Protein Bars
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.
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 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. Your set!
Protein Bars (Makes 16 Bars)
1 Cup Cashews, raw and unsalted
1 Cup Almonds, raw and unsalted
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
2 1/4 Cup Dates (about 20)
3/4 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Honey or Agave
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees (or put your oven on it’s lowest setting and adjust the cooking time).
2. Place the nuts in a bowl and cover with COOL water and soak for 1 hour.
3. Cover the dates with HOT water and soak for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain off the water and pit the dates.
4. Place the oats in a food processor and grind to a powder. Place in a separate large bowl.
5. 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 and pulse until nuts are in small pieces (the nuts will be uneven pieces which is fine. Just make sure they are all chopped.
6. Place the nuts in the bowl with the oats.
7. Place the dates, vanilla and agave in food processor and pulse until it makes a puree.
8. Place the date mixture with the oat mixture and thoroughly combine all the ingredients (mixture will be thick and sticky).
9. Place the date nut mixture on a silpat on a cookie sheet. Spread out using a spatula or even your hands.
10. Shape into a long log resembling a long rectangle. Make sure the rectangle is flat and even.
11. Bake for 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).
12. Cool, cut into bars and wrap individually.
We used these to make this recipe:
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Since you are comparing these to a Luna Bar, etc…how to they compare in terms of Nutritional Info (ie calorie count, fat, dietary fiber, etc)?
Hey Catherine! I’m excited to try these bars…but am not a big fan of Agave. Do you think honey or molasses would work as a substition? And I’m guessing that it would be okday to sprinkle some flax seeds in to give them a little bit of a nutrition boost?
Thanks!!
You can use honey and flax seed would be great!
Hi!
I love the idea of this recipe, but I’m not a big fan of dates. Is there something else I can use?
Unfortunately, no. They are naturally healthy and sweet cause of the dates.
maybe figs??
Hey! I love, love, love these bars! I try to always have them on hand; my husband is crazy about them, too. I really need to get the nutritional information. How can I do that? Thanks so much!
My first comment/review ever for anything! These bars are absolutely 100% AMAZING! I can’t wait to give a piece to my 21 month old tomorrow morning for breakfast. Thank you thank you.
I have a hard time finding bars my nut-allergic toddler can eat – I realize the nuts are important for the texture, nutrition, etc… any ideas on substitutions for kids allergic to peanut and tree nuts?? I am always looking for nutritious, make-ahead foods!!
My son is allergic to most tree nuts as well. I find that pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds and soynuts work great as substitutions. They give the same nutty taste and crunch with loads of high protein nutrition.
How much protine per serving?? Bar?? How much fat?? Calories??
These are delicious!! The kids loved them. I think I undercooked mine a bit because I was afraid of them getting too hard for my 1 year old, but they still taste yummy! I even crumbled some up and mixed into some vanilla greek yogurt for breakfast today. With 3 kids, it’s nice to know I will have a healthy/easy breakfast for all of us this week. Thanks!
Extremely nice posting. I just bookmark your blog and also would like to be able to say that I have really appreciated while reading your content. Thank you for spreading the information with all.
Any suggestions on replacing the oats to make these gluten free? Would love to be able to make this kind of bar for my daughter so it would be more affordable and healthy.
Bob’s Redmill now sells Gluten-Free Oats (old fashioned, quick and steel cut)!
From what I know, Oats are naturally gluten free. Have you researched about it?
It’s one of those grains that is iffy. Some people can tolerate it and some can’t. Of course it often could have something to do with there being trace amounts of wheat due to the processing in the same facility. Will get some of the brand mentioned above and try it.
Anyway, had some organic corn flakes on hand that I pulverized into powder and used that. Still waiting for them to bake, but the batter was a hit with all the kids.
Thanks for reposting this today, Catherine! Now I have to go buy a silpat so I can make them
I don’t have a silpat…would a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray work? Or would that make them too greasy on the bottom?
Catherine,
Can you put these in the dehydrator?
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!
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!
I need the nutritional info. Mainly the calories, fiber and protein. Can anyone help??
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?m not positive the place you are getting your info, but good topic. I must spend a while finding out more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic information I used to be searching for this info for my mission.
learning maths,math tricks…
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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!