Peanut Butter Protein Bars

With just a few simple ingredients you can make protein bars in your own kitchen that have 13g protein in each bar!

This is one of those recipes that just got slung across my content calendar with no respect. Poor guy has gotten pushed back like 14 times. WELL FOLKS- it’s here and I’ve made these like 142 times already.

I say made THESE 142 times, but the last 140 times I actually turned them into balls. Why balls? Because they’re the best And smaller in portion size! I gave this recipe to Mama Hersh to make and she loved them too. I mean, why wouldn’t she?

I tested this with a few different peanut butters (all drippy): Smuckers All Natural Peanut Butter, Trader Joe’s Creamy Peanut Butter, and Kirkland Peanut Butter. The reason I wanted to specify is because drippy peanut butter is the shit and the key to success when making this recipe.

I say this almost every week but…

PLEASE INVEST IN A GOOD FOOD PROCESSOR. YOUR LIFE WILL BE CHANGED. YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE. AND MAYBE MARRY AN INANIMATE OBJECT.

Just do it and don’t ask questions.

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Protein Bars

• rolled oats
• medjool dates, pitted
• peanut butter
• honey
• vanilla extract
• vanilla protein powder
• pinch of salt

Let’s talk protein powder really quick. I like many different kinds of protein powder, but if I had the choice…I’d choose whey every time. I love the texture and the taste best out of the hundreds (yes, hundreds) I’ve tried. My good friends at Designer Protein sent me a GIANT delivery of protein powder. Like…I don’t think I will run out of protein powder for the next 100 years. In this recipe I used their Designer Whey French Vanilla. It’s my favorite! You could totally sub out for any whey flavor (chocolate would be delish).

I do want to note…that I have NOT tried this recipe with any other kind of protein powder such as plant-based, soy, pea, etc!

I stored these guys in individual plastic baggies in the freezer. They’re an easy grab and go snack or meal replacement. If you keep them in the freezer, they will stay longer. Just a little tippy tip!

Happppppppy Friday!

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

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• Author: Lee Hersh
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 10 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups rolled oats
• 10 medjool dates, pitted
• 1 cup peanut butter, drippy
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (usually two scoops)
• pinch of salt

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Instructions

1. Spray an 9×9-inch cake pan with coconut oil cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place rolled oats in a high speed food processor (I use a Ninja). Process on high for about 30 seconds or until you’ve turned your oats into an oat flour.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients to your food processor and process on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping often to scrape the sides. You’ll want to make sure you use a drippy peanut butter for this recipe (Trader Joe’s or Kirland brands are the best). At this point the dough should be similar to cookie dough.
4. Using your hands, press the dough into the cake pan. Then, use a spatula to make it smooth and even all the way around.
5. Pop the cake pan into the freezer for about 30 minutes to set. Remove and then cut into 10 bars with a sharp knife.

Notes

You can also make these bars into balls for an easier recipe and smaller serving size! It will make around 25 1 tablespoon-sized balls.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 342
• Sugar: 30
• Fat: 14
• Carbohydrates: 17
• Protein: 13