No Bake Energy Bites

Finding a good snack for kids can be elusive, but I'm sharing a no-fail, no bake energy bites recipe today. Since playing with the Step2 Grand Luxe Kitchen, my son has been dying to help me in the kitchen and this recipe is perfect since it's no-bake and oh so good!

My in-laws have a very simple Step2 play kitchen that is probably at least a decade old. I really never thought about getting my son a kitchen of his own, but every time we visit them he's drawn to that kitchen like a moth to a flame. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but it sure does keep him entertained. When I saw the Grand Luxe Kitchen at Step2 headquarters earlier this year, I was blown away by the look and all of its features. I knew my son would love it and couldn’t wait for it to arrive so we could review it as part of the Step2 ambassador program. Just as expected, he was thrilled when we got the Grand Luxe Kitchen assembled (in just about 3 hours, although it would have probably been faster if we used a drill) and he’s been playing with every single day since.

The Grand Luxe Kitchen is PACKED with awesome features. It’s safe to say that this play kitchen is way cooler than my own kitchen. I just adore the color scheme and feel like it blends well with our own home decor.

From working lights within the oven and refrigerator, a farmhouse sink, interactive burners and cooking tools, a Keurig-like coffee station, to play food that is super high quality that your child can chop in half, Step2 has truly taken pretend play to the next level with the Grand Luxe Kitchen.

My son’s favorite feature of the Grand Luxe Kitchen is the interactive stovetop. On the left burner, he can make the stock pot or frying pan come alive with boiling or sizzling sounds and flashes of light. On the right side, he can cook up a batch of popcorn with realistic popping sounds and swirling kernels, or he can whip up a smoothie in the swirling blender.

The play food that’s included in the set is the best quality I’ve ever seen. The pieces are held together with hook and loop, so your child can “chop” them again and again. My son loves to take the pieces and create custom recipes on the stove. When he’s finished playing, he can pack everything away within the kitchen set because there are so many bins and storage spaces.

Thanks to the larger size of this kitchen, I know that both of my kids will be able to use this toy without being right on top of each other. There is more than enough room for two kids or more to play with the Grand Luxe Kitchen.

I don’t know if it’s all of the recent kitchen play or what, but pretend play has transformed into real life for us lately since our little guy has taken a big interest in helping us in the kitchen. With his new-found love for cooking, I’ve been trying to get him more involved in preparing our food. I especially love no-bake recipes so I don’t have to worry about him being super careful around the stove or oven. That’s why I love making no-bake energy bites with him. They’re loaded with his favorite flavors and are ready in no time at all since they don’t require any time in the oven. I decided to combine two of my favorite energy bites recipes (HERE and HERE) to end up with one that my son would love the most. That’s the beauty of these energy bites - you can customize them with anything you or your kids would like.

Here’s how we make our no-bake energy bites:

Ingredients:
1 cup of old fashioned oats
¼ cup of honey
½ cup of creamy peanut butter (we use the kind with honey for added flavor and sweetness)
¼ cup of mini chocolate chips
¼ cup of mini M&Ms
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Roll the mixture into small balls (we usually end up with about 16).
Place them onto parchment paper or silicone mat on a cookie sheet and put them into the fridge for 20 minutes or so until they firm up (although you could just start eating them).

I really think the Step2 Grand Luxe Kitchen has played a big role in my toddler’s love of cooking lately and I’m just thrilled. I can’t wait to teach him more recipes and see how my mini chef evolves. If you’d like to ignite a passion for cooking and baking in your child, I’d definitely recommend getting him or her a play kitchen like the Grand Luxe Kitchen. You can purchase it exclusively at Toys “R” Us and I think it would be the perfect holiday gift.

Thank you to Step2 for sending me this play kitchen at no cost to facilitate this review and energy bites recipe. As always, all opinions are my own.