Carrot Cake Energy Bites
These no-cook energy bites keep well in the fridge or freezer and are easy to grab on the go for a healthy snack.
Pumpkin-Oatmeal Muffins
These healthy pumpkin-oatmeal muffins will get you in the mood for fall. Sprinkling the muffins with pecans adds a nutty crunch to every bite. Serve them for breakfast or as a grab-and-go snack.
Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars
There are plenty of granola bar options at the grocery store, but they're also easy (and often healthier) to make at home. Feel free to vary the add-ins to your taste, swapping 2 cups of any combination of small (or chopped) dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips for the dried cranberries and nuts in this version. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
Blueberry-Pecan Energy Balls
Dried blueberries and pecans team up with cacao nibs for a chocolaty treat any time of day. The cacao is a bit more bitter than chocolate, but the maple syrup helps tame it. Almond butter and chia seeds provide protein to make these bites substantial snacks to fuel your body.
Spiced Pecans
Making this delicious and healthy snack is very simple but also a rare instance where the recipe is meant to take longer in order to make it easier. Most nuts can burn faster than you can say "What's that smell?"--so these spiced pecans are baked low and slow to avoid any nasty surprises.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
These easy-to-make homemade granola bars are inspired by the flavors of a classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookie. But feel free to vary the mix-ins to your preference. We tested several sticky sweeteners, including maple syrup and honey, but found brown rice syrup held the bars together the best.
Double Nut & Date Tassies
The two-bite pecan tarts satisfy the sweet tooth with far less guilt than pecan pie.
Salted Coconut-Caramel Energy Balls
A blend of dates, sunflower seed butter, salt and vanilla make these bites surprisingly reminiscent of salted caramel--both in taste and texture. Unlike our ultra-easy mix-and-match basic energy ball recipe, you'll need a blender to make a paste for the base of these balls, but the extra effort is oh-so-worth it for the sweet and satisfying result.
Chocolate-Dipped Pecans
These chocolate-dipped pecans get an elegant finish from a sprinkling of turbinado sugar. You can use this technique with other nuts to make chocolate-covered nuts too.
Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball
Blanketed in chopped nuts and zesty chives, this cheese ball is festive enough for even the most discerning party guests. Serve with sturdy crackers or toasted baguette slices for easy spreading.
Nana's Creole Pecan Cake Bars
These decadent pecan date bars are a bite-size alternative to holiday pecan pie.
Mississippi Spiced Pecans
Make plenty of these mildly sweet and salty nuts--they are great to have on hand over the holidays.
