These Pumpkin Balls Power Toddlers All Afternoon
Think of these as a low-key energy bar equivalent for toddlers, delivering all the protein and fiber needed to power your kiddo until lunch or dinnertime, with enough, you know, chocolate, to delight the little one. The best part: these come together in minutes, requiring no baking and drawing on pantry staples you may already have without the need for an additional trip to the grocery. The recipe below makes enough to last a week (or more); you can keep the treats in your backpack to stave off hunger when out and about, or freeze for use when the need for a treat is strong but the inclination to make one is not.
- 1 cup Oat flour (see Instructions for how to make your own oat flour from rolled oats)
- 1 TBSP Pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin puree
- 2 spoonfuls Peanut butter (creamy, unsalted, unsweetened)
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips (optional; mini ones recommended)
If you don’t have oat flour on hand, use a food processor or blender to grind 1.25 cups of oats down into flour.
Place oat flour in a bowl and add two shakes of salt and a handful of rolled oats to the mix, then add enough pumpkin spice or cinnamon that it covers the contents of the bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, two big spoonfuls of peanut butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a generous splash of vanilla extract.
Pour oat flour mixture into bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well until it becomes a firm, almost cookie-like dough. Add mini chocolate chips, if using, and fold into the batter.
Using your hands or a ball-shaper (i.e., a cookie or ice cream scoop, melon ball), grab a small chunk of the dough and form into a round shape; repeat until all dough is used up (~10-12 balls, depending on the size).
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Prior to about age two, present to your child in chunks or bites; by about two and after, your child should be able to grip, bite, and enjoy a whole ball at his/her leisure.
Refrigerated, these will stay good for a week; they freeze well, too.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
