Soft Chocolate Chip Granola Protein Bar (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soft protein bar)
I love grabbing a protein granola bar as I dash out the door. In fact, everyone in my family depends on them heavily to supplement lunches, especially those taken to school and work. But commercial bars can be expensive, full of the wrong ingredients for our needs, and we are forever running out!
So I decided this week to put together a super easy recipe for a bar that can be made in an hour, uses pantry ingredients, and isn’t so hard it can break your teeth or give you a headache chewing, haha.Enter these Soft Chocolate Chip Granola Protein Bars I made using as a primary ingredient Bob’s Red Mill‘s Apple Blueberry Granola.
Obviously any favorite granola can be used, as long it is a bit crunch and slightly sweet. I recommend this one or one of Bob’s Red Mill‘s other granolas because they are clean, wholesome and only slightly sweetened.
And another super plus about this recipe is it has no additional sugars – healthy or otherwise – beyond the granola. Because I used a granola slightly sweetened with plant-based sweeteners including pear and pineapple juice, I was able to keep this bar devoid of any other sweetener, even healthier plant-based sweeteners such as maple syrup and dates. So if you are looking to reduce your sugar intake, this bar is a great addition to your options!
Cutting this into eight bars, each bar has about 2 grams of sugar. That’s pretty low!
Keep it refrigerated to keep up the soft texture. I’m guessing they can keep in the refrigerator about a week or so before perhaps they should be eaten or frozen.
Obviously you can add a few more superfood seeds to this recipe too! I only added pumpkin seeds, but I bet the recipe texture could have held up with a 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, and perhaps some sunflower seeds. Just make sure the batter doesn’t become too dry with these additions. Enjoy your chewy homemade granola bars!
Soft Chocolate Chip Granola Protein Bar (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, soft protein bar)
Ingredients
Bar
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Apple Blueberry Granola
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup nut butter (I used almond butter)
- 1/2 cup water
Chocolate Cover
- 2 3.5oz dark chocolate bar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
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Line an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper so it hangs off the side. I cut a conventional 16-inch by 12-inch long piece of parchment in half so I end with parchment sized 8-inches by 12-inches.
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Use a processor to blend up ingredients, just until combined. If you process too long, it becomes a creamy texture. I prefer to stop when the granola, pumpkin seeds, and chips are still a bit textured.
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Spread this sticky batter on to the bottom of the lined loaf pan.
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Break up the chocolate bars into a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup, add a tablespoon of solid coconut oil, and microwave at 60 seconds. Stir the warm chocolate for a few minutes until all remaining chunks of chocolate are melted. Microwave another 30 seconds if needed to melt the chocolate further.
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Pour the melted chocolate over the bar batter.
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Freeze the loaf pan for 1-2 hours. I would stay closer to 1 hour. You don't want the bar to become brick hard or that would defeat the purpose of making a soft protein bar.
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Cut them into slices using a knife, heated in a pot of boiling water and wiped off between each slice.
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Refrigerate the bars to eat them regularly. Freeze them only for long-term storage.
Thank you Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post. The recipe, ideas, content and opinions expressed here are all my own. I do recommend you try Bob’s Red Mill products, you will be so inspired by all their healthy unique products!
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