Red velvet cake fudge protein bar

 

Ditch the sugary treats for this decadent homemade protein bar.

 

What you'll need (makes 10 bars)

• 165 g (2⁄3 cup) roasted beetroot puree* (see instructions below)
• 128 g (½ cup) raw almond butter
• 135 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tbsp natural butter flavour
• 1½ tsp vanilla crème-flavoured liquid stevia extract
• 210 g (12⁄3 cups, lightly packed) chocolate brown rice protein powder
• 80 g (2⁄3 cup) oat flour
• ¼ tsp salt

Chocolate Coating:

• 170 g bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), melted

What you'll do

For the roasted beetroot puree:
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Rinse and gently scrub two fist-sized beets, then wrap them completely in foil. Place the beets in a 22 x 22 cm brownie pan and bake for about 1½ hours, or until a fork pierces the beets with ease.
Remove the beets from the oven, carefully unwrap the foil and let sit until it’s cool enough to handle. Use a knife to scrape off the beet skins (they will fall off easily).
Chop the beetroots into chunks and place in a food processor. Puree until completely smooth.

*Using canned or prepackaged cooked beets will not provide the same vibrant red color as using freshly roasted beets…the bars will turn out brown. For the best results, use freshly roasted beetroot puree!

For the protein bars:
Line a 20 x 20 cm brownie pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
In an electric stand mixer bowl fitted with a beater attachment, add the beet puree, almond butter, almond milk, butter flavor and stevia extract. Mix on low speed while you prepare the dry ingredients.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the protein powder, oat flour and salt. Turn off the stand mixer and dump in the dry ingredients. Return mixer to low speed and mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Mixture should be thick and fudgy, like cookie dough.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared brownie pan and flatten. Tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Once set, lift the mixture out of the pan. Slice into 10 bars.

For the chocolate coating:
With a large spoon, ladle the melted chocolate over the protein bars. Try to encase the entire protein bar with chocolate, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Refrigerate until firm (about 1 hour). Individually wrap the protein bars in plastic sandwich baggies and refrigerate to store (keeps for 1 week).

Recipe by Jessica Stier featured in DIY Protein Bars.

NEXT: Up for more interesting sweet treats? Try the coconut bliss balls for an easy bite on-the-go.

 

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