Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Get ready for the easiest protein bar recipe ever! And these are so yummy! They make the perfect pre or post workout snack or eat them as a pick me up when you need just a little boost.

This recipe makes 14 bars in an 8x8 pan. Adjust the quantity of ingredients if you want more or less.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh ground peanut butter (can also use natural peanut butter)
10 Tbsp PB2 powder
10 Tbsp water, divided
1 1/2 cups chocolate whey protein powder (I used Extreme Milk Chocolate from Optimum Nutrition)
1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
5 Tbsp honey

Directions:
Mix the PB2 and 5 tablespoons of water together in a small bowl. It will be thick, but do not add extra water. Combine the fresh ground peanut butter, PB2 peanut butter, and honey together in a bowl. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add in the protein powder, oats, and remaining water. Stir together. The mixture should be thick, but slightly moist.

Press the mixture into an 8x8 tray lined with parchment paper. You will need to press down rather hard so the bars stay together when they're done. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, then cut into 14 equal bars. I then wrapped each one in a small piece of parchment paper and put them in ziploc bags (7 in each). You can also put them into individual plastic baggies so you can grab them and enjoy on the go! Keep them refrigerated. I'm not sure how long they'll keep, but I would guess you'll eat them too fast anyways!

A few adaptations that I will be experimenting with:

-The bars are very sticky, I'm guessing because of the honey. The next time I make these, I am going to use a mixture of agave and honey to see how the consistency is.
-You can use a full cup of fresh ground peanut butter instead of mixing in the PB2 and 5T water. I did this to reduce the amount of fat in the bars and I don't notice a difference in taste.
-These would be good with add ins such as chopped up nuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, or other chopped dried fruit. You may need to play with the amount of water to achieve the same consistency.
-Feel free to use other flavors of protein powder, such as vanilla or cookies and cream. One idea is to use the PB2 with cocoa powder and vanilla protein powder. It wouldn't be as chocolaty, but I bet it would taste great!

Nutrition facts for ONE serving:
Calories: 131
Carbs: 13g
Fat: 4g
Protein: 14g
Sodium: 89g
Sugar: 5g
Fiber 3g

Tastes great and is that healthy?! Yes please!! This one is a keeper for sure!