Is there a substitute for cacao butter?

Yes, you can use coconut oil or coconut butter in place of the cacao butter. Just note, the bars will be softer with this swap. Cacao butter is very solid at room temperature, great for making protein bars that hold up.

What are the macros for these strawberry protein bars?

Macros will vary depending on what brands and/or substitutions you use. For the bars I made, each of the 8 protein bars had about 11 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs and 8 grams of protein.

What toppings did you use?

I melted white chocolate and drizzled it over the protein bars, then topped them with crushed freeze dried strawberries and bee pollen. This was for decoration and completely optional.

Healthy Strawberry Protein Bars (Low Carb)

Description

Healthy strawberry protein bars, great for a low carb snack or dessert. Paleo, gluten free, dairy free and plant based.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup blanched almond butter*
1/4 cup water (room temp)
2 Tbsp melted cacao butter**
2 Tbsp raw honey (or any liquid sweetener)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup strawberry pea protein (46g)***
1 tsp beet powder (optional)
pinch of salt

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Instructions

Line an 8" x 4" loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the dough for the protein bars. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, water, melted coconut butter, honey and vanilla.
Use a coffee grinder or small blender to blend the freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder. If you do not have either of these, then crush the strawberries by placing them in a plastic baggie and crushing them with a rolling pin.
In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the pea protein, powdered strawberries, beet powder and salt.
Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix with a spatula until well combined. The dough will be thick, similar to playdough.
Press the dough into the lined loaf pan. Place the bars in the fridge for at least an hour to set.
Once firm, cut the bars to desired size. (I cut mine into 8 pieces.)
Store in fridge or freezer.

Notes

*I used blanched almond butter because it is lighter in color than other almond butters (which will make the protein bars look more pink). That being said, any almond butter will work. You could also swap it with another nut butter such as cashew butter.

**Cacao butter may be replaced with coconut oil or coconut butter. Just note, this will change the texture of the protein bars. Cacao butter is very solid at room temperature, making it great for keeping homemade protein bars firm.

***I recommend using pea protein for this recipe. Pea protein is highly absorbent, so using a different protein powder may not produce desirable results. Vanilla or strawberry pea protein would be the best flavors to use.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 8
Calories: 172
Fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 11g
Protein: 8g