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If you want to make one of the easiest, most nutritious snack bars around, these Protein Bars are for you!
Several years ago I went through a major “bar phase”. No, I wasn’t getting smashed all over town, I was consuming Luna, Lara and other similar types of protein bars at a rapid rate. It became such an obsession that two of my girlfriends and I actually set out to form our own bar company — just imagine getting to cook one of your favorite foods all day, every day. We had a name, a mission statement, and developed recipes for every flavor of bar under the sun and they were delicious (I think).
But unlike the majority of bars on the market that are jam packed with additives and sugar, our goal was to make something completely organic, packed with protein, devoid of sugar, and full of flavor. The bigger goal was to do all this using as few ingredients per bar as possible. The bar business became a casualty of our busy lives, but I still produce them for my friends and family.
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Which got me thinking. Breakfast can be a real challenge when you’re trying to get your entire family out the door and sending your little one to school with a healthy snack can be just as hard. This Protein Bar recipe is a treat that everyone (over the age on 1 and no history of nut allergies) in the family will love and since the recipe makes 16 bars and they stay fresh for weeks. You’re set!
More Bar Recipes
Wrap them individually and toss them in snack bags or bring them along for an easy, on-the-go treat that you and your family will love. They’re the perfect thing to be sending along with your kids to school as well!
Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, raw and unsalted
- 1 cup almonds, raw and unsalted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or chocolate chips
- 2 1/4 cup dates (about 20)
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°F (or put your oven on it’s lowest setting and adjust the cooking time).
- Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with COOL water and soak for 1 hour.
- Cover the dates with HOT water and soak for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain off the water and pit the dates.
- Place the oats in a food processor and grind to a powder. Place in a separate large bowl.
- Drain the water off the nuts, place on a towel to remove excess water. Place the nuts in a food processor with the dried cranberries (chocolate chips) and pulse until nuts are in small pieces (the nuts will be uneven pieces which is fine. Just make sure they are all chopped.
- Place the nuts in the bowl with the oats.
- Place the dates, vanilla and honey (agave) in food processor and pulse until it makes a puree.
- Place the date mixture with the oat mixture and thoroughly combine all the ingredients (mixture will be thick and sticky).
- Place the date nut mixture on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Shape into a long rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and measuring about 8 x 10 inches. Make sure the rectangle is flat and even.*
- Bake for 4.5-5 hours or until the log is firm, but not hard (If the lowest setting on your oven is 200 degrees, cook for 4 hours).
- Cool, cut into bars and wrap individually.
Video
Notes
- If using a dehydrator, heat at 135 degrees and dehydrate for 6-8 hours
They sound delicious! How can you call them Protein bars though when they only have 4g protein & 35 g Carbs … not much protein for 220 calories. 🙂 They look like they’d make a great carry along for an intense hike though. THANKS FOR SHARING!
Can you use another dried fruit instead of dates? Such as cherries, mixed berries etc.
Thanks,
Niccole
Use 1 cup if they’re already chopped. Use them in place of the dates called for in the recipe!
Can I use chopped dates in this? If I do, what do I do with them and when to put in?
Yum I’m making these this weekend
Yes it will! 🙂
hey catherine , i was wondering if it’s possible to use a parchment paper intead of a silpat as i don’t have it on hand. will it work ?
I found that I needed more than 20 dates to get to the 2 1/4 cup. I must have gotten small dates. In the dehydrator now, looking forward to eating them.
I made these last night and they came out perfect! I had a bit of trouble figuring out how many dates to use, because I bought pitted, dried dates. I stuck to the 2 1/4 cups and ignored the (about 20) part because 2 1/4 cups was almost 50 of the pitted dried ones. Recipe still worked out fantastic, and my Lara Bar lover of a husband is very happy today! Thanks for yet another great recipe Catherine!
learning maths,math tricks…
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I know several people have asked about the nutritional info. I tried to do the math myself and with the ingrediants I used it came oot to 165 Calories, 4g Protein, and 2g Fiber per bar.
I need the nutritional info. Mainly the calories, fiber and protein. Can anyone help??
Mine burnt too and I only baked them for 3 hours on my oven’s lowest setting. What’s the secret?
Mine burnt on the bottom? I only cooked for 3.5 hours on my lowest oven setting. Any thoughts as to why they burnt? I followed the instructions and used a silpat on a cookie sheet. The flavor is good but the burn is a bummer…
Thanks!
Not all oats are gluten free! They must be grown and processed in dedicated fields and facilities. Regular oats you buy at your grocery store are highly contaminated with wheat. If you have celiac or a gluten intolerance you must buy certified gluten free oats. Bobs red mill brand is great!
Catherine,
Can you put these in the dehydrator?