Chocolate Coconut PB Protein Bars (no bake)
Whew, is that a mouthful or what??? The flavors of this bar are also a mouthful of deliciousness! I love the combination of the chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut. The no-bake aspect of these bars keeps them chewy and not dried out. These bars are free of gluten, fillers, GMO’s, and foreign ingredients that are found in most protein bars. Sorry CLIF BAR, but 22+ grams of sugar per bar and a heavy ingredient list is not all that healthy. Yes, the brown rice syrup etc. may be organic, but is all that sugar really necessary? To me, it isn’t- especially on a daily basis. Many protein bars are not gluten free or have too many additives for my preferences, so I decided to make my own! These are perfect for me to take with me to work since I don’t get a break and only get bites of food here and there because we are always so swamped. It can literally take me an hour or more to eat an apple (not joking).
These protein bars are perfect for breakfast, lunch, dessert, or a snack. I put mine in the freezer and individually wrapped them so they stay fresh and I can just take one out when I want one. I love making healthier snack options that taste delicious. I really do think that using the right ingredients can make a huge difference! Healthy food does not have to be boring, bland, or monotonous. These store very well & are much healthier than most granola/protein bars you will find at the store. The ingredient list is also much shorter (10 ingredients total)! I will be including the recipe below along with the nutrition facts. I am also including a comparison to other popular protein/granola bars.
Ingredients
- 4.00 Tbsp, Raw Coconut Butter
- 4.00 tbsp, Creamy Peanut Butter
- 6.00 tbsp(s), Peanut Butter, Powdered (PB2)
- 0.25 cup(s), Honey
- 4.00 Tablespoons, Coconut Flour
- 1.00 tbsp(s), Organic Chia Seeds
- 0.25 cup(s), Flaked Unsweetened Coconut
- 0.33 cup, Cashew Milk
- 3.00 scoops (42g), Chocolate Protein Powder (Shakeology) (Black Bag)
- 1.50 cup uncooked, Rolled Oats
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 12.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 199 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 9 g | 14 % |
| Saturated Fat 5 g | 23 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 94 mg | 4 % |
| Potassium 44 mg | 1 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 23 g | 8 % |
| Dietary Fiber 6 g | 23 % |
| Sugars 9 g | |
| Protein 9 g | 18 % |
| Vitamin A | 26 % |
| Vitamin C | 75 % |
| Calcium | 10 % |
| Iron | 18 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
These bars have just under 200 calories with 9 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of carbohydrates. Each bar has 9 grams of fat which comes from healthy sources of coconut butter and all natural peanut butter (peanuts & salt). They make a healthy & filling snack as well as a delicious dessert. I made these gluten free by using gluten free oats, but you could make them with regular oats as well. I used half real peanut butter & half PB2 to keep the fat content down.
Directions: In order to make the bars, add the oats, protein powder, coconut flour, shredded coconut, and chia seeds to a mixing bowl. Mix these ingredients well. Then make the PB2 mixture by adding 6 tablespoons of PB2 & 12 tablespoons of water to a small bowl. Then add the PB2 mixture along with the peanut butter, coconut butter, honey, and cashew milk (can sub almond milk) to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix everything well with a spatula/wooden spoon. After the honey, PB, and coconut butter was well incorporated I used my hands to mix everything up and rolled the mixture into a large ball. Then, add the mixture to a 9×11 baking dish and flatten the mixture out to make it even. Then, cut the bars into 12 even servings (3×4). The bars are very generously sized for their calorie count.
Now- let’s compare my bars to some popular bars on the market.
Clif Bar: Chocolate Brownie:
| Calories | Calories | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Fiber, Sugar | |
| Cliff Bar – Chocolate Brownie (Correct), 1 bar | 240 | 44 | 5 | 10 | 5, 22 |
Ingredient List: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rolled Oats, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Chocolate Chips (Dried Cane Syrup, Unsweetened Chocolate‡, Cocoa Butter‡, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Date Paste, Cocoa‡, Alkalized Cocoa‡, ClifCrunch® (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Psyllium), Organic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt. ALLERGEN STATEMENT: CONTAINS SOY. MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF MILK AND WHEAT.
Now I don’t mean to bash Clif Bars, but just looking to show the importance of recognizing the ingredient list of the foods that you are eating. Clif bars have more than double the amount of sugar and carbs than my bars. According to Clif Bar’s Website, these bars are meant for long endurance training like 150 mile bikerides, long hikes, etc. While everything is fine in moderation, and most of the ingredients are organic, these bars probably should not be a go to snack for most people.
Let’s compare a Nature valley protein bar:
As you can see, these bars have fairly similar nutrition facts to my bars. However, the ingredients are filled with processed junk including sugar, high maltose corn syrup, vegetable glycerin, etc! These bars are proof that calorie count/nutrition are not the ultimate indicator of health!
What are your favorite healthy snack/ protein bars??? Do you make your own??? Let me know in the comments!!!!
