For the past few months I have been playing around with paleo power bar recipes. When I’m on the go I want to grab something that is packed with nutrition, not too sweet, and plenty tasty.
I’ve made this grain-free power bar recipe a bunch of times now. My taste testers (that would be my husband who is a very direct and stringent critic) have given it their official seal of approval (that would be eating an entire tray in two days flat).
When I saw Heidi’s video I knew it was time to share my paleo power bars recipe. Heidi is my favorite food blogger and author of the delightful book, Super Natural Cooking. In Heidi’s video, her voice is so soothing and the content so tranquil that it might put you into a trance. It has gorgeous shots of California’s Big Sur interspersed with her recipe.
Power Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds
- ½ cup golden flaxmeal
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup creamy roasted almond butter
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 4 drops stevia
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, almond butter, and salt in a food processor
- Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds
- Add coconut oil, stevia, honey, and vanilla to dry ingredients
- Pulse until mixture forms a coarse paste
- Press mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Chill in refrigerator 1 hour, until firm
- In a saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously
- Spread melted chocolate over bars
- Refrigerate 30 minutes, until chocolate solidifies
- Serve
- Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week
My no-bake, high-protein, high-fiber bars are based upon Melissa Diane Smith’s recipe for Amaretto Protein Bars. I’ve made quite a few changes to her recipe, simplifying it a bit and lowering the amount of sweetener.
The chocolate topping on these paleo power bars makes them seem a bit decadent. Though dark chocolate, rich in antioxidants, has now entered the echelon of power foods so I’ll keep it on mine.
By the way, the photo above is actually of Macadamia Power Bars. To make that recipe simply substitute raw macadamia nuts for the almonds and raw macadamia nut butter
Elana says
Melissa– I haven’t yet experimented with a savory protein bar, though I’ve been very into pesto of late –with sundried tomatoes. If you do come up with a savory bar, please let me know, that sounds interesting.
~M-Thanks for your comment! I so enjoy hearing about other people’s takes on my recipes. That is what they are there for –to experiment and play with, no rules!!! I love the idea of making the bars with homemade almond butter, I haven’t made mixed up my own in the cuisinart for a couple of years now.
Per your question about almonds, I think you are referring to the almond milk recipe when you mention that I recommend raw almonds. I use raw almonds in that recipe, because if you soak them overnight they begin a “sprouting” process which activates live enzymes and contributes amazing energy to foods. Sprouting is incredible, for more info on this I would recommend reading Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions –a classic.
Your fiance is lucky that you left him some tasty bars. My husband really liked these bars too and when he went up skiing for the weekend I sent up a batch with him. They travel well. Take Care!
Heather-I am having a love affair with cashews right now. Cashew milk for smoothies and in my tea and also using cashews to make ice cream. I am glad to hear about your experiment using cashew paste for the bars and will try that out myself. So glad that both hubby and children liked this dish!
Heather says
Hi Elana, I made these yesterday and they are brilliant. I changed the recipe slightly as I had different ingredients but they turned out great and my kids loved them!
I used cashews and cashew paste as that is what I had in the cupboard, I used an LSA mix as didn’t have plain flaxseed and I can’t get agave nectar in Australia so used a tablespoon of maple syrup.
Hubby loved them too and he doesn’t usually like the things I make for the kids. They are GFCF and also soy and all additives, preservatives, colours, flavour free. So I pretty much have to make everything.
Thanks for a great site with some great ideas.
Heather
~M says
Tonight, after I had used my Cuisinart to make homemade almond butter (which is so much tastier than the freshly ground stuff at Whole Foods, which in turn is way tastier than the jarred stuff), I made these bars according to the changes I mentioned above. They are SUPER yummy! I love sweet saltiness. Next time, I’d like to incorporate some dried cranberries into the mixture, since my fiancé loves them. These will make a great treat to bring on my trip and also make sure my fiancé, who’s staying behind, will have plenty of nutritious food to eat (I also left him with roasted vegetables and vegan lasagna).
By the way, I ended up making the coconut oil spoonable by putting the entire jar in a hot water bath for a few minutes, which worked great.
Elana, out of curiosity, why do you recommend raw almonds but then roasted almond butter? When I made my homemade almond butter (with a bit of salt, almond oil, and raspberry honey) I used unsalted roasted almonds, which I checked to make sure were free of flour dusting. It, too, resulted in salty sweet goodness. I can’t wait to try this recipe with other nuts too! Thanks, Elana for this welcome and frugal change from commercial bars.
glutenfreeforgood says
I make several versions of energy bars as well. Nut butters, honey, and even a touch of maple syrup are great “glues” for sticking everything together! And I agree, it’s often better and less expensive to make your own nut butters. I’m experimenting with coming up with a more savory energy bar right now. Something different. Sundried tomatoes, veggies, that kind of thing. Have you made anything like that? It’s definitely fun to play with your food! Thanks — you have a wonderful blog!
In good health,
Melissa
elana says
W – thanks for stopping by. I completely agree about homemade food: cheaper, healthier, tastier, etc.!
~M – thanks for another great comment. I go through my coconut oil pretty quickly so do not refrigerate it, though it is still somewhat solid in the winter so I run a spoon under hot water before I dip it into the coconut oil which makes it a little easier to extract from the jar.
Diane – you could try to make this recipe work for you in a couple of different ways. One way might be to simply omit the shredded coconut altogether. Another way would be to increase the flax to make up for the missing coconut, or you could grind some almonds in the food processor and use those as a replacement. Let me know how it goes –happy experimenting!
Diane says
Hi Elana;
This bar looks very interesting. I am on a gluten-free diet and also can’t have coconut. Do you have any suggestions for a replacement? I am assuming I can substitute canola oil for the coconut oil.
Thanks!
~M says
These look so good, such a nice change from date-based bars. On your recommendation, I purchased the Dagoba chocodrops. I already have all the other ingredients except the stevia, so I think I’ll just use sweetened shredded coconut instead. I also plan on making my own almond butter in my Cuisinart, per Gluten-Free Girl’s instructions since I think it might be cheaper than the freshly-ground variety at Whole Foods.
By the way, how do you spoon out your coconut oil? I keep mine in the fridge, but it gets very hard to scoop or measure this way. Thanks, Elana!
Elana says
Hi Kelly,
Since I left NYC I’ve not been as involved in environmental consulting, focusing more on food writing; though I’m happy to help with your question; for more information on NYC’s local recycling law visit nyc.gov and check out local law 87. Since 1992 NYC has mandated that all commercial properties have a recycling program in place. A good place to start is to speak with your building manager, trash hauler or the NYC dept of sanitation.
As for the ‘popcorn’ issue that might not part of the city’s mandated recycling program. You can save the packing peanuts in a bag by your desk and when it’s full take it to Pak Mail so that they can reuse them. That’s what I do.
Hope this helps and glad you liked the cookies!
Elana
CeliacChick says
Hey Elana,
So, I read in your profile how you do environmental consulting? The building I work in needs help, bigtime! It frustrates me how people can’t even put garbage in the right receptacle and it ends up in the recycling! I received a package today that had “popcorn” in it and our mail room just told me to throw it away. I was wondering…in big buildings if they ever have interoffice recycling plans. For instance, I could offer my packaging to another mailroom that would use it. A big building is like a mini city and I get excited thinking about the possibilities for recycling. I thought I would ask you first, before I try to talk to the building management. We don’t have a intranet…maybe that would have to be in place first?
btw- I made the almond flour choc. chip cookies and they are amazing!
W&J says
That bar looks really good. I’m going to have to try the recipe out! Whenever I get time, I try to make my own snacks because let’s face it…you can make them at home cheaper AND better for you.
Thanks for the recipe!
-W