Protein Breakfast Bars

January 5, 2020

Looking for a healthy, on-the-go breakfast option that fits into your busy schedule? These protein breakfast bars might be the perfect fit.

These are made with ingredients found at Winco, a grocery store with lots of bulk bins and baking alternatives to choose from. If your local store doesn't all of the ingredients listed below, don't worry⁠—they can easily be substituted with their "nearest neighbors". For example, you can swap out the almond flour with regular flour. Disclaimer: I didn't test out these substitutes, but I can't imagine they'd cause any issues. In fact, if you've made this recipe with any subs, I'd love to hear how it went!

... Now I know what I'm having for breakfast this week. Yum!

The complete recipe is below. It was adapted from this version I found on Pinterest. To make the perfect amount of bars, I use a 9"x13" baking pan and follow these steps:

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Protein Breakfast Bars

Makes 20 servings

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup sweetener (I use Splenda. Just be sure it's the kind that measures like sugar.)

1 cup flax seed meal

1 cup almond flour (Also called almond meal.)

4 egg whites (I use 1/2 cup liquid egg whites from the carton.)

2 cups fresh peanut butter (If you don't have fresh, jarred works just fine!)

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup cashews

1 cup craisins (Cran-cherries and other small dried fruits are also fantastic.)

1 cup sliced almonds

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9"x13" baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, sweetener, flax seed meal, and almond flour. Stir to combine.

3. Add egg whites. Stir until mixture becomes moistened. Add peanut butter and stir.

4. Add mini chocolate chips, cashews, and craisins. Stir until combined. This step requires quite a bit of muscle!

5. Add sliced almonds and stir one final time until the ingredients are evenly mixed.

6. Dump the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Using clean hands, press the mixture down and along the edges until it is evenly distributed in the pan. Using your mega-muscles 💪, give the dough one last big press in each direction. This well ensure the bars stay together⁠—especially helpful if you're eating these on the go!

7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges brown slightly and you smell the aroma of toasty goodness. Then remove the pan from the oven and cool the dough, in the pan, for at least 30 minutes or until they reach room temperature. You can also stick them in the fridge for a bit once they're cooled off. This will help with clean cuts.

8. Remove the dough onto a cutting board by lifting the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into 20 bars (or eat it as one giant bar⁠—I won't judge...). But most importantly, ENJOY!