Birthday Cake Protein Balls

By Jamie Vespa

Birthday Cake Protein Balls take minutes to make, are filled with good-for-you ingredients, and make for quick, portable snacks. Both kids and adults will love these energy balls, which taste just like a cake pop!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw whole cashews
• 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup creamy cashew butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup ((sub honey))
• 1/4 cup unflavored collagen powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. sprinkles, plus extra for pressing into rolled balls

Instructions

1. 1

   Combine oats, cashews, and hemp seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until they break down to the consistency of a coarse sand.Add cashew butter, maple syrup, collagen powder, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Blend until ingredients come together and form a dough-like ball. Do NOT over-mix or you run the risk of too many oils releasing from the nuts and the mixture becoming greasy.

2. 2

   Turn out into a bowl and add 2 Tbsp. sprinkles; mix with your hands until combined. (Note: you can also do this right in the food processor bowl with the blade removed.)Use a small cookie scoop (or spoon) to scoop the mixture into 18 balls. If using a spoon, roll them into balls. If using a cookie scoop, I just like to keep them in the mold of the scoop. If desired, roll balls in extra sprinkles. Refrigerate for up to 10 days.