Choco-nut Energy Bars

For years and years, every time I picked up a recipe card or saw a nice recipe in a magazine, I would collect it and keep them in a file.  The file got really large and I realised that I never refer to the recipes anymore as there is so much information online.  Whilst sorting through the collection, I came across this recipe which is out of a March 2016 Waitrose magazine.  I have made energy bars lots of times but this one was a little different as it has nuts and oats and I thought these would be perfect to take with me on the mornings when I miss my breakfast. I changed the recipe slightly by omitting the goji berries  and adding the protein powder instead.  I am so glad I had saved this recipe as we love these energy bars.

The main ingredients I used are:

Mixed nuts:  You can use any nuts.  I used a premium pack of nuts which had – walnuts, cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, hazel nuts, pecan nuts and pistachio.  Nuts release their energy slowly so help to keep you feeling full for longer.

Dates: I used Medjool dates from Jordan which my son had brought back from his holidays – but you can use any soft and fresh dates. you can read all the benefits of dates here

Peanut Butter: I used the crunchy one. Peanut butter is high in proteins and also help bind these bars.

Honey:  I used just the normal honey you get from the supermarket.  The honey provides the sweetness and moisture to the bars.  Vegans can use maple syrup.

Porridge Oats:  I used the usual breakfast oats and you can use any brand.  Oats are rich in fibre and provide slow-release energy, which helps you to stay fuller for longer.

Protein Powder:  I used the Salted caramel Impact Whey Protein Powder. This protein powder was recommended to my husband by my son who is a physiotherapist who exercises a lot. This powder contains high-quality protein, which contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle. This protein powder does have some  sweeteners so no extra sugar is added to the bars.  You can use any brand or flavour of protein powder you like.

Chocolate: I used cooking chocolate which has milk but you can use any chocolate.  Vegans can use dark chocolate.

Coarse salt: Just adding a little coarse salt gives this dish a salted caramel kind of a feel and you won’t stop eating these energy balls.

Salted Butter :  This also helps to bind the bars and gives it a lovely flavour.  Vegans can use a butter substitute.

Is this recipe vegan? This particular recipe isn’t vegan but very easy to make it vegan by substituting some of the ingredients.

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients

• 450 gms mixed nuts
• 100 gms porridge Oats
• 225 gms pitted medjool dates
• 100 gms coarse peanut butter
• 4 tbps butter
• 2 tbls honey
• 100 gms salted caramel protein powder ( you can use any flavour)
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence (optional)

For the topping:

• 300 gms milk chocolate. (I used Cooking chocolate)
• 1 tsp butter

 

Method:

1. Put the nuts in a bowl and microwave them for a minute at the time for 4 minutes, stirring in between.

2.   Once the nuts cool, add the nuts and dates to them and tranfer them to a food processor and blend them to a chunky mixture. Transfer this to a mixing bowl.

3.   Add in the peanut butter, butter, honey, salt, vanilla essence and protein powder.  Mix all this well.

4.    Line a tray with greaseproof paper and press in this mixture.  Use a spoon to press down the mixture.

 

5.    Once the mixture is in a smooth layer, transfer it to the fridge for an hour.

For the topping:

6. Break the chocolate and add the butter to it.  Melt the chocolate using the microwave. The best way is to cook them in 30 second intervals.

7.  Pour the chocolate over the nut mixture and return this again to the fridge to cool for an hour.

8. Cut the energy bars into squares or rectangles and store them in a sealed container in the fridge.

You may wish to checkout the following easy and different recipes for energy bars from my blog.

• Muesli or granola bars
• Goji berry cereal bars Powder
• Nutty Energy Ladoos with dates
• Ferrero Richer and whole nut topped bars
• Dates, Nuts and Protein Energy Balls
• Mixed Nuts Barfi with Dates
• Oats, Peanut Butter and Protein Powder Bars

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