Forget store bought protein bars that are not fresh, full of additives and preservatives. With this simple recipe you can have fresh, healthy high protein fudge bars with the preservatives, and you also know the exact ingredients that are in the bars. you can also control the taste and add a few extras on your own to personalize this healthy treat to fit your individuals taste. best of all you can also save money in the process!!

Choculate Peanut Butter High Protein Fudge Bar 

Equipment needed:

• 10 pieces of aluminum foil sized 1/2 roll X 6"
• Freezer or ice pack
• blender
• bowl
• heavy spatula 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate whey protein powder
• 7 oz. of natural peanut butter
  
• 1 cup oatmeal rolled oats
• 1/4  cup honey, or Stevia
  

Directions:

• Blend oatmeal to powder and put in large mixing bowl.
• Add chocolate whey protein powder to bowl and mix ingredients thoroughly.
• Add peanut butter a little at a time, blending between additions, until the mixture has the texture of cookie dough and holds its shape when pressed together.
• Form a pattie one inch thick with grooves 1/2 inch apart 1/2 inch deep on top.
  
• Pour honey evenly over surface and mix in well. Another healthy option is to add stevia, a natural herbal sweetener to taste. Note: feel free to experiment and add other things.
• Form milky way size and shape blobs of the muck with spatula and knife or spoon and wipe onto aluminum square.
• Put tin to the freezer. Chill for a few hours.
• When nicely frozen, remove and cut into bars of desired size.
• Wrap each bar individually in wax paper. I like to wrap a few then put them into a container or plastic bag which I then put back into the freezer.
• Keep the bars chilled until just before eating, if possible. You don't need to be overly fastidious about this (i.e. you could leave one in your bag for an afternoon), but staying cold helps the bars keep their shape, and keeps them from going bad. I keep mine in the freezer then grab one out on my way to work and keep it in the fridge at work. If you want to be able to eat them immediately after retrieving them from the cooler, you may want to just refrigerate them instead of freezing.

Notes:

There are lots of things you can do with the basic recipe to give you a variety of tastes.  Here are just a few examples/ideas:

• You can add dry spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to give the bar a unique taste.
  
• You can also add nuts or seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Just grind them up and mix in with the oats. Walnuts and pumpkin seeds will add omega-3s, and Brazil nuts will add selenium (an antioxidant).
• You can also try adding a shot of coconut or vanilla flavoring. Just remember to add a little extra oats to compensate for the added liquid.
• I like to add one banana to the mix to make the texture a little chewier. More than one banana seems to make it too gooey. Adding any kind of fruit puree or a banana will give the bars a moister, chewier texture.

About the Author

Jeff Behar, MS, MBA