JOJO'S LIFESTYLE PROTEIN BARS

 

I have been making these healthy bars for years! My husband bought me a cookbook many years ago that had a recipe for healthy bars. I have tweaked the recipe over the years and this has become my Healthy Protein Bar Creation! These bars must be left frozen as when they thaw out they do not taste the same! I love to double or triple this recipe and have them as a quick, easy and healthy snack for my family. They are easy to make once you have the ingredients. They seem to be a hit with everyone that I have shared them with! I hope they are a hit with your family too!

JoJo's Lifestyle Protein Bars

1/2 cup raw unsalted almonds

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup coconut oil or 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp. blackstrap molasses

1 tsp. honey

pinch of salt

1/4 cup flax seed 

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. instant espresso (I like Nescafe Gold Espresso Instant Coffee)

1/4 cup sesame seeds or hemp seeds

1/2 cup cranberries or any dried fruit

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toast nuts in oven until just golden (7 minutes). Let cool.

Transfer nuts to a food processor. Add in flax seeds. Pulse until nuts are coarsely chopped.

In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, combine coconut oil, peanut butter, molasses, honey and sea salt. Heat this mixture over a pot of boiling water. Create a double broiler. It will melt quickly.

Once melted, take the bowl off the heat and add vanilla, coffee granules, chopped nuts, sesame seeds, chia seeds, cranberries and butterscotch chips. Mix well.

Place on a 9x13 baking pan with sides and lined with parchment paper for easy lifting at the end.

Put in the freezer for 1 hour. Cut into bars and place in zip loc bags. Freeze. 

Serve frozen