There are plenty of reasons to make your own protein bars. First, it’s economical! You’ll save a lot of money, particularly if you have a habit of buying single bars one a time. Even better, you can customize your bars to your taste preferences, avoid any allergens, and leave out ingredients you don’t want. You can make a bar with high quality protein, whole grains, real nuts or fruit, flaxseeds, whichever sweetener you prefer, and skip all the long-named chemical ingredients (preservatives and fortifications) that you may not need or want in your snack. Plus, they taste awesome if you have a good recipe! You can also cut the bars into different sizes, depending on how substantial a meal/snack you want the bar to be.
These bars provide healthy fats from natural peanut butter and flaxseed. Plus, thanks to whole grain oats, they give you 4 grams of fiber. Cooking with whey protein can be tricky – it tends to dry out baked goods – so I keep the cooking time brief and wrap them up soon after baking them. The resulting protein bar recipe below is my personal favorite of all the protein bars I’ve concocted, and on the Precision Nutrition forums it has received many glowing reviews. I hope you try it and like it too!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Protein Bars
- Cooking oil spray
- ½ cup plain oatmeal (quick oats, not instant)
- ½ cup unsweetened soymilk
- ¼ cup egg whites (2 whites)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (1/3 cup)
- ½ cup Splenda granulated or sugar (or 12 packets Truvia)
- ¼ cup milled flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×8″ pan with cooking oil spray.- In a microwave safe bowl, combine oats and milk; cook for 60 seconds. Stir and allow to cool; mix in egg whites and vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the whey protein, Splenda, flaxseed, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
- Add oatmeal mixture to dry ingredients; mix just until everything is moist. Spread batter in pan.
- Place peanut butter in microwave safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds or until melted. Spoon peanut butter over batter in pan and swirl with knife tip.
- Bake for 10 minutes; allow to cool completely before cutting into 6 bars. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer or refrigerator. Unwrap and microwave 30 seconds to warm.
Makes 6 servings
Per serving: 195 calories, 11 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 14 g total carbohydrate, 4 g dietary fiber, 12 g protein, 218 mg sodium.
Can you think of another protein bar flavor you’d like to see? Leave a comment; if your idea sounds good – I’ll work on it!
Ingredients for Success
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal, 16-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Double Rich Chocolate
Quaker Quick-1 Minute Oats, 18 oz
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated, 1.2-Pound Bag
Ghirardelli Chocolate Unsweetened Cocoa, 10 oz.
Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter – 16 oz Glass Jar
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admin June 20, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Thanks so much Kat! Can I link to your cake pop recipe? I saw it: WOW!
Lia July 7, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I’m allergic to chocolate, and have a heck of a time finding protein bar recipe/ideas. Any thoughts?
Jalal Hameed Bhatti July 7, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Looks to be delicious
admin July 7, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Check out the lemon poppy bars on my site, you’ll love ‘em!
Ashley July 20, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Hey Georgie… Just came over from the LE sites, and I tried to make these today. I feel like I came out with a B- product. They would most certainly NOT pass your crumb test, which should be renamed the gooey test in this instance. I also had to immediately go to the fridge and get some milk as they were SO rich. I attribute my failure to my own misgivings in the kitchen… but I felt like I followed the recipe almost to the T… Exceot I cut down on the sugar a bit, and I only had regular old fashioned flour, but kept the quantity the same. I had absolutely no problem with the moisture.. if anything they were TOO moist. Is there a difference between baking soda and baking powder? This may have been the issue. I’m a baking novice!
admin July 20, 2011 at 5:04 pm
Ah, yes there is. Did you swap baking soda for baking powder? That may have done it, if you followed everything else. Sorry they weren’t an A+!
Daily Health Blitz July 20, 2011 at 5:47 pm
This looks absolutely delicious and nutritious! Alas, peanut allergies in the family keep me from enjoying it. It seems like many of the granola bar recipes I see have peanut butter as an ingredient.
Kettlebelle September 4, 2011 at 6:21 am
Hi Coach! Love your cookbook, I make recipes out of there every week and even my kids like it One question though,, can I substitute unsweetened almond milk for soy milk?
admin September 4, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Yes yes yes! I often do!
Sandi September 4, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Hi
These look amazing and will try to make them!
One question: I am getting more interested in the Paleo solution and just listened to the podcast on wheat. Can one substitute whole wheat flour for another kind? I’m not much of a baker so don’t know about such things. Also, what’s your opinion on the wheat avoidance issue, being a nutritionist?
Thanks love your site!
Ann September 6, 2011 at 2:19 pm
I was so excited to make these. Mine were so gooey, I couldn’t get them out of the pan. You would need a spoon. I followed it exactly except my flour was unbleached regular flour. Would that make that much of a difference? They taste good, just not bars. Help.
admin September 7, 2011 at 11:55 am
Hmmm, you didn’t change anything else? If you make them again, try adding a bit more dry ingredients and paring back some of the wet and it should work out. Sorry. Most people have had great success with this recipe.
admin September 7, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I think many types of flour would work here, but I can’t give a firsthand account because I haven’t tried any myself.
On wheat avoidance: I think it’s necessary if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, but for the general population not a big deal. Given how much effort it takes, I don’t think the payoff is warranted. I’d rather guide people to choose more of the good stuff (veggies, lean protein, healthy fats, etc) than focus on wheat avoidance.
BUT, limiting starchy carbs to what the body needs for one’s level of physical activity, THAT I’m definitely a proponent of. But wheat itself I think is largely a scapegoat.
what does protein do September 18, 2011 at 10:42 am
I was recommended this website by way of my cousin. I’m now not certain whether this post is written through him as no one else understand such exact approximately my difficulty. You’re amazing! Thanks!
Tracy Dye September 23, 2011 at 5:47 pm
SO awesome I’m so glad I came across this
I definitely need my energy boosted throughout the day between work and classes. Great recipe!
Mark October 3, 2011 at 4:08 am
Just made a double mix of this and it came out brilliant.
Next time I make this, i’m going to add some chopped nuts and more milled flax seed for that extra protein hit.
BBakeca Milano October 5, 2011 at 1:45 am
Great recipe!! Thanks for share it! I cant’t wait to taste it!
Danielle October 17, 2011 at 8:13 am
Hi Georgie! I make a batch of these every 2 weeks and I’ve tweaked the recipe to where I really like it.
I make a modified version you posted on PN, with double the egg whites (1/2 cup), 2 scoops ON protein powder (I use casein), and 1 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt. Obviously these changes increase the protein quite a bit. I also upped the baking powder to 1 tsp to give the bars more loft.
The other modification I’ve made, which gave me my most successful batch to date yesterday, is to put half the batter in the 8 x 8 Pyrex dish, spread about 1/4 cup (4 tbsp, not 6) of smooth natural peanut butter all over the surface, then cover with the rest of the batter. I like this because although the bars don’t look as pretty as yours, I’m not wild about the “pasty” texture of the PB as it bakes on the surface.
Finally, I let the bars bake (without convection) for 30 minutes. I know, this is TONS more than you. When I remove them from the oven they look puffed up like a snackin’ cake and the sides are pulling away from the dish. I let them sit until they cool then cut them into 16 (yes, 16!!!) small portions.
The texture is somewhat gooey, somewhat cakey. Basically, it tastes like you’re having a chocolatey peanut butter baked treat, not a healthy snack! So I really love this recipe. THANK YOU!!!!
JPaiin October 19, 2011 at 2:23 pm
That looks like a nice recipe. I will have to try it out. It should be simple to replace various ingredients with the gluten free items as well. Thanks for posting this!
Gretta October 21, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Recipes like this are so great because if you do follow them you can add a lot of extra stuff (like flaxseeds or chocolate chips
I don’t like my health food to be too healthy because then I don’t eat it. I use real sugar and I add a little salt to the mix too because it balances out the sweetness of the chocolate. Whole peanuts mix in really well too and beef it up a little bit. Delicious and nutritious!
Almond Butter recipes Almond Butter October 30, 2011 at 9:41 am
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Beverly January 10, 2012 at 7:05 pm
I love peanut butter and chocolate! These bars look awesome and good for you!
Megan February 6, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Ah I want one right now!!
Simon March 25, 2012 at 10:05 am
thoose looks really tasty, should try it out
Diane V. March 28, 2012 at 6:58 am
Hi There!
The protein bars look wonderful! Looking to substitute the whey power (due to an allergy) any ideas? Thanks!
Karisa April 23, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Delicious! I have made these twice.
The second time,
I added 1 cup of rice krispies and they really held together so much better and added a crispy texture!!
Serene June 6, 2012 at 8:27 am
Whoa, whoever said that healthy is yucky is wrong! I never thought that healthy protein bars can be this yummy. Thank you for posting this recipe. Will make a batch or two this weekend.
Alex October 15, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Having seen many unhealthy approaches for protein bar recipes, yours stands out.
People who are struggling to lose fat should incorporate an easy snack in their everyday meal plan such as this one, which contains the appropriate amount of protein.
Good Job. Thank you!
koosh January 18, 2013 at 8:43 am
Still love these!
Georgie January 18, 2013 at 10:51 am
Thanks Koosh! So have you made variations of them by now?
Momma K March 18, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Can I use cows milk or rice milk instead of soy? Thank you!
Georgie March 20, 2013 at 9:09 am
Yes, Momma K! Its works just fine with cows milk, Ive done it a billion times. Water works too.
Sharon April 21, 2013 at 6:20 am
OK I made these and made the following changes: used 2 whole eggs, unsweetened plant protein mix, real sugar, powdered cow milk, and 1.5 TBS cocoa powder, and cut into 8 pieces. Here is the result of my unscientific results:
item amt. serving energy protein fat carbs fiber sugar weight
item amt. serving energy protein fat carbs fiber sugar
oatmeal 0.5 cup 154 5.33 2.64 27.45 4.1 0.4
powder milk 0.17 cup 40 4 0 6 0 6
eggs (whole) 2 126 11 8.37 0.63 0 0.33
vanilla 0.5 TBS 12 0 0 0 0 0
plant protein 1 scoop 120 22 1 6 4 0
sugar 0.5 cup 387 0 0 100 0 100
peanut butter 6 TBS 420 21 48 18 6 3
flax seed 4 TBS 180 8 16 14 12 0
whole wheat flour 2 TBS 100 2.88 0.58 22.34 3.9 0.31
cocoa powder 1.5 TBS 30 1.5 0.75 4.5 1.5 0
baking powder 0.75 tsp 4 0 0 1.76 0.1 0
salt 0.13 tsp 0 0 0 0 0 0
water 0.5 cup 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total whole pan 1573 75.71 77.34 200.68 31.6 110.86
Total 1 bar 196.63 9.46 9.6 25.09 3.95 13.86
clif bar 1 bar 240 10 5 43 5 22