Published on March 12, 2022 By: Nicole A.
These protein bars will make you never want to buy store-bought bars again! I was hesitant when I first made them because I’d thought they could come out bland or dry like some of the bars I have bought at the grocery store, but they tasted super fresh and full of different flavors. I love the fact that you can add in anything you want and control the amount and type of protein and nutrients you’re getting in there. I plan on making these again so I can try to figure out about how much protein is in each serving. These are perfect if you want to prep a nice and healthy snack for the next few days, and eat it at home or take it to go! I actually ended up eating some as a healthy dessert too.
Use the protein powder of your choice! I add in a plant based chocolate protein powder that I have been loving! The Ora plant based protein powder which is non-GMO, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. I’ve been using this protein almost every day in shakes, so I wanted to get a little more creative and try out a new recipe.
Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
1 cup rolled oats
1-2 scoops chocolate protein powder
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tbs honey
1 spoonful chia seeds
2 spoonfuls of peanut butter
Tips:
-It’s probably best to use a food processor, but I ended up using my blender since I didn’t have one. I would just make sure it is safe to use your blender with food or dry ingredients before starting!
-I like to do the blending in sections so that everything gets chopped up in small pieces.
-Use parchment paper on top of your pan to prevent sticking and to make it easier to move over to a cutting board when it’s ready.
-When time to clean your blender, scrape it out right away so that the leftovers don’t get stuck and make it more difficult to clean out later.
Directions:
1.Start with cashews, protein powder, and oats, then blend.
2. Add in chocolate chips, cranberries, coconut flakes, honey, and chia seeds ( I soaked my chia seeds in water for about 5 minutes), and blend.
3. Once everything looks well mixed up, add in your peanut butter. This part may be difficult with the blender, as the peanut butter may not spread evenly or get stuck on the blades, so I usually end up putting everything in a bowl and mixing it with a spoon. You can also use your clean hands to kind of mix and mold everything togther.
4. When it seems to be sticking together pretty well (if not you can add in more peanut butter), take a flat pan and spread everything out flat in a square or rectangle on top of parchment paper. Cover with saran wrap or some type of protective layer on top.
5. Place in refrigerator for at least a couple hours. I ended up forgetting about mine and left them in overnight, but they came out great!
6. Cut them into the size that you want, you can even get creative and use cookie cutters to make cute shapes!
7. Serve, and enjoy!
Let me know if you try these bars out. There is also a video on how to make these on my instagram! Hope you love them 🙂
