Mango Energy Bites

Ingredients

0 of 11 out on the counter

• 7 oz dried mango (the usual sweetened kind, with sugar on the label)
• 1¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup unsalted dry-roasted cashews, chopped small
• ⅓ cup unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp unsalted cashew butter
• 1½ tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups hot tap water, for soaking the mango (drained)
• 2 tbsp of the mango soaking water, for the paste

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Cover the dried mango with 2 cups hot tap water and let it soak 10 minutes, until soft. Drain it, saving 2 tbsp of the water, and pat the mango dry on a towel.
2. 2Put the mango, cashew butter, lime juice, ginger, salt and the 2 tbsp saved water in a food processor. Run it until you have a thick, sticky orange paste, scraping the sides once.
3. 3In a big bowl, stir the oats, chopped cashews, pumpkin seeds and chia together. Scrape in the mango paste and work it through with a stiff spatula, then your hands, until every oat is coated and the dough clumps when squeezed.
4. 4Let the bowl sit 10 minutes. The oats and chia soak up moisture and the dough firms up. If it still crumbles when you press it, squeeze it harder rather than adding anything.
5. 5With damp hands, roll level 1½-tablespoon scoops into 24 balls and set them on a tray lined with parchment.
6. 6Chill the tray 20 minutes so the bites set, then pack them. For the trail, put 3 in a bag with an ice pack, and eat them within 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F). At home, keep them covered in the fridge.