No-bake peanut butter protein bars
15 min · 13 g protein · 108 cals / serving
Soft, fudgy peanut butter bars with a drizzle of dark chocolate, pressed together in ten minutes. Powdered peanut butter carries most of the peanut flavor, so the bars hold far more protein and far less fat than the honey-and-nut-butter versions they are modeled on.
Ingredients
Bars
- 3 tbsp whole grain oat flour
- 4 1/2 scoops casein protein powder, vanilla or chocolate, casein or a whey-casein blend
- 2/3 cup powdered peanut butter
- a pinch salt
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/3 cup sugar-free syrup, maple-flavored
- 3/4 cup skim milk, plus more as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 2/3 oz dark chocolate 70-85%
Steps
- Line a 8 inch square tin with baking paper. Whisk the oat flour, protein powder, powdered peanut butter and salt together.
- Warm the peanut butter for 20 seconds so it pours, then whisk in the syrup, milk and vanilla.
- Stir the wet mix into the dry, then knead it with your hands into a dough like soft cookie dough. Protein powders differ in how much liquid they drink: add milk a spoonful at a time if it crumbles, or a spoonful of oat flour if it sticks. Press it firmly and evenly into the tin.
- Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave and drizzle it over the top with a spoon. Chill for an hour until firm, then cut into 12 bars with a knife dipped in hot water.
Good to know
Why casein?
Whey on its own turns the dough sticky and the bars chewy, almost gummy. Casein, or a blend, soaks up more liquid and sets soft and fudgy.
How do I store them?
In the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for a month. They soften at room temperature, so pack one in a cool bag if it is going to the gym.
Can I use all regular peanut butter?
You can, but swapping the powdered peanut butter for the same weight of the real thing adds over 20 g of fat to the batch and lowers the protein: a score of about 56 instead of 68. The powder is what lets these taste of peanut without turning into a candy bar.
Per
- Calories
- 238
- Protein
- (51%)
- 30 g
- Fat
- (26%)
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- (23%)
- 15 g
- of which sugar
- 6 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 290 mg
More snacks
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1300 kcal goes into the pot and 548 g of ingredients comes out as about 545 g of food: 238 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.