Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars — like Snickerz in protein bar form!
I know how much we all love candy. Trust me, I KNOW. I used to sit at home after trick-or-treating and stuff my face full of Hersheys, Snickers, Milky Ways, Dots, sugar, sugar, sugar, more sugar, sugar on top of sugar, and so on. Those candies are so addicting because they’re full of fat, sugar, salt, additives, and artificial ingredients that are scientifically proven to make you want to eat more.
While I’ve made Healthy Homemade Snickerz here on the blog, the nougat takes a bit of time and patience to make, and sometimes, we just ain’t got no time for that. So I made these Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars! They’re basically Snickerz candy bars — they’re full of peanut butter and caramel, they’re coated in chocolate, they’re sweet and satisfying — but without the sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, and artificial flavorings. Instead, they’re filled with natural, wholesome ingredients, and a punch of protein.
When you combine Snickerz Candy Bars + PROTEIN, you get these amazingly delicious Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars. With a soft, chewy, peanut butter fudge base, a layer of peanut-studded caramel, and a rich, decadent, chocolatey shell, you are at a 99.99% chance of having a foodgasm.
These are some treats you can sink your teeth into. Guilt free. These are pure bliss.
Chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty… and secretly good for you. Every single person who has tried these DIY Protein Bars could NOT believe they were healthy. There is nothing healthy tasting about ’em.
You can’t go wrong with Healthy DIY Protein Bars!
These are some simply mouthwatering candy protein bars. As you can see.
Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars
Ingredients
Protein Bars:
- 128g (½ cup) Natural Roasted Peanut Butter
- 1 cup + 2 tbs Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Crème-Flavored Stevia Extract
- 168g (1¼ cups, lightly packed) Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
- 80g (⅔ cup Oat Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
Caramel Layer:
- ⅓ cup Caramel Sauce (I use Date Caramel Sauce)
- 63g (½ cup, lightly packed) Vanilla Brown Rice Protein Powder
- ¼ cup Roasted Peanuts
Chocolate Coating:
- 6 oz Organic Milk Chocolate (Dark Chocolate works too!)
- 1 tbs Coconut Oil (melted)
Instructions
For the Protein Bars:
- Line an 8x8” brownie pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In an electric stand mixer bowl tted with a beater attachment, add all of the ingredients. Mix on low speed until everything is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix on medium speed for one last mix. Mixture should be thick and fudgy, like cookie dough.
- Scoop the mixture into the brownie pan and flatten it out.
For the Caramel Layer:
- In a small bowl, stir together the caramel sauce and protein powder. Mixture should be thick and slightly sticky. Spoon the mixture over the protein bar base and spread to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on top and press them into the surface. Place in the freezer uncovered for 1 hour.
- Lift the mixture out of the pan. Slice into 12 bars.
For the Chocolate Coating:
- Stir the coconut oil into the melted chocolate.
- Place a silicone baking mat on top of a jelly roll pan and line the protein bars on top. With a large spoon, ladle the melted chocolate over the protein bars. Try to encase the entire bar with chocolate.
- Refrigerate until rm (~1 hour). Individually wrap the protein bars in plastic sandwich baggies. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or stash them in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
@cynthjewel made a batch! How good do these look??
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It’s been almost 2 months since I published the 3rd edition of my DIY Protein Bars Cookbook, and I am SO so happy, proud, and blessed over its success! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I could NOT have published this cookbook with you guys. I wouldn’t have written it in the first place, but since so many of y’all asked me to write one, I did. Thank you to all of your for your love, support, positivity, and constant encouragement!
If you like this recipe, then you’ll LOVE my DIY Protein Bars Cookbook! With 48 protein bar recipes, you’ll never buy protein bars from the store again. To learn more about the book and see some sneak peeks, see this page!
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Enjoy!
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Be happy.
Live fully.
Eat protein bars.
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
How many grams is it?
Are you asking how much does each bar weigh? I don’t weigh each and every bar. Just make the batch and slice the batch into 12 even-sized bars. Or, you can weigh the entire batch and divide by 12 🙂
This looks much more appealing than another protein bar recipe.