Roy’s Light Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Bars

8 servings        2 Better Balance Bites / 1 WW Point

Calories 147    Fat 3.4g   Sat. Fat 0.7g   Protein 15.1g   Carbs 16.1g   Fiber 2.8g   Sugars 2.8g

Ingredients:

· Cooking spray

· 1 cup quick-cooking oats (see notes)

· 2/3 cup chocolate protein powder (see notes)

· 1/4 cup powdered peanut butter

· 2 Tbsp sugar replacement

· 1/2 tsp baking powder

· 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (see notes)

· 1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

· 2 eggs

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray. For easier removal, you can line it with parchment paper also, but be sure to still spray it so the parchment has something to cling to.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients: oats, protein powder, powdered peanut butter, sugar replacement, and baking powder.

3. Add the applesauce, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Check the toothpick for stickiness! If it’s only faintly sticky, the bars are done.

5. Let the bars cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing into 8 bars. (see notes)

Notes

· Quick-cooking oats are NOT the instant oats in the packets. They come in a container like old-fashioned oats.

· If you only have old-fashioned oats, measure out the same amount and pulse it briefly in a food processor or blender. You want little pieces of oats to remain, not oat flour.

· If you’d prefer a smoother texture to these bars, grind the oats into oat flour.

· You can change the flavor of the protein powder if you’d like something different.

· I used Premier Protein for this recipe and 2/3 cups was about 3 scoops. Others may be different and may also affect the nutrition facts.

· Swap out the applesauce for pumpkin puree or mashed bananas. Just be aware that the bananas might slightly alter the flavor.

· You can cut these into 6 bars if you’d like, giving you about 20g of protein each.

· Store these in an airtight container at room temperature 3-4 days or in the fridge up to a week.

· If they become a little dry after the first day, just microwave them for 10 seconds or so.

· If you like biscotti, you can place the sliced bars on a baking sheet, cut side down, and bake at 325°F for about 24 minutes, turning them halfway through. While they don't get as dry as biscotti, this does give them a nice crunch exterior that is reminiscent of them.