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About a month ago I had one of those ugggh moments.
A good friend of mine had excitedly shared a new idea for on-the-go protein bars — something low in sugar, high in protein, and satisfyingly kid-friendly.
Yet, I snubbed heridea, passing it off as having too much sugar.
The reality was, I didn’t really listen to her plan as I should have.
The next week, when she visited again to pick up her milk share at our home, she brought me a sample of her newly concocted protein bar.
Boy, was it good!
After hearing about the ingredients she used,I promptly ate my words. This was anamazing protein bar without much sugar at all!
The texture was smooth and not sticky, and it stayed together even without dates.
My friend Debbie had created a protein bar masterpiece.
So, I ate my humble pie, asked for forgiveness, and requested to borrow her idea and share thiswonderful creation with you all.
Thank God for faithfulfriends who joyfully forgive and are more than happy to share. 😉
Here’s my adapted version of her protein bars. I hope you love them as much as I do!
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Debbie's Grain-Free Protein Bars
This is an amazing protein bar without much sugar. The texture is smooth and not sticky, and it stays together even without dates. You'll love this on-the-go snack!
CourseSnacks
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings 16 bars
Calories 429 kcal
Author Tracey Vierra
Ingredients
- 1/2cupmaple syrup
- 1/2cupraw honey
- 3organic or pastured egg whites
- 3teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 3tablespoonssustainably-sourced gelatin (certified glyphosate-free)
- 3/4cuppure water
- 3cupsraw almondspreferably soaked*
- 2cupsraw cashewspreferably soaked*
- 1-1/2cupraw pumpkin seedspreferably soaked*
- 1-1/2cupraw sunflower seedspreferably soaked*
- 1cupunsweetened shredded coconut
- 1tablespoonlemon zestfrom approximately 1 lemon
- 3/4cupchocolate chipsorno-sugar, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips**
Instructions
Grease a 9" x 13" glass dish with coconut oil.
Begin by making themarshmallow binder for the protein bars.
Place maple syrup, honey, egg whites, and vanilla extract in your mixer.
Whip or beat on high until gentle peaks form -- this should take around five to eight minutes, depending on your mixer.
While the egg mixture is whipping, grind all of the nuts, seeds, and coconut shreds into a semi-coarse texture in a food processor or blender and mix together in a large bowl.
I just used a mixture of all the soaked nuts I had on hand. Feel free to experiment!
Add lemon peel and chocolate chips, and mix until combined.
Set aside.
Heat water over medium heat while slowing adding gelatin.
Once the gelatin has completely dissolved, remove from heat.
When the egg mixture has begun to peak, slowly add gelatin water while continuing to whip.
Allow to mix for another five to eight minutes, until the mixture has begun to thicken up.
Once egg/gelatin mixture is thickened, quickly combine with nut/seed mixture and mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Pour into the greased dish and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, you will have a great on-the-go or simply anytime protein snack!
Recipe Notes
- *Learn how to soak nuts and seeds here.
- **We like thesethese no-sugar, stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.
- Feel free to experiment with the sweeteners. I find that 1/3 cup of both maple syrup and honey works best for my palate, but others in my home like a bit more. 😉
- This recipe is quite flexible, so you can even just use entirely honey, or entirely maple syrup. Also, if you want to omit the chocolate, I would probably omit the lemon peel as well.
Nutrition Facts
Debbie's Grain-Free Protein Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 429Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 24mg1%
Potassium 408mg12%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 19IU0%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 105mg11%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Do you find that many bar recipes are just too high in sugar? Does this look like a lovely, on-the-go snack?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).
About Tracey Vierra
Tracey has been eternally blessed with a Godly husband to share her days; five beautiful, healthy, witty children who never cease to amaze her; a comfortable place to live amidst the hills and valleys of middle Tennessee; all while being surrounded by neighbors who cluck, crow, moo, chirp, buzz, and allow them to enjoy God's creation. You'll find her reading or attempting to make some new concoction in the kitchen, usually with a baby on one hip and at least one other little one mixing, stirring, or tasting. Tracey and her family offer traditional prepared sourdough and gluten-free cereals at Hill and Hollow.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Chelo says A whole cup of sweetener seems like a lot for this recipe. Does it really need that much? Did you try it with only 1/2 a cup?
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- alexandra says
This recipe has about 1+1/2 Tbsp of sweetener per cup.
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- Tracey Vierra says
This recipe is for a huge batch of bars- I tend to not do things in small quantities any more with 5 children. : ) You could definitely cut down on sugar- I usually use 1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar total, however, the recipe called for a bit more. Make it with less and see how it works for you. Would love to hear your results.
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- Wendy says
I like the idea! But am I ignorant of something to be wary of the raw egg whites? And I presume the lemon is just for flavor? What about using essential oils instead?
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- Tracey Vierra says
: ) I understand about the raw egg whites. I used to have a concern, but we get our eggs from our pastured hens, so I no longer worry about it. There is some heat added to the egg whites from the warmed gelatin and water, which may or may not neutralize the concern you may have. At the end of the day, I think as long as you have quality pastured eggs, you still need to do what you are most comfortable with for you and your family. Blessings!
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- Jill says
What is the benefits of soaking the nots and seeds?
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- Tracey Vierra says
Traditional Cooking School put out a post about this- so that I do not reinvent the wheel- here is a link to great thoughts on your question.
https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2009/12/02/how-and-why-to-soak-and-dehydrate-nuts-and-seeds/
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- Sheryl says
These sound good! I’d like to try them but am following THM and use Truvia, xylitol and/or stevia. Do you have any idea how I could substitute these?
Thanks!Reply
- Tracey Vierra says
Sure. I am not positive of the exact substitution of sugar to stevia, but I would substitute the proper amount of stevia in place of the maple syrup/honey in the marshmallow mixture (I know stevia can be quite strong, so in my opinion, less is always more with it). Then just use the marshmallow binder as in the recipe above. If I remember correctly, when once perusing through THM, I think there is a marshmallow recipe in there with the sweet mix or stevia? If so, maybe you might want to try that. I would love to hear how it turns out. : )
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- Imelda says
Try to Use organic coconut blossom sugar..1 teaspoon is only 4 grams compared to regular sugar of 16 grams a tsp. I’m prediabetic n this,recipe is loaded w too much sugar for diabetics.I will try the recipe.
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- Tracey Vierra says
Haven’t heard of that. Thanks for putting it on my radar. I use coconut sugar, but not coconut blossom sugar- is it the same thing?
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- Jennifer says
Yes – same thing 🙂 Coconut sugar is taken from the flower blossom, not from the coconut itself.
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- sharon says
Do you think these would freeze well??
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- Tracey Vierra says
I do not see why not. We eat them too fast to have any left over to freeze. If you try, I would love to hear!!!
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- Sara says
This might seem a silly question but still thought I’d ask – Are the nuts soaked and dehydrated, or just soaked?
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- Jennifer says
I would like to know the same thing. ????
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- maida says
Me too, as I don’t have a dehydrator. If the nuts are soaked and not dehydrated, how long would the bars keep?
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- Tracey Vierra says
I soak the nuts and then dehydrate them. : ))) Hope that helps and sorry if there was confusion.
Blessings!Reply
- Kim says
Is there a way to dehydrate the nuts in the oven? If so, at what temperature and for how long?
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- Haniya Cherry says
Hi Kim! Sorry for the late response. This post gives instructions on how to dehydrate nuts in the oven: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2009/12/02/how-and-why-to-soak-and-dehydrate-nuts-and-seeds/ You’ll want to keep an eye on them and keep checking them for crispy-ness. It may take up to 24 hours (typical time in the dehydrator), but probably less since you’d be dehydrating them at a higher temp than in the actual dehydrator. Hope that helps 🙂
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- shanti says
How long will these keep and would they keep out of the fridge for a while with having raw egg whites in them? Looks like a great recipe!
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- Karissa says
Yes, how long do these bars keep?
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