Yesterday.was.nuts. Almonds… not peanuts 😉
I know I said I was looking forward to getting back into a normal routine after the holidays, but yesterday was not normal — either that or I lost some of my work-related fitness after taking a few weeks off for Christmas vacation. Should have been doing [number] crunches or something. Dang. But I digress.
I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve posted a recipe here on Spoons, and that’s probably because… well… it has been [what feels like] forever. The last one was the holiday cookie energy bites that I posted waaaaaay before Christmas, so I’m well overdue for another — especially since my goal this year is to share more recipes. So… here’s one for granola bars! (how’s that for an intro? 😉 )
And because that picture makes them look kind of puny and insignificant, here are some better ones…
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about… It almost looks like those one of those fancy glamour shots they take of McDonalds’ Big Macs… Except that when you make these, they actually come out looking like they do in the picture, and not like that sorry excuse for meat, lettuce, and bread that they throw at you and try to pass off as a burger. But I digress.
I’m picky when it comes to my granola bars, and it pains me to say that none of the pre-packaged ones have been able to live up to my standards. Okay, that’s not even close to being true. The reality of the matter is that it pains me to say that I have no idea whether or not the pre-packaged bars would live up to my standards because I can’t eat 99.99% of them — let’s just say that “may contain traces of peanuts” is definitely up there on my list of phrases I hate to hear the most. But, again, I digress. The point is… what? (brain fart). AH! The point is, if I want a bar, I have to make a bar; and when I make a bar, it has to be juuuuuuuuust right.
This means: soft, chewy, dense, chocolatey, nutritious, and filling. In other words, these:
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
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Soft and Chewy Protein Granola Bars
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups (160 g) quick oats
- 1/2 cup (40 g) vanilla protein powder
- 2 Tbsp (14 g) ground flax
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (64 g) almond butter (or any nut butter)
- 1/4 cup (80 g) honey, or brown rice syrup if vegan
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (60 g) mini chocolate chips (dairy-free if vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare an 8×8 (20x20cm) baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, protein powder, flax, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine almond butter, honey, almond milk, and vanilla. Mix until fully combined. Pour wet mix into dry mix and stir until fully incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour into prepared baking pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread the mixture evenly in the pan, pressing down firmly.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes before cutting into bars.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Click here for nutrition facts.
Bars are one of my favourite snacks because of how portable and filling they are. I’m sure there are a lot of great storebought bars out there, but for those of us who have allergies, or who are looking to save some money, homemade bars are the way to go — not only are they a breeze to whip up, but you can customize them to your heart’s content… Not feeling chocolate? Toss in some raisins, dates, or dried cranberries instead. Need a little extra oompf? Add some nuts, seeds, or coconut shreds. The possibilities are endless, and the results are delicious.
Enjoy your Tuesday, friends! And don’t forget to start Thinking Out Loud 😀
Made these and they are really good!
Im counting macros do can tell me how many grams of carbs, fat and protein would be in 1 serving?
I just made these tonight and I’m not sure if I did something wrong but they turned out really dry. The only substitutions I made were to use peanut butter instead of almond butter (it’s all I had) and to use raisins and pecans instead of chocolate chips. Everything else I followed exactly. Are they supposed to be very dry?
These are delicious. I was looking for a good “chewy and dense” granola bar (yes I like them that way too) so these are perfect. My kids like them too so it’s a win all round. This recipe is a keeper.
Can you use regular dairy milk for this recipe
Hi!! These are absolutely incredible. My boyfriend and I meal prep these for breakfasts and they give us just the energy we need to get to our next meal. Can these be frozen? I was thinking of making them as Christmas gifts for family and friends.
Thanks!
These are absolutely delicious! Going to be a nice grab-n-go breakfast item that goes into my regular weekend make-ahead list!
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Thanks.
Thank you for this recipe! I love how all ingredients are already things we have in the pantry. I can’t wait to try this!
Delicious, easy and so healthy! And keeps me full for hours too. Thank u! This will become a regular part of my weekday bfast meal prep. Can’t wait to modify flavors and mix ins in coming weeks.
These are great bars for adults and kids. I make them with vanilla whey protein powder (Optimum Nutrition), cow’s milk and smooth peanut butter. They always taste good and are easy to pack on a trip or for the pool. Thanks for the recipe!
Any advice for dealing with unsweetened/unflavoured protein powder and plain almond milk? I’m thinking of upping the vanilla by 2 tsp. and adding a little extra honey (maybe an 1/8 cup)…
These weren’t bad. I did substitute unsweetened applesauce for the honey because I’m trying to avoid sugar. They held together great, but a little tasteless and a little dry. Maybe the honey would have mad a big difference there. Will try again with the honey.
Hi Jill. The honey definitely makes a big difference since that’s where all of the sweetness and flavour come from. The kind of protein powder you use will also affect the taste – I’ve found that flavoured ones do a lot better than unflavoured.
Just wondering if brown rice protein powder would be suitable to use?
That’d be totally fine, Aaron.
LOVE these! just made them tonight. Question…. can i leave them out (in a sealed container) or do they need to be refrigerated? thanks!
I’m glad you liked them, Christine! You can leave them out for about 5 days or so, and after that I’d transfer them to the fridge.
Hello! I did my own protein bars with 100g oats, 100g peanut butter, 6 tbsp of honey and 5 cups of whey protein, i mix everything in the pan and cook for a cup of minutes, then i put the mix in separates molds and put in the fridge for 1 hour, but the glued is bad in my my mix.. And its taffy.. What can i do for make it more soft and glued better?