German Chocolate Protein Bars!

I ran across a protein bar recipe a few months back that was A-MA-ZING! It was a 5 ingredient,peanut butter  protein bar, that was so good my hubby ate them like candy. Much like every new recipe I try, I started changing things up. I have found that most recipes have a formula that allows for subbing ingredients. That is probably my saving grace when it comes to staying on budget. I buy what is on sale and rework my recipes accordingly. The first deviation was almond butter - the result was not worth the price hike. The next time I tried Nutella - Nutella doesn't have enough fat, causing the bars to be too dry and flakey (although it did taste just like a malt ball so that might be a win for others). The recipe that follows was actually a bit of a happy mistake!

Ingredients:


Protein Bar:
3 cups raw pecans
1 cup vanilla protein powder (I will note most protein powder is gluten free, but it is best to check.)
1/2 cup real maple syrup
2 Tbsp coconut oil



Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup half-half
1 Tbsp butter



Protein Bar Recipe:

The protein bars have a pecan butter base. This can be a bit time consuming, but is worth it. I have been using my little mini food processor to do the job, but just recently purchased a high end blender... the time was honestly about the same, the only difference was that the blender did the job with minimal supervision, whereas with the mini processor, I had to stand around and hold the button. To each their own!



Toss the pecans in a blender or food processor and let it rip. It will take at least 8 minutes until you get something that resembles pecan butter, keep going. It is important that the pecans release their oils to turn the mixture smooth; that will take another 5-7 minutes. Remember to give your blender/processor a break and scrape down the sides.



Next add the coconut oil and let it process until combined. No need to melt it before you mix it in as long as you are using the processor/blender, friction will do the job for you.



Next add the maple syrup. The key is using the real maple syrup. For starters it is much sweeter than the imitation stuff. It is also much thinner and less sticky, which allows for a more even absorption.



Finally, dump the mixture into a bowl and stir in the protein. You could add it to the processor/blender, but it will thicken up quickly and you will have to scrape down the sides more frequently.



Once everything is combined, dump it into a storage container and smooth it out evenly.

This is usually when I mix up the chocolate ganache. From there, smooth the chocolate ganache over the protein base and refrigerate until set.



After about an hour in the fridge you can score the protein bars into square in the container. If you  want to flip them out, refrigerate overnight. Then flip them out and cut into squares.

Store in the fridge in a sealed container.



Chocolate Ganache Recipe:


In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate, butter, and half-half. Melt over medium heat, stirring constantly. That's it!





(I promise to get more pics up soon... I am slow on the photo editing!)