Peanut Butter & Jelly Protein Bars
Every week I post a sweet or savoury, healthy recipe to welcome in the weekend!
This Recipe
In honour of American Independence Day, I put together this PB&J special, which ALSO happens to be red, white and blue.
Although we constantly had Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches as kids - yes the movies are true - I was never a big fan; the jelly was always too sweet and I didn't much care for the bread. Luckily, in this recipe there is no added sugar and no bread. I like these bars much better, not to mention that the nutrition value is way higher than what you get from classic PB&Js.
Enjoy at breakfast, coffee time, tea time or post-workout. These little babies can also travel with you - so long as you keep them cool!
Makes 8 - 10 mini bars
PROTEIN BAR INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup or 57g of organic peanut butter
- 1/4 cup or 30 or granola (I used Paleo Foods Co)
- 3 dates with pits removed
- 1 handful of finely chopped coconut pieces
- 1 scoop of protein powder (can be whey or non-whey based)
- 1 small spoonful of melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon or 4g maca powder (optional)
- Almond milk as needed (can also use water, this is to make bars more doughy)
FRUIT "JELLY" INGREDIENTS
- 1 handful of fresh blueberries
- 1 handful of fresh raspberries
- 1 tablespoon or 14g of coconut butter
EQUIPMENT
- parchment paper
Steps
Combine all protein bar ingredients, except for chopped coconut pieces and almond milk in a blender or food processor. If mixture looks dry, add almond milk/water as needed. Your goal is to get a slightly doughy mixture that holds together well but doesn't stick to your hands.
Next, roll mixture out flat onto a piece of parchment paper. Top mixture with half of the chopped coconut pieces. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and leave everything to harden in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. You can also pop in the freezer for 8 - 10 minutes.
After your mixture has hardened, remove from the fridge/freezer and cut it into strips as shown below. For the mini bars, cut further into quarters. It's easiest if you keep the parchment papers on as you cut.
Now, time to prepare your "jellies!" Use a saucepan on medium heat to melt half of the coconut butter with your raspberries and the other half with your blueberries. Stir continually until the fruit breaks down into the butter. The cooking process releases sugars from the fruit and makes it tastier. If you're in a hurry, you can also just mix coconut butter and fresh fruit in a blender.
If you've cooked the berries, pour into glass bowls and allow to cool to room temperature before spreading on top of the bars.
Finally, these are almost ready to eat! Top bars with jelly, fruit and coconut pieces. You can enjoy immediately or pop in fridge for later. These are so good with fresh almond milk or coffee/tea!
