Look, I know these chocolate cherry oat bites look crazy but they taste nice and are good for you

I am aware these are not the prettiest things in creation. Some may say they even look like something that would warrant a visit to the vet, but despite this they have a brownie/oatmeal cookie hybrid texture and a pleasant taste. They are also portable (albeit soft like a fudgie brownie so don’t go shoving them in your pocket.

95 calories per ball/brownie/cookie. 3.7 grams protein, 2.1 grams fiber, lots of good for you resistant starch from the the flour sources and the oats.

Ideally if you want to keep this a whole/clean foods type of recipe, use a homemade nut milk as the replacement liquid. I had that cherry chocolate milk listed in my ingredients that needed using up, which is why that is the liquid component here.

If you want these to be less like brownies and more like oat balls, reduce the liquid and make a drier batter that is rollable into balls.

You could always add protein powder for some extra protein, but I made these as more of a healthy carb focused snack to help fill you up if you get a bit peckish.

Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine, instead passing through to the colon where it acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut. It has been linked to various health benefits, including improved digestion, reduced blood sugar levels, and increased feelings of fullness. Additionally, resistant starch may help reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.

Store these in the fridge and you’ll increase the resistant starch content of the oats even more.

Recipe:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup green banana flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 cup tiger nut flour

2 cups bolthouse farms chocolate cherry fudge dairy beverage (you can do any liquid, like unsweetened nut milk and reduce the calories, this is just the only liquid I had in the fridge. If using an alternative throw a few more cherries and more cocoa powder in the mix)

1/4 cup fresh cherries (pitted, chopped)

1/4 cup bake believe chocolate chips

2 tbsp cocoa powder

3 scoops vital collagen peptides

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Sugar free sweetener of choice (the tiger nuts will add some sweetness along with the cherries and dairy beverage, but you’ll want at least a little bit more)

Optional: almond extract

Mix everything together and spoon onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. These won’t change their shape in the oven so if you want them to look more like a baked good and less like a soft poo your pet did, flatten out the scoops with your hand into nice little circular discs.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes depending on the shape of them. If you leave them mounded in their natural dog shit shape they will be thicker and thus need more time to bake.

In any case, these are a soft, brownie like consistency when they finish baking, not a crunchy cookie.