Super Easy Protein Snickers Bars!
DANGER!!! These ARE ADDICTIVE!!
I’m sort of joking. But not really. The fact they are fairly high in protein just makes it harder to say.. “eh what’s one more!” haha. They are not low in calories- but WOOSH they taste so very similar to a real snickers and its very very hard to cut yourself off. I kept mine in the freezer and loved eating them straight out of there.
The nougat is where the protein bomb is!! But it tastes SO much better than a protein bar. Especially when frozen- you’ll never taste it!! Then I opted to make a real caramel and it really pulls the recipe together. I have seen other recipes use a date “caramel’. I did whip up a batch with that too and Its just not the same or as tasty!
To make these snickers the process is pretty simple!!
First you make the nougat- by mixing together the those ingredients in a bowl!! it’ll be a thick chewy type of dough. I press that into a parchment lined bread pan and press a layer of salted peanuts over the top. Then I stuck it into the freezer while I made the caramel!
Caramel may be intimidating but its VERY easy to make. Its just a matter of throwing all the ingredients into a sauce pan and simmering it long enough until it thickens. At which point it can be poured right over the noughat! Then it goes back into the freezer to firm up.
THEN you just slice the snickers into bars and dip them into dark chocolate melted with a little coconut oil so its a bit thinner and easier to work with. I sprinkled some flaky salt on top just for fun- and put them in the fridge to cool the chocolate. And THAT is it! They were totally done in less than an hour and were dessert for a week and a half.. plus came with a bonus of protein :).
How to make the bars SUGAR FREE (Well ALMOST sugar free!! Super super low in sugar)
Swap out the regular sugar/ honey for sugar free honey + add 1/4 Tsp of Liquid Stevia or Liquid Monkfruit. I didn’t add the extra stevia/monk fruit to the recipe box but if you had it I think its worth adding :)
Let’s talk about the sweetener options: Keto honey really isn’t a known ingredient…YET. I did a deep search on Amazon for it and since I found the first brand awhile back, a few more have come on the scent. My current favorites are:
The Nature’s Hollow brand can cause a little bit of digestive upset for some people, but not everyone. The other two are really gentle on your stomach. All 3 brands will work great in this recipe. Make sure you don’t skip the liquid stevia/monk fruit extract, either as it will bring the sweetness to the perfect level. Combining sugar free sweeteners really helps to create a more traditional balanced sweetness that your tastebuds expect.
Additionally you will want to select a dark chocolate or low in sugar chocolate. There are also brands of sugar free chocolate chips.
How to make the bars Dairy Free/ Vegan:
Use a vegan protein powder (like I did!) I went with the brand Orgain.
Use Dairy Free Butter and Coconut Cream and dairy free milk when called for. Opt for a chocolate that is dairy free/vegan!
I
Easy No Bake Protein Snickers Bars!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup blanched almond flour
- 3/4 cup Vanilla Protein Powder + 2 Tbsp (I used Orgain Vegan Vanilla)
- 5 Tbsp + 2 Tsp Honey, Maple Syrup or Agave. (You may also use Sugar free Honey or Syrup)
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1/4 Cup + 1 Tbsp Milk (Regular or Vegan. Any variety)
- 1-2 Cups Salted Roasted Peanuts
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream or Coconut Cream
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Butter (regular or vegan)
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
- 10 Ounces of Chocolate Chips (Dark or Semi sweet is out preference) Regular or Dairyfree/Vegan.
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
- Line a bread pan with parchment. Set aside.
- Make the nougat. (Note: I did this by hand but If you prefer to use a food processor that works great too!) To a large or medium bowl add the almond flour, protein powder, syrup, salt and milk. A thick protein bar like dough will form. Press it into the bottom of the prepared bread pan.
- Press a layer of peanuts into the nougat in the pan. You can use 1-2 cups. "(Note: The quantity used will impact the protein count. I used 1 1/4 cup for mine). Place into the freezer to set.
- Make the caramel: Add to a small heavy duty sauce pan all of the caramel ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and thicken the caramel for 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for another 15-20 minutes.
- Pour over the the frozen nougat and peanuts. Place back into the freezer for 30-60 minutes to allow the caramel to fully set and freeze. (Making it easier to slice and handle the bars when coating in chocolate).
- Melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate and the coconut oil to a glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stopping halfway through to mix it. Whisk until fully melted and smooth.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Remove the frozen bars from the freezer and slice them into 12 (or more) bars. Dip each one in chocolate making sure to swipe the bottom of the bars on the rim of the bowl to remove extra chocolate. Give them a good little shake and allow excess chocolate to drizzle off. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and repeat with all of the bars. Optional: Sprinkle with course sea salt!
- Place the cookie sheet in the fridge or freezer to allow the chocolate to set. Store the snickers in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for up tp 1 month!
Notes
Low Sugar Caramel:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut cream
- 1/4 cup Sukrin Gold Sugar Free Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Sugar Free Honey or Maple Syrup
- 4 Tbsp Butter (Regular or Vegan)
- 1 Tbsp Molasses
- 1/8 Tsp Salt
Combine in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened.
Use in place of caramel recipe above if you wish to make the bars low in sugar!
