Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Have you ever walked into GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe and just felt completely overwhelmed by their walls of supplements and dizzying array of protein bar choices? I have. I can spend a lot of time in there looking at each brand, scrutinizing nutritional information, and leaving with my fingers crossed hoping that the flavor I picked doesn’t taste like chalk. Sure, there are some great brands out there, but they’re usually pretty pricey. This protein bar recipe from Ambitious Kitchen is so fast and simple; you probably have most of the ingredients already.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (I make my own – see instructions below)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup vanilla protein powder (we routinely stock Optimum Nutrition’s Natural Vanilla Whey in our pantry)
• 1 cup oats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips + 1 tsp coconut oil
• Optional: shredded unsweetened coconut or dried fruit
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Heat peanut butter*, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix together until well combined; should be a smooth consistency. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Stir in protein powder until smooth, then stir in oats, chia seeds, and any other add-ins that you’d like. (I did not, but that’s because I like to save all my coconut and dried fruit for my superfood granola).
3. Place in a 9×5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper. The mixture may seem a little crumbly at first – once you start pressing it down into the pan it will conform the the shape of the pan and stay there.
4. Melt mini chocolate chips + 1 tsp of coconut oil in a small bowl in the microwave for 1 minute checking at 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted. Drizzle over the tops of the bars and sprinkle sea salt and any leftover chocolate chips.
5. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour before removing from pan and dividing into 10 bars. Store the bars in the fridge individually wrapped or in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (These will not last the weekend, I promise you that).

Yields 10 bars. Nutritional information: Carbs 21g, Fat 11g, Protein 14g.

 

*For my peanut butter recipe, you’ll need a food processor (which you should totally have in your kitchen appliance arsenal) and a 16 oz jar of honey roasted peanuts. I use generic brands like Market Pantry, but as long as they’re roasted and not raw nuts, any brand will work. Add the entire container of nuts to the food processor. Let the food processor run until the nuts have become a smooth consistency – depending on the strength of your food processor, the consistency won’t end up being creamy smooth like Jif but will be runny enough to be called a nut butter. At first the nuts won’t look like they’re going to grind down – be patient – eventually the oils in the nuts get released from being pulverized and you’ll have your nut butter. *WARNING* You may need two containers of nuts because the first batch may not make it into any recipes, it’s that good.