DIY Chocolate Protein Bars
DIY Chocolate Protein Bars I used a little stevia to keep the carbs and sugar lower but also sweetened with dates and sugar because Im not a huge fan of artificial tasting ingredients like stevia If you dont mind stevia or want to reduce the sugar and carbs go ahead and double the amount of stevia and drop the dates and sugar from the recipe If you hate stevia double the sugar and dates I think I managed to strike a nice balance with this recipe as my boyfriend hates stevia and never noticed These taste a little like brownies according to him
DIY Chocolate Protein Bars I used a little stevia to keep the carbs and sugar lower but also sweetened with dates and sugar because Im not a huge fan of artificial tasting ingredients like stevia If you dont mind stevia or want to reduce the sugar and carbs go ahead and double the amount of stevia and drop the dates and sugar from the recipe If you hate stevia double the sugar and dates I think I managed to strike a nice balance with this recipe as my boyfriend hates stevia and never noticed These taste a little like brownies according to him
- Carbohydrate 0.398125 g
- Cholesterol 0.680555555555556 mg
- Fat 0.167586805555556 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0.280729166666667 g
- Saturated Fat 0.106932291666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (13g)
- Sodium 3.48784722222222 mg
- Sugar 0.398125 g
- Trans Fat 0.00680555555555556 g
- Calories 4 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak pitted dates in almond milk to soften.
- Pulse oats into flour using blender.
- Mix in remaining dry ingredients.
- Blend date and almond milk in blender and add to dry ingredients.
- Stir in peanut butter.
- Add another tbsp milk if mixture is too dry. It should be a little crumbly though.
- Coat hands with coconut oil and mix ingredients with hands.
- Coat square cake pan with coconut oil and press mixture into dish.
- Use the back of a spoon to really pack the mix.
- Cover and place in fridge to set for two hours.
- Cut into 9 pieces.
Why is the oat base turning into gummy paste instead of a cohesive crumbly dough? Processing rolled oats into flour in a blender requires absolute dryness; introducing moisture too early collapses the starch granules and ruins the structure. Pulverizing the oats thoroughly before adding any liquid creates a starchy matrix that absorbs precisely the right amount of almond milk without turning pasty. Blending the soaked dates separately ensures they distribute evenly rather than forming sticky pockets that prevent uniform slicing.
Natural peanut butter separates during storage, meaning an un-stirred jar introduces excess surface oil that over-saturates the dry proteins and prevents setting. Stirring the nut butter completely before measurement guarantees that the fat-to-protein ratio remains balanced across all nine servings. When combining the wet and dry elements, the mixture should retain a slightly crumbly texture rather than a wet dough consistency, which allows the coconut oil on your hands to facilitate tight packing.
Pressing the mixture into a square cake pan requires deliberate physical force using the back of a spoon to eliminate internal air pockets that cause the bars to crumble apart later. Skipping this compression step prevents the natural starches and nut fats from interlocking under pressure during the chilling phase. Allowing the pan to rest undisturbed in the refrigerator for a mandatory two-hour window permits the fats to solidify and the protein powders to hydrate fully.
Cutting the chilled block into precisely nine equal portions requires a sharp chef knife wiped clean between slices to prevent dragging the sticky cacao nibs and dates. Storing these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator maintains their structural integrity for up to one week, whereas leaving them at room temperature causes the peanut butter to soften and lose its snap.
