll the whole batch into evenly sized balls.
6) Roll the finished bites in the coconut flakes you’ve kept for the purpose until they’re coated all around.
7) Set them onto the salted tray and pop the tray into the fridge for 3 hours once all of the bites are taken care of.
8) Once they’re chilled through and had enough time to dry and set, transfer them into an airtight container.

Enjoy~!

♥