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Superfood Chocolate Protein Bars : gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, low sugar

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Hello friends!

I’m here with an exceptionally awesome recipe that is nourishing and delicious and ready to go SAVE your day with its Super-Powers!

What’s BETTER than a Larabar or a Clif bar – that are too high in sugar and don’t deliver enough quality ingredients for my standards…. ;) Well, I know it’s these Superfood Chocolate Protein Bars of course because these babies do have real Super Powers! They do…. really! ;)

The kind that when you have to wake up at 3:30 am to get to the airport on time – THEY came to the rescue and made your very-early-hardly-any-sleep morning quite happy or that other time you took a 6 am road trip to your favourite city seven hours away and knew you couldn’t count on rest stops to fuel you and you’d probably die a slow death of malnourishment instead of being happy you’re going on an adventure – they came to your rescue! Or that other time you were smart and froze a batch and realized the night before that you have nothing for your daughter to give as a snack to school – they too came to the rescue! Then there was that time, you were just craving something divine (you know those naughty sugar-cravings that make you go diving into your kitchen cupboards to find something. anything. that would make that craving go away….) They were right there ready to SAVE THE DAY yet again! Without abusing your vulnerability for a little something sweet once in a while. (I am human after all) but they didn’t give you a heroine high like the other sweet stuff does – they were good to you, caring and nourishing and super awesome too! ;) Oh yeah!

Superfood Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons ground flax or chia seeds

6 tablespoons water

1/3 cup Medjool dates

2 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup hemp hearts

2 tablespoons whole hemp seeds (optional)

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

3 tablespoons cacao powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

3/4 cup applesauce

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil,  melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9 inch baking pan with enough parchment paper to extend above the sides.

In a small bowl, mix the flax seeds with the water and set aside for 5 minutes.

In a food processor, process the dates into a paste, then add the oats and mix again. Add all of the remaining ingredients and process just to combine.

Press the mixture evenly into the pan, pressing down firmly with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Smooth the top. If the mixture sticks, wet the spoon with a little water.

Bake for 15 minutes, until top darkens slightly. Let cool about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and slice. Serve while still warm (if you can’t wait) or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. These also freeze well in a freezer bag with parchment paper between bars for up to 3 months.

So there you have it! That’s what makes a GREAT all-natural, quality protein bar that’s loaded with Super-Powers!

Although the list is long, these come together really quick! And bake really quick!
Yes, they could actually be made raw and left in the fridge to firm up – but I do prefer these baked. They hold better and the oats especially soften a little more and the flavours bond a lot better.

Also, very noteworthy here that my 6 year old LOVES them too! ;) So I think I will be making these yet again very quick!

These have really saved our lives a few times – true superheroes in my book! ;) They are the best food for travelling, or road trips and the best snack for busy people who want something reliable in their purse they can eat in between meals or just as a healthy snack any time of the day.

These all-natural vegan and gluten free bars are not high in sugar and very filling. The protein is naturally found in chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds and each bar fills you up and gives you a great serving of natural food protein. If you are an athlete and want to increase your protein intake even further, 2 tablespoons of brown rice protein powder would also be great as an add-in.

So I actually made these the night before we were heading to Bahamas to have something healthy and delicious to get us through the airport wait times at the wee hours of the morning. (yes, it really was a 3:30 am wake up call! ;)) But I also took the rest to the hotel and enjoyed them throughout our stay when we were out and about and didn’t know if and when we would find something to eat. These are real superheroes! ;)

Hope you enjoy!

What is your healthy go-to protein bar that you like?

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Comments

    • Thanks Marisa ;) they are perfect fall treat ;) I am sure you will enjoy them very much!
      Maybe it’s the #6 way to add some bliss to your day??? ;)
      xox

    • Thanks so much Caity for visiting and for your comment ;)
      I am sure you will enjoy them, they make a great guilt-free treat ;) xo

    • Thanks Alexandra for your comment ;)
      You know I haven’t even heard of a coconut nectar before ~ ha, a good day to learn something new – and I’ll be looking for that on my next shopping trip ;)
      ps. I love your blog!
      xox ella

      • You can find coconut nectar in Asian stores (Sri Lankan). It taste great not sure how the nutrition profile stack up to Maple syrup or Dates. You can also find the solid form of coconut nectar called Jaggery.

  11. I got this link from Healthy Vegan Fridays. I made it last week and it was great. My kids couldn’t keep their hand off it. It’s a good snack after my long runs. I substituted puffed quinoa and reduced the oil.

    • Thanks Kanishka for giving me this great feedback! ;)
      I like your substitutions a lot but just want to point out that if you use coconut oil it is very healthy and it’s a very good fat, a tablespoon is recommended daily. What’s great is that it doesn’t get stored as fat but converts to energy! ;)
      So reducing it may not be necessary even if you’re trying to get fit. Just wanted to share that ;)
      Thank you and I hope I’ll see you again soon trying my other recipes ;)
      xo pure ella

  12. If I wanted to use an egg instead of the flax seed and chia, would it just be one egg or two?

    • Thanks April for your question…
      so just to back up I do want to say that both flax and chia are great superfoods so going with them is great as it adds Omega 3s and lots of other vitamins and minerals.
      If you want to add an egg instead, I do think 1 organic egg would work fine in this recipe, beat it slightly with a fork and mix it in well. But do add an additional 10 minutes for the baking so you don’t get a raw egg anywhere.
      I hope that helps ;) Let me know how they turn out! xoxo

  13. Hi Ella, stumbled on your fab recipe on Pinterest. Wondering what I could use to replace sunflower seeds as hubby is allergic? Thank you, can’t wait to try these:)

    • Well thank you for your fab comment Shaniqua ;)
      Essentially you are completely fine to exclude the sunflower seeds from this recipe. They don’t play a huge role here and it’s only 2 tablespoons.
      Sure they add a little protein and nutrition but the recipe will work great without them also.
      I hope you and your husband will enjoy these ;) Let me know how they turn out!
      xox
      Ella

  14. I do tons of endurance training, and am always looking for a post-workout refuel that isn’t full of filler. These are awesome! Thanks! :)

    • Hi Sue,
      So sorry for my late response, I don’t know how your question slipped past me…
      If you’re still interested in making these, the ground flax or chia seeds need 6 tablespoons of water. The rule is 3 tbsp per 1 tbsp of seeds.
      Hope this helps and you’ll try these soon!!
      Let me know how you like them ;)
      xoxo ella

  17. I made these last night and I really like them. I find that frozen, they remind me of eating a chocolate candy bar. Thank you for the recipe. I love your blog. I also admire that you’re keeping up all this work on the blog while having a new born. (Congratulations, by the way!) You’re helping me a lot, as a new vegan, encouraging me to try new things that are good for me. Thanks!

    • Thank you so much Pola ;)
      I’m happy to hear you’ve enjoyed these bars ;)
      And thank you for your sweet words…. my girl is being quite good (for now) although I do miss a full night of sleep ;)
      Happy to help with the recipe hunt…. let me know how you like some other recipes ;)
      xoxo ella

  19. They look delicious, I’m going to make them for our road trip this weekend. Do you think I could use whole or powdered hemp instead of the hemp hearts because I’ve never seen them?

    • Thank you Natasha ;)
      Yes, whole or powdered hemp will work fine ;)
      let me know how you like them! Have fun on your road trip! xox ella

      • Thank you, we’re very excited. I used hemp powder. I just tasted a bar and it’s so delicious. I think I’m going to be making them a lot in the future.

  20. I made these today, and while yummy there turned out a bit wet. Is this how they are meant to be, or are they are they supposed to be a dryer bar?

    • Hi Anne,
      They should be quite dry, as in if left on a napkin they wouldn’t stain it.
      So… I don’t know why your batch turned out more wet. Maybe you swapped some ingredients or maybe they absorbed differently.
      Next time, I would add less liquids, maybe 1/2 apple sauce and less maple syrup and compare.
      Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes next time!
      xox ella

  21. I love these! So moist and delicious. I simplified the prep, pulsed all the dry to a powder, then pulsed in the dates, and then the wet. I opted for a gelatin egg. So flippin good Ella, thank you! I will share all around!

    • Thanks so much Tessa ;) I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe and thanks SO much for sharing ;) xoxo

  22. How many calories is this? I’m trying to eat healthy and increase my caloric intake.