No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

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5 from 2 votes

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Prep Time10

Chilling time2

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Equipment

1 loaf pan
1 microwave-safe bowl

Ingredients

1 ½ cup rice crispy cereal I used brown rice cereal, See Note 1
¾ cup dark chocolate chips See Note 2
½ cup all natural peanut butter See Note 3
1 tablespoon maple syrup increase to 2, if needed - See Note 4
2 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
⅓ cup vanilla protein powder See Note 5
¼ cup crushed peanuts optional, for the top

Instructions

Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place peanut butter, chocolate chips, coconut oil and maple syrup in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on high in 15-second increments until the mixture is glossy and melted. Stir after each 15-second period in the microwave. If you overdo it and the mixture turns solid, add another tablespoon of coconut oil and stir. It should turn liquid and glossy again.
Using a rubber spatula or a spoon mix in protein powder and rice crispy cereal. Keep mixing until fully incorporated and there is no specks of powder visible.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Use a jar with a flat bottom or a measuring cup to press down to create an even layer.
Top with crushed peanuts (if you want) and press down again.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Carefully remove the paper from the loaf pan, transfer to a cutting board and cut into 5 long bars, then cut lenthwise to create 10 square-ish pieces.
Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

Note 1: I like to use brown rice crispy cereal, such as the Whole Foods 365 brand or Nature's Path. These types of cereal are higher in fiber and protein than regular rice krispies (which will also work!).

Note 2: Use dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you want to use sugar-free chips, those will also work. I like Lily's baking chips.

Note 3: All-natural peanut butter should contain only peanuts and salt. Check the label. I like Teddie's Smooth Peanut Butter. Regular peanut butter will also work.

Note 4: The amount of sweetener is up to you. The recipe calls for maple syrup but you can also substitute for honey. I find that if your protein powder is already sweetened, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup is enough. You can also skip it all together.

Note 5: Both plant-based and whey protein powder will work for this recipe.

Note 6: To make these bars vegan, use dairy-free chocolate chips and plant-based protein powder.

Note 7: These protein bars are best on day 1 and 2 because the cereal is still nice and crispy. They are still good on days 3 and 4 but less crispy.

Note 8: This recipe makes 10 full-size bars. Each bar contains 7g of protein. That being said, if you're looking for just a small sweet bite, you can also cut the bars in half to make 20 smaller bars.

Note 9: The nutritional value is approximate and will differ depending on the ingredients you use.

Nutrition