Hey guys!
Woo hoo…we made it to Friday!
Now before you get your weekend going into full swing, I’ve got a recipe you may want to try!
I had a few people asking about adding/subbing protein powder in to the
Almond Butter Granola Bars
that I posted earlier this week…and well, you guys totally beat me to the punch because that’s what I had in mind all along!
But once I got in the kitchen today to start experimenting, I kinda maybe sort of came up with a completely different recipe!
You know what they say…cinnamon* variety is the spice of life! π
*Is it just me or are we food bloggers totally addicted to cinnamon?
I used peanut butter in this recipe and also experimented with brown rice syrup. Feel free to sub in ANY nut butter for this and if you don’t have access to brown rice syrup, maple syrup or honey would work just fine. If you want to try subbing agave, you may have to add a bit more dry ingredients to make up for the runnier consistency.
Ok, with all that being said…onto the recipe!
Tally Ho!*
*I’ve always wanted to say that! π
Peanut Butter Protein Granola Squares
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients (12 squares)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup vanilla flavored protein powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mashed banana
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or other preferred sweetener)
- 1/4 cup semi sweet mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine oats, flour, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.
5. If using, stir in chocolate chips
6. Spread evenly onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges start to turn brown and your kitchen smells like Heaven.
7. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing.
8. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.
Β Nutritional stats WITH chocolate chips:
And WITHOUT:
The perfect little snack to tide you over between meals…and not so calorically high that you can’t have a piece of fruit or something to go along with it…I know I’ll most definitely be eating these babies alongside some crisp apple slices in the days to come!
I am absolutely IN LOVE with the chewy texture of these bars and I thought they were perfectly sweet with the addition of the chocolate chips. If you chose to leave them out, you may want to bump up the amount of sweetener you use OR try adding a little stevia!
But really, how could you deny the combo of…
Chocolate chips and
PEANUT BUTTER!?
They were meant to be people!
Meant.to.be!
Do you (like me) add cinnamon to almost everything?
I swear I don’t even know why I keep it in the cupboard when I should just leave it on the kitchen table!
Any requests for future granola/snack bars?
I’m officially hooked and welcome any and all ideas!
Have a GREAT weekend everybody!
Ohhhhh yumm.. <3 You know what's good!
you had me at TALLY HO! Yes, love that saying. and this, you are on a roll friend!
Hehe…tally ho. That’s awesome.
And yes, I think food bloggers are 100% addicted to cinnamon, myself included. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blogger declare that they don’t like it!
Yes! I looooove cinnamon! I have two shaker bottles that I keep in my desk at work. π
Ohhhhh… I was so going to make those bars with protein powder. Thanks for this. π
I dump cinnamon in EVERYTHING. I even buy the sticks and grind them up for fresh cinnamon. And my farmer’s market sells cinnamon in bulk for next to nothing. It’s becoming an addiction.
Yes, yes I do put cinnamon in everything as well. I love making any type granola bars, they are sooo fun to experiment with. I’ve always wanted to try brown rice syrup, I just keep resisting the purchase!
Those look delicious! Where did you find brown rice syrup?
Whole foods! I actually forgot I had it…got shoved to the back of the cupboard and just discovered it last weekend! Lol I love the thick consistency!
These look like another winner! π But I’m kicking myself for leaving my brown rice syrup at my apartment at school… oh well, I’ll be back there in a few weeks at least!
I’m addicted to cinnamon too. It tastes good on everything!
YUMMM!! You know I love peanut butter and chocolate together!! So making these. You made my morning! π
I add cinnamon to everything too!
I put cinnamon on almost everything, too!
I can’t wait to try this recipe π
I have Nature’s Path Love Crunch with dark chocolate and red berries in my cupboard right now. It’s delicious and addictive, but very calorie dense! So if you can come up with a healthier version, I’ll be happy! haha
Think I need to start a Snacking Board… YUM!
Those are some fantastic photos! I need to learn how to photograph food like that π
These look fantastic. I will definitely have to try them. I’m currently hooked on the Raw Energy Bites: peanut butter, chocolate, Coconut….yummy. And no baking involved.
These granola bars look AWESOME!
Cake batter granola bars, almond joy granola bars, and thin mint granola bars π
Oh my gosh, you are making me DROOL!!!…and wishing I didn’t have to work all week so I could stay in the kitchen! Lol I’m on it sugar britches! π
Oh I was all excited to try these until I read in the ingredients ‘BANANA’! I hate bananas. Can you do a banana free granola bar? I know you probably can’t taste it much but when you hate banana you can sniff it out haha.
Yeah, honestly, you can’t taste it at all…especially with the chocolate chips, but you could always sub in the same amount of unsweetened applesauce or canned pumpkin as well! π
Definitely addicted to cinnamon. π
Great granola squares! So many good-for-you ingredients and relatively easy to make!
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I’ve been meaning to try and make a faux lemon zest luna bar, let’s just say I wouldn’t be too upset if you beat me to the punch(: Or maybe I’m the only one who loves that flavor, I hope not!