These Homemade Protein Bars Are Practically Identical to RXBars
The recipe is basically right on the package — so we couldn't resist.
Nikolay Pandev / EyeEm/ Getty
Ah, RXBARs. We love them for their fun seasonal flavors, chic minimalist packaging and, above all, short and simple ingredient list. They’re just what we need when the mid-afternoon munchies strike, and we feel good about slipping them in our (or even our kids') lunchbox.
Plus, they taste practically homemade. Which got us thinking: Wouldn’t it be neat if we could make our own version? Save some money? Have enough on our hands to eat one — heck even two — a day instead of carrying around a single RXBAR in the bottom of our bag for weeks on end and treating it like gold? (Okay, maybe that’s just us).
And so we started experimenting. Peanut Butter Chocolate RXBARs, a guarenteed crowd-pleaser, seemed like a great place to start. A quick glance at the ingredient list revealed just seven ingredients: dates, peanuts, egg whites, chocolate, sea salt, cocoa and natural flavors — we essentially had our recipe right there. All we had to do was figure out the ratios of each ingredient. Being that we're Food Network Kitchen (read: we've cooked a thing or two in our lives), that didn’t take long.
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Protein Bars, our homemade nod to RXBARS, were born shortly thereafter. Surprise, surprise, they’re made with dates, peanuts, egg whites, salt and cocoa powder (and a little bit of coconut oil for greasing the pan).
First, you whir all of the ingredients up in a food processor to create a paste. Second, you press the mixture evenly into a coconut oil-greased 9-inch square baking dish and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes. Third, chill until firm. Three easy steps — and just 10 minutes of hands-on time.
If you’d like to try creating a different flavor, simply swap in a different sort of nut (like cashews or walnuts), blend in a handful of freeze dried fruit (like blueberries or strawberries) or incorperate an mix-ins like unsweetened shredded coconut. The simple base recipe is a blank slate for your creativity.
The recipe makes 16 hefty squares and lasts for up to 1 week in the fridge in any airtight container (we love Stasher Silicone Reusable Food Bags because they’re easy to grab and go). Anyone else already preheating their oven?
Get the recipe for Peanut Butter-Chocolate Protein Bars here.
Our 3 Favorite Flavors
Related Links:
