When you need a quick and easy-to-make protein bar recipe that packs as much flavor as it does nutrition, this is one you should try!
Delicious, nutritious, chemical-free, high in protein, raw, vegan, plant-based, and best of all, this will take you less than 10 minutes of prep time to make (plan for another hour to freeze them). Best of all, they’re guilt-free. Except if you eat the whole dish (they are that good). Then maybe they won’t be guilt-free.
This recipe uses chocolate butter, or raw, vegan cacao butter, which is made by pressing ground, milled cacao nibs to make a cocoa paste. This process separates the thick and creamy butter from the fibrous powder. It contains natural antioxidants and nutrients known to help balance mood and boost immune system. Navitas Naturals Cacao Butter uses the pure, cold-pressed oil of the cacao bean, and they are one of my top picks for raw cacao because their low temperature processing ensures that quality standards are met, and no chemicals or solvents are ever used in the process. You can also use cacao butter as a skin cream or massage oil! It makes your skin super soft, and you smell like chocolate.
Melt-In-Yo-Mouth Protein Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
2 scoops Warrior Blend vanilla protein- 1.5 cups raw organic cacao butter
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Sea salt
- 1 cup hazelnuts, chopped
- 1 cup mulberries
Directions:
Melt cacao butter and coconut oil in big sauce pan at very low heat so you don’t burn it. If it is bubbling then it’s way too hot. You want easy, slow melting. Once it is melted, add in the liquid sweeteners. Stir well. Then add in the powders. Stir thoroughly so there are no clumps of powder. Add sea salt and vanilla last. Mix. I like to give it a taste (but be careful; it is hot) to make sure it’s sweet enough. It should taste really good as is. If not, then add a tad more maple syrup.
Once everything is mixed well (this should take you less than 10 minutes), pour hot mixture into a baking dish that has been lined with parchment. (Make sure the parchment paper is big enough that it goes over the side of the dish. This makes it easy to get the bars out once they have been frozen).
The thickness of your bars depends on the size of your baking dish or baking pan. Since they are quite hard and dense, I make my bars to be thinner so biting into them doesn’t become problematic.
I like to blend some nut or seed powder at the very end and sprinkle it on top with a little bit of sea salt. This bit of decorative finishing gives an extra crunch and adds a sweet salty taste to the bar that is absolutely divine.
These take about an hour to totally freeze up and become hard. Once they do, take them out of dish by pulling sides of parchment paper to lift it up. Cut into pieces. If it is too cold and hard sometimes the pieces come out jagged. That’s ok. They are still delicious! If you want symmetrical shapes you can wait for it to de-thaw a bit before cutting easily. (I usually can’t wait!) Keep your amazing, raw chocolate protein bar pieces in a container in freezer and eat as a high protein, clean, filling, snack on the go. These ones are winners ... just like you!
Important Cacao Tip:
Raw Cacao is a stimulant so best not consumed before bed. I have also learned this the hard way many times.
Try another Gracious Living 10 Minute Raw Chocolate Bar recipe!
