Loaded Protein Granola Bars

I love granola bars, but I do not need yet another snack option that just offers me pure carbs.

So I decided to try and make protein granola bars, basing my recipe off of my favourite granola, my Healthy Peanut Butter Honey Granola.

The rules were strict:

• As with my protein muffins, keep it around 100 cals a bar
• Have at least 7g of protein
• And under 15g of carbs
• Use whole grains
• Allow for yummy add-ins (chocolate chips, I’m talking to you!)

And so these granola bars were born. If you’re not fussed about the protein content, just add more oats and skip the protein powder.

(For comparison’s sake, 1 scoop of my protein powder is 5 tbsp, so if you replace all of the protein powder, you’ll want 10 tbsp of oats – I would suggest grinding at least half of these into flour).

You’ll want to leave the egg whites in though, as they really act as a great binder to keep the bars together.

Also, add in whatever you want! I wanted a variety of add-ins but wanted to keep the cals low so I only put in a small amount of each add-in. But you can go to town on this! The nutritional information provided is based on the quantity of each add-in I put in the recipe.

And final note – this time about the cereal. Again, if you’re not picky about protein, you don’t need to use Kashi’s high-protein cereal. Use high-fiber, if that’s more your focus, or just regular cereal. If you’re gluten-free, try using gluten-free brown rice krispies and gluten-free oats. Delish!

Now get creative and go make yourself some bars :).

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 bars):

Bars:
1 cup oats
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (each scoop of my protein powder is 115 cals and 24g of protein)
1/2 cup Kashi GoLean Original cereal (or cereal of your choice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup brown rice syrup

Add-ins that I used:
2 tbsp walnuts
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp chocolate chips
1 tbsp raisins

Other optional add-ins:
Cranberries or other dried fruit
Chia or flax seeds
Any kind of nut
Other chips like butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips

Optional peanut butter drizzle:
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp almond milk

Optional chocolate-dipped granola bars:
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
2 tsp coconut oil, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, protein powder, cereal and cinnamon with a spatula.

2. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and brown rice syrup. Microwave for 30 seconds, until runny, and mix well together. Add to large mixing bowl with dry ingredients.

3. Add applesauce and egg whites to large mixing bowl. Combine well, then throw in your add-ins!

4. Line two loaf tins with foil and spray with cooking oil. Spoon half the mixture into each tin and flatten with the back of the spatula, until you get a thin layer.

5. Place in oven to bake for 20-30 minutes, according to your oven. Remove when the edges are golden brown.

6. Let cool, then lift foil out of each tin and cut each batch into 6 bar.

7. For optional peanut butter drizzle, combine peanut butter and almond milk in a small bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Drizzle over bars and then place in the fridge to cool.

8. For optional chocolate-dipped bars, combine chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl and microwave until melted. Pour mixture onto a large square plate and dip each granola bar in the chocolate mix. Place dry side down on a plate and refrigerate to set.

Chocolate-coated:

Nutritional information per bar if recipe makes 12 (includes my add-ins but not optional toppings or drizzle):

108 kcals
3.4g fat
(0.8g sat)
14.5g carbs
(1.6g fibre)
(6.9g sugar)
7.4g protein

I’m linking this post up to Katie’s Marvelous in my Monday party!