Cashew butter bites with toasted coconut + cardamom

I’m  a lazy breakfast maker, which means I often rely on leftovers from the night before, a piece of fruit, or an errant cookie to satisfy my hunger in the morning. But what I really want an hour or two after I wake up is something small, with protein and big flavor. Enter these little babies, triple-threat cashew butter bites with toasted coconut + cardamom.

These breakfast-y bites are mostly healthy, made with cashew butter, coconut, and GF oats, and just a little naughty, with the addition of maple syrup. They’re sweet (but not too sweet), rich (but not too rich), and come together in just a few minutes, as they don’t need to be baked. They are gluten-free and vegan, so they pretty much satisfy most dietary restrictions.

Unsure about the cardamom? In dreaming these up, I was inspired by some candy I ate (and am still dreaming of) in a little roadside shop in India in 2010. Gooey with coconut and cardamom, I knew right then and there that this spice is both underrated and under-used in American cuisine (see my recipe for Coffee with almond-coconut cream & cardamom for more on this spectacularly versatile spice).

I’ve adapted this recipe from the Beaming Baker‘s “4 Ingredient No Bake Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites”, so as you might imagine, this recipe is endlessly tweak-able. Try subbing in a variety of nut butters, adding chopped nuts or dried fruit, rolling in toasted nuts or seeds, or using honey in place of the maple syrup. Variations are endless, possibilities limitless.

Cashew butter bites with toasted coconut + cardamom

Makes 24 bites

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashew butter
• 1 1/4 cup GF oats
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch cardamom

How to:

1. First, toast 1 cup coconut. Lay flat on a piece of parchment paper, and toast for 8-10 minutes in a 300 F oven, until just golden and toasty. Watch carefully- coconut burns quickly. Set aside to cool.
2. For the bites: stir together cashew butter and maple syrup in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, remove and stir. Microwave for another 20 seconds, remove and stir again.
3. Whisk wet mixture together with 1 1/4 cup GF oats, remaining 1 cup coconut, salt, and pinch cardamom. Scoop out of the bowl with a spoon, and using your hands, quickly roll into balls and place on parchment paper. Place in refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
4. Remove from the refrigerator and roll balls in toasted coconut. Enjoy a bite now, then pop the rest back in the fridge.