Recipe ReDux Post # 77 Apple Streusel Protein Bar

The Recipe ReDux for December is "Cookbook Love" with the premise that we would pay tribute to a favorite cookbook recipe and redo it with out own twist, but the catch?....To bid farewell to 2018 we had to pick a recipe with any page numbers that had the combo of 2-0-1-8 in it.

I began to go through my cookbooks and I found just the recipe on page 218 of my Bite Me cookbook which had a delicious recipe for apple streusel muffins.  With the holidays in full gear, my family has had our full share of sweets and treats so I wanted to redux this recipe with a very healthy take. I turned it into a protein bar that has a less carbs and fat yet more protein and fiber, and still tastes great!  I hope you will try it as a healthy indulgence, take a peek at the yummy original recipe too as well as the creative other 2018 cookbook recipes from the Recipe ReDux crew! And, a Very Happy Holidays from to you!

Original recipe:

My Recipe:

Ingredients:

½ cup creamy or crunchy unsalted natural almond butter (I used Trader Joes Raw Unsalted Crunchy)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup chopped dried apples (I used the dried apple rings from Trader Joes)

1 tablespoon natural unsweetened applesauce

½ teaspoon vanilla extract  

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½  cup oats (old fashioned, not quick, use a gluten-free oats such as Bob's Red Mill if you are on a gluten-free diet)
1.5 scoops of protein powder, preferably unflavored (the average scoop is about 4 tablespoons or¼ cup, 25-30 Grams, so 1.5 scoops would be approx. 6 tablespoons)* 

Wax or parchment paper

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, combine the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, chopped apples, applesauce and almond butter and mix well.  Stir in the oats, protein powder and mix some more. Press mixture into an 8 by 8 inch pan. (Lining the pan with a large rectangular piece of parchment paper, placing the mixture on one side and then folding the paper over to press down works nicely since the dough is so sticky.)  Chill in the fridge for an hour or more (if you can wait that long!) and cut into 8 bars and serve. Wrapping the individual bars in wax paper and storing in baggies is great for convenience.  Store in the fridge. These bars also freeze well!

* I have had great success with using Nature’s Best Isopure Perfect Natural- it is gluten-free, lactose free 

Makes 8 bars

Serving size: 1/8th of recipe  Calories 170 Protein 10 g Carb 15 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 9 g Fat 9 g Saturated fat less than 1 g Sodium 50 mg

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