Tasty energy ball recipe for long cycling trips

Lorna North

Being light of pocket is normally a good thing if you’re a cyclist but not if it’s because you’ve spent all your money on the expensive energy snacks at the bike shop. Staying fuelled on a long ride is a pricey business. I swear a packet of fancy, sciency endurance nibbles cost about the same as the bike itself (nearly).

As a self-employed, struggling writer, I need to save money where I can and spend it on the pure essentials (like awesome kit!). I’ve decided to share a recipe (stolen from Good Food) on how you can make some tasty energy balls to take out with you for a right-old ‘moveable feast’.

These ones are high in energy as well as not tasting utterly foul like some of the fuelling products out there on the market. I also love that they are small and bite-size so you can eat them on the move without too much difficulty.

Here’s the recipe – have a go yourself:

Ingredients 

• 100g pecans
• 75g raisins
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (or a mix- we used milled flaxseed, almond, Brazil nut and walnut mix)
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 2 tbsp peanut butter

Method 

1. Put pecans in a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Add raisins, peanut butter, flaxseeds, cocoa powder and agave syrup, then pulse to combine.
2. Shape mixture into golf ball-sized balls and roll in desiccated coconut to coat. Put in the fridge to firm for 20 mins, then eat whenever you need a quick energy boost.

Pop them in your jersey pocket and off you go!

Image from BBCGoodfood.com