Recipes for the Skintrack and Après: Maple Cherry Sea Salt Energy Balls

Backcountry fuel often comes in single-serving, individually wrapped packages, but there’s a way for your transition bites to be more creative and Earth-friendly: Bring them from home. Beyond Skid cookbook author Lily Krass brings us another skintrack treat.

Maple Cherry Sea Salt Energy Balls

Makes 15-20 energy balls

Sometimes the simplest snacks are the real skintrack heroes. I love making a big batch of energy balls, freezing them, and plucking them out of the freezer each morning before a ski tour. Once you get a feel for the basic recipe, try experimenting with different flavor combos so you never get sick of them. 

Note: While they hold their shape fairly well unfrozen, these are definitely best on colder days (versus hot spring slushfests) unless you don’t mind a mushier snack. 

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except cherries to a food processor. 
2. Blitz until the mixture turns crumbly but sticks together (timing will depend on the food processor)
3. Add cherries and blitz again, adding water or more maple syrup as needed. You can keep blending if you prefer a smoother consistency (kind of like a Lara Bar), or blend less if you prefer them a little crunchier. 
4. Roll dough into 1-2 tablespoon-size balls, sprinkle with extra-flake sea salt and place on a plate or cookie sheet to freeze. 
5. Freeze for at least an hour, then remove from the baking sheet and store in a container in the freezer. You can store them for at least a month (probably longer, but I’ve never had any left by then). 

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Lily Krass is a freelance storyteller based in Jackson, Wyoming. She is the co-author of Beyond Skid: A Cookbook For Ski Bums, a collection of dirtbag-friendly recipes inspired by mountain town life. Check it out here: beyondskid.com. In Issue 147, The Huts Issue Lily Krass shares tips and tricks (and a couple more recipes) for homemade skintrack snacks. Pick up a copy and learn more: backcountrymagazine.com/147.