Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars
When you combine Snickers with PROTEIN, you get these amazingly delicious 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.
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
Do not use whey/egg/casein protein! The mixture will be gooey and won’t solidify.
I originally wasn't going to share the recipe here because I worked so incredibly hard on publishing The DIY Protein Bars Cookbook. But I wanted to provide it here because that way, you can determine whether or not the rest of the cookbook is for you!
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Beefcake DIY Protein Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 protein bar)
Calories 280
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 4.5g28%
Cholesterol 3mg1%
Sodium 130mg6%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 18g36%
Calcium 80mg8%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.