📖 Instructions

1. Prep the cashews: Place the raw cashews in a food processor. Pulse until they form a coarse meal. This will give the bites a nice, slightly crunchy texture, kinda like that perfect buffalo wing breading, you know?
2. Add the oats: Add the rolled oats to the food processor. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is well combined and slightly finer. These help bind everything together.
3. Mix in the spices: Add the nutritional yeast, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper to the food processor. Pulse until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the cashew-oat mixture. This is where the magic happens, people! Don't skimp on the spices.
4. Combine with wet ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the hot sauce (I like Frank's RedHot, but use whatever you like!), maple syrup, and melted coconut oil. The maple syrup adds just a touch of sweetness to balance the spice, trust me on this one.
5. Process everything: Pour the wet ingredients into the food processor with the dry ingredients. Process until a sticky dough forms. You might need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
6. Chill the dough: Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This makes it easier to roll the bites.
7. Roll into balls: Once the dough is chilled, roll it into 1-inch balls. You can use a small cookie scoop to make them uniform in size.
8. Coat (optional): For an extra kick, roll the bites in a mixture of chili powder and paprika. This step is totally optional, but it really amps up the buffalo wing flavor. It's that extra something!
9. Serve: Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Honestly, they probably won’t last that long, though!