Tips and Tricks for Making No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls

• Rest time is a must. Don't skip the resting time. This is when the oats will absorb some of the moisture and will help everything stick together.
• Don't over measure your oats or add-in's (don't use heaping cups). It'll throw off the ratios and they won't stick together well.
• If your oatmeal bites aren't sticking together well, add something sticky. Different factors like the kind of oatmeal and mix-in's you add are going to affect the "stickiness" of the energy balls. If they are too dry and won't stick together after the resting time, your best bet is to add a tablespoon or two of something sticky (like the peanut butter and/or honey).
• If they are too sticky add a few more tablespoons of oats.
• If it's sticking to your hands badly, wet your hands lightly with water! The water helps to be able to work the dough into a ball without sticking.
• Add what you love. Don't let my recipes stop you from adding what you think sounds good or what you might have on hand; these are just to get you started. You can also add some "superfoods" to these if you are looking to boost the nutrition (always a good idea, if you ask me). A tablespoon of chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and/or hemp hearts can be added to any and all of these recipes. Play with them! I'm going to make some with dried pineapple and cashew butter soon, because we love the stuff.

Substitutions:

• When it comes to the oats: Did you know that quick cooking oats are still a whole grain? Unlike other "instant" kind of things, quick cooking oats are simply cut smaller. If you use quick cooking oats (sometimes called 1-minute oats), the texture of the oats will be softer/less chewy. If you use old-fashioned oats, the texture will be chewier. I found that a mix of the two was the best, though using one or the other will work well too.
• When it comes to the honey: I did not do much recipe testing using anything other than honey. If you would like to experiment, I think that agave or brown rice syrup might be a good place to start, though I didn't work with either.
• When it comes to the peanut butter: You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, sunbutter, and just about any other nut butter that you like, though it will change the flavor of the oatmeal energy balls. I like to use almond butter when I don't want the flavor of the nut butter to be very strong (like peanut butter). It worked great in recipes like the Blueberry Muffin No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls because the flavor is a bit more mellow than peanut butter.