Carrot Cake No Bake Cookie Balls

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Update #2: Used my small Black and Decker chopper to chop up the walnuts fine. Also used it to chop the raisins. I added some oatmeal to the raisins to reduce the stickiness on the blades. It took a while, but worked. I also used quick cooking oats this time rather than old fashioned and I think that helped the mixture come together much easier. If all you have is old fashioned oatmeal, I would put it through the chopper or a food processor just to cut the oatmeal into smaller pieces. I still used extra oatmeal. This mixture was much easier to roll, although I still had to stop after 10-15 and wash off my hands. I always double this recipe. It is SO GOOD! Update: 2015, I really love these things. Worst part is rolling them into balls. I added additional oatmeal to get a better texture. Helps if you refrigerate mixture before rolling. I really enjoy eating these with toasted pecans and walnuts. Adds a really nice crunch, tastes great, and helps balance out the richness of this snack. Original comments follow: Pretty darn healthy for a treat! These turned out really good! I did not use chocolate chips. My son, not knowing I left out that ingredient commented that I should leave out the raisins and use chocolate chips instead! I hand rolled these and more of the batter stuck to my hands as I continued. Next time I will try to use my cookie scoop, although it is a bit small. They are a tad bit sticky so definitely keep them in the refrigerator until ready to eat. I rolled part of mine in some finely chopped toasted pecans and thought that was delicious too!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C rolled oats
• 3/4 C grated carrot (grate it using a fine shredder)
• 1/4 C raisins (I chopped fine so the raisins would be better dispersed)
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 C nut butter (I used cashew butter, but a flavored butter would be good too)
• 1/4 C chopped walnuts (chop them small)
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut
• 1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (optional - I used it)

Preparation

Step 1

Mix all the ingredients together (I used my hands to get it all mixed together–this is a messy job). Consider adding more oatmeal if mixture is really tacky. I suggest refrigerating the mixture before the next step.
Form into balls (I used my hands, next time Try cookie scoop) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let them soften and get really yummy. I was surprised how tasty these were!