I’ve mentioned in a previous post that Jeremy has been wanting me to come up with a homemade protein bar similar to a Cliff Bar or Larabar but of course cheaper and healthier. I tried one that I actually REALLY liked and could hardly keep my hands out of (you CAN get too much of a good thing) but he wasn’t really a fan so I moved onto this recipe from The Balanced Platter shared by my cupcake partner in crime, Robyn over at Gluten Free Crazy. And I can safely say we have a winner with this one! Jeremy loves it, I love it and everyone is getting crazy amounts of protein! It’s very chocolatey, very peanut buttery and soooooo yummy. They’re very rich so I cut them into small squares and keep them in the freezer, although they’d probably be fine in the refrigerator also. Great pick me up and healthy dessert option!
Enjoy!
- 16 Medjool Dates
- 1 c. Raw, Organic Almonds
- 1 c. Sunflower Seeds
- ½ c. Cooked Quinoa (I had accidentally mixed my dry quinoa and couscous together so it was a mix of both which I really liked!)
- ½ c. Thick Rolled Oats
- ¼ c. Chia Seeds
- 1¼ c. Chunky, Organic Peanut Butter (or smooth)
- ¾ c. Agave
- 1½ Scoops Chocolate Protein Powder
- ¼ c. Unsweetened Cocoa
- 4 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
- Line a 9x9 pan with foil, letting it hang over the edges creating "handles".
- In a food processor, chop the dates into very small pieces. Add the almonds and sunflower seeds and process until a meal has formed. Place in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the quinoa, oats and chia seeds to the food processor and process until a meal forms again. Add to the bowl of the electric mixer. Add the peanut butter, agave, protein powder, cocoa and vanilla to the bowl of the electric mixer and beat everything on low speed until it is well-blended and starts to clump together. Form into a ball and press evenly into the bottom of the 9x9 pan. Freeze for 1-2 hours until firm, lift out of the pan and place upside down on a cutting board. Peel away foil, turn bars over and cut into 1½" squares. Store in freezer.
What does “. c” mean in the recipe above as I am not sure how much cooked quinoa, thick rolled oats, chia seeds, etc. to put in this recipe. It looks like a great recipe – please correct the recipe so I can make some. Jan
Jan, it denotes “cup”.