Have you ever tried perfect bars? They are beyond delicious! The peanut butter, the chocolate, and the marriage of the two in your mouth…. OOOOoo! They’re so good 🙂
I found them at one of those little sample stations at the grocery store and oh man was I hooked! But then…. I saw the price tag.
So, I decided that I could make perfect bars from scratch for a fraction of the price! I have made this recipe so many times and adapted it and changed it and I think I’ve finally found a winner!
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Here’s What you’re going to Need
- blanched almond flour
- oat flour (you can also grind your
- whey protein powder (or your favorite protein powder, or fit peanut butter or just extra almond flour if you want to skip it altogether)
- peanut butter (you’ll want to use a natural one that is runnier)
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- mini chocolate chips (optional)
The first thing you will need is a food processor, blender, or KitchenAid mixer. You can use a food processor which I got a Walmart for around $30, but now I use my KitchenAid mixer. This recipe doesn’t require you to grind anything unless you’re grinding your own oat, so a normal food processor should be fine. You really just want everything to be incorporated very well. If you do want to find your own oats you can use a Vitamix..
First, you are going to add your blanched almond flour, oat flour, and whey protein powder to your food processor or blender and mix until combined.
Now you are going to add all your “wet” ingredients. Add the peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. For the peanut butter, make sure to use a natural one, not no stir, because you want it to be runny, this helps everything stick together. It’s almost magical as you watch it all come together to form a ball!
After you’ve added everything to the blender, pulse it a couple of times and then run it for about 30 seconds. This may take more or less time depending on your blender.
You’ll know it’s ready when…
The ingredients should form a well-incorporated ball and will begin to go around like pizza dough. It’s okay if there are a couple of little chunks at the bottom.
Place parchment paper in a 8 x 8 glass dish and put your ball of dough in the middle and then pressing it flat into the corners and sides.
The picture below is when I ground my oats with a food processor rather than using oat flour. They are still good, but there will be a little bit of texture because not all the oats will grind down depending on your blender or food processor options. *Now I use oat flour, which I love way more because the consistency is so smooth!
Once it is flat, you can add your mini chocolate chips to the top and gently press them in.
Place the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Then remove and cut into bars or small squares. Keep in the refrigerator and enjoy for up to 2 weeks, if they last that long!
These amazing littler bars pack a punch! A couple small bites and you will be ready for the day. Start your day off with the protein your body needs!
- 1 c. blanched almond flour
- 1 c. oat flour*
- 1/4 c. protein powder* (one that is tasteless or vanilla works best)
- 1/2 c. natural peanut butter (like Adams)
- 1/2 c. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips (optional)
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First add the blanched almond flour, oat flour and protein powder to your food processor or blender and mix until combined
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Next add your peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
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Pulse your blender to combine ingredients slowly at first and then more quickly
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You will know it is done when it all becomes one ball of dough. You may have a couple chunks left in the bottom, but these are easily combined when you add it to your 8 x 8 glass dish
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Place parchment paper in a 8 x 8 glass dish and put your ball of dough in the middle. Pressing it flat into the corners and sides.
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Once it is flat, add your mini chocolate chips to the top and gently press them in.
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Place the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour. Then remove and cut into bars or small squares. Keep in the refrigerator and enjoy for up to 2 weeks, if they last that long
*Blanched almond flour– I buy Costco’s and I love the way they turn out. Blanched means that the skins have been removed, that is why the coloring of blanched almond flour is so light. I have not tried this recipe with unbalanced, but feel free to try and let me know how it goes.
*Oat flour– You can grind down your own oats into flour in a high powered blender or you can buy them on Amazon. You can also grind down your own oats using a really good food processor, blender, or I’ve heard that even coffee grinder will work.
*Protein powder- I like to use whey protein isolate because it is tasteless and doesn’t change the way my perfect bars turn out. I have also used fit peanut butter, but you can use your favorite protein powder or just add in a 1/4 c. more of oat flour or almond flour. My friend has used this protein powder in this recipe and really liked it.
*Mixing- you could totally mix these by hand or in a KitchenAid mixer. I used my food processor dozens of times and you can use a Vitamix to grind the oats if you don’t have oat flour.
I hope you love these perfect bars as much as I do! Let me know in the comments what you think 🙂
If you’re interested in finding out some ways to simplify your morning routine, throw in some of these delicious bar bites! They are full of protein and will get your morning started off right!
I only recently tried a perfect bar and can’t believe it took me so long….. but yes the price tag!! I will try these for sure… I have some protein + superfoods powder which I will try, it sa vegan one but the superfoods will give a similar nutritional profile to the store bought version!
They are so good! They are in my rotation of quick breakfast options and I just love them! What superfoods powder do you use? I’d love to try it!
How many servings does this make? What is the calorie count?
If you cut them into 24 pieces and have 2, that would be about 188 calories. If you use an alternative nut butter it could be less. Cashew butter is slightly lower in fats.