These no bake prune brownie balls made with just a few simple, healthy ingredients like prunes, oats, cocoa powder and nuts are a delicious treat for both mom and little ones! They contain no added sugar and are a great snack for nursing and for preventing or relieving constipation.
This post has been written and medically reviewed by Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).
Prune Brownie Balls
If you've been a reader for a while, you know my love of prunes for all kinds of reasons - especially for keeping my kids (and myself) regular! If your little one is prone to constipation, which can be common in babies starting solids and in toddlers, prunes are the perfect all natural solution to keeping them going in a gentle way.
Staring down a Costco-sized bag of prunes, I was brainstorming a way to use them that goes beyond snacking on plain prunes. I came up with these brownie snack balls made with just 6 simple ingredients. They are the perfect balanced snack with fiber, protein, and healthy fat, and no added sugar. AND my kids love them. Even the picky older ones. Make these snack balls in advance and keep them on hand for quick snacks or healthy treats - the texture is appropriate for even the youngest baby led weaning babes, all the way up to mamas (they're perfect for nursing thanks to the oats, nuts, and extra energy!).
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Ingredients
- Prunes - Look for pitted prunes for ease.
- Dates - Using pitted dates in addition to the prunes adds more caramel notes, making them taste more like a brownie. If your dates feel dry, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Rolled oats
- Pecans or walnuts - Use what you have on hand. Both are delicious. Or use a combination!
- Cocoa powder
- Sea salt - Just a pinch enhances the chocolate flavor.
Equipment: Food processor, 1 tablespoon cookie scoop
My Favorite Food Processor
This mini food processor is one of my most used and most loved kitchen tools! It's a must-have for making recipes like this a breeze!
Step By Step Instructions
For the full printable recipe, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- In the food processor, blend the oats, nuts, cocoa powder and salt until they are as close to a powder consistency as possible.
- Add the prunes and dates and blend until a rough dough forms, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula as necessary. It will seem like a dough will never come together, but just keep blending! If it really is not coming together, add either 1-2 more prunes or a bit of water just a tablespoon at a time.
- Scoop the mixture by the tablespoon and roll into balls.
Recipe Tips
- I used half dates to give these brownie balls more of a brownie flavor. Feel free to replace the dates with more prunes if that's all you have. They will be a little more tart but still delicious!
- If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then drain before adding them. Dry dates do not blend well.
- Use wet hands to roll the balls smooth to help prevent sticking.
Storage
Store brownie balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also freeze well! Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.
How To Serve Brownie Balls To Babies 6 Months and Up
These no added sugar brownie balls are great for baby led weaning babies (especially if they tend to get constipated). You can offer a whole ball to babies as young as 6 months to grasp and gnaw on. Though they contain no added sugar, do keep in mind they are still very sweet for young babies, so offer them as a treat and stick to just one per day or less so baby doesn't get accustomed to sweet flavors to early.
Continue offering brownie balls whole to toddlers to encourage taking small bites.
Track your baby's journey through starting solids! Get my 100 First Foods Checklist and Allergen Checklist Bundle today!
Baby Friendly Prune Brownie Balls Recipe
These no bake prune brownie balls made with just a few simple, healthy ingredients like prunes, oats, cocoa powder and nuts are a delicious treat for both mom and little ones! They contain no added sugar and are a great snack for nursing and for preventing or relieving constipation.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 balls 1x
- Category: snack
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts (or a combination of both)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ cup pitted prunes
- ¼ cup pitted dates (see notes)
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend the oats, nuts, cocoa powder an salt until a coarse powder forms.
- Add the prunes and dates and blend until a dough comes together, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula as necessary. It will seem like a dough will never form, but keep blending. If it really will not come together, add another 1-2 prunes, or bit of water (one tablespoon at a time).
- Scoop the dough by the tablespoon and roll into balls using wet hands to prevent sticking.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 5-10 minutes then drain before using them.
- I used half dates to get more brownie-like caramel notes. You can replace them with more prunes if you'd like. The flavor will be slightly more tart but still delicious!
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