Christmas Peanut Butter Bliss Balls

by Alex Turnbull, RD | Dec 6, 2023

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Something I always have stocked in my freezer are peanut butter bliss balls (aka energy balls) and around the holidays we spruce them up and make a Christmas version.

These no bake Christmas bliss balls are easy to make, are packed with nutrients, and my kids love them, making them an easy snack to fill them up, especially around the holidays when everything is go, go, go.

Try out my super simple Christmas peanut butter bliss balls this holiday season, or enjoy them all year round by simply changing up the sprinkles.

What You’ll Need to Make It

I put all the ingredients in one Amazon list for you here or shop them all at Target here, but you likely already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.

Sprinkles

The main ingredient that makes these Christmas peanut butter bliss balls perfect for the holiday season are the sprinkles. Sprinkles make everything more magical!

If you’re looking for a dye free option, try Super Natural Christmas Soft i es.

Other than the sprinkles, these peanut butter bliss balls require pretty basic ingredients that are frequently found in most pantries.

Peanut butter

While my family typically enjoys Skippy peanut butter for toast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I like to use the natural peanut butters with no added sugar or salt in this recipe. The other ingredients help give enough flavor that you don’t even notice the difference.

You’re welcome to use whatever peanut butter you’d like. If you’re looking to make energy balls without peanut butter for a nut free option, you can substitute sun butter. This also makes it a safe option to send to school even if your family isn’t nut free.

Quick oats

I’ve tried using other types of oats in my bliss ball recipes, but quick oats always seem to work the best. Because they’ve been cut into small pieces, it makes it easier to form the bliss balls and the old fashioned oats tend to be more chewy.

I’m a huge fan of Quaker quick oats and always have plenty in our pantry because we make oatmeal on a weekly basis. Check out my homemade strawberries and cream oatmeal recipe, a homemade spin on the Instant oatmeal I grew up eating.

Honey

In this Christmas peanut butter bliss ball recipe honey is essentially the glue to helps everything stick together.

If you’re out of honey, you could also try using maple syrup.

Ground flax

Adding in ground flax to these Christmas peanut butter bliss balls is an easy way to add more fiber, protein, iron, and magnesium to an already nutrient-dense snack.

I love using Tiny Sprouts Milled Flaxseed because it has added Vitamin D and probiotics.

Mini chocolate chips

Another staple we always have in our pantry are mini chocolate chips. You never know when you might feel like whipping up a batch of bliss balls, chocolate chip pancakes, or feel the need to sprinkle them on just about anything.

We don’t discriminate when it comes to the size of chocolate chips in house because we have all different shapes, sizes and flavors, but mini chocolate chips are definitely my favorite when it comes to feeding kids.

How to Make Peanut Butter Bliss Balls

The hardest part about making these Christmas peanut butter bliss balls is stirring all the ingredients together.

While it might give your arms a workout, they’re worth it.

To make your Christmas peanut butter bliss balls all you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together.

You’re welcome to use a mixing spoon or rubber spatula, but eventually you may have to get your hands dirty. I recommend taking off any rings for this part if you don’t want peanut butter stuck in everywhere.

If you feel like your bliss ball mixture is too sticky, add a little more quick oats.

And if your bliss ball mixture is too dry and isn’t sticking together very well, add more nut butter or honey.

Once your Christmas peanut butter bliss ball mixture is well combined, roll 1-2 tablespoons into a ball and place on a parchment-lined sheet tray. I like to use a scooper for this part to make consistently shaped bliss balls.

Once you have all your Christmas bliss balls rolled out and on your sheet pan, place them in the freezer for a few hours or overnight until they are individually frozen. This step isn’t required, but I highly recommend it.

From here you can place them all in an airtight container or freezer bag.

I like to store my peanut butter bliss balls in the freezer and pull out as needed since they thaw quickly. However, you can also store them in the fridge for a week at a time. Your bliss balls will last in the freezer for three to six months.

Variations

There are endless variations to these Christmas peanut butter bliss balls.

Keep the base ingredients: nut butter, honey, ground flaxseed, and oats and add your favorite mix ins:

Mini M&Ms
White chocolate chips and craisins
Reeses pieces
Shredded coconut
Butterscotch chips
Pistachios
Freeze dried strawberries

Or skip the add-ins and make plain bliss balls.

How to make nut free energy balls

You can easily make these nut free energy balls by substituting sun butter for the peanut butter in this recipe.

It’s also not a bad idea to use sun butter so you can send a safe and nut free snack option to school.

Are these bliss balls gluten free?

Not all oats are gluten free, so in order to make gluten free bliss balls, make sure you purchase a quick oat that is labeled gluten free.

How to Store

Store bliss balls in an airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge for seven days or freezer for three to six months.

What to Serve With It

These Christmas peanut butter bliss balls are great to enjoy by themselves, but I always like to pair a fruit or vegetable with any snack to either increase exposure fruit and vegetable exposure for your picky eater or simply increase fruits and vegetables in general.

Pairing options for bliss balls

Fresh or freeze dried strawberries
Celery
Apple slices
Banana
Orange slices