As I’m sure you all have noticed, I love making homemade versions of things — whether it’s a meal I’ve had out at a restaurant, a packaged food item or a DIY beauty product. The challenge of recreating things at home is fun for me and I like being able to share it with you guys as well.
Today’s recipe was inspired by thinkThin bars. The Chunky Peanut Butter flavor has been one of my favorites for a couple years now. I’m not even going to get into the name of the bars. For me it boils down to this — I like the peanut butter and chocolate combo and the bars are great when I’m craving something sweet after a meal. I usually break off about 1/3-1/2 of the bar and it satisfies my sweet tooth.
The Chunky Peanut Butter thinkThin bar is loaded with protein and low in sugar so it feels like a healthier option than some other desserts I could choose. That said, overtime I’ve realized that my body doesn’t respond well to sugar alcohols (Maltitol is what’s used in the chunky peanut butter flavor) and I try to limit my soy consumption (the bar also contains soy protein, soy crisps and soy lecithin).
Naturally, the wheels started turning and I figured I could make my own thinkThin bars without those items.
After a little testing I came up with a bar recipe (with only 6 ingredients!!) that totally fit the bill. I used almond butter, protein powder, dates and almonds for the base of the actual bar.
I actually liked these on their own, but they’re even better (and more like dessert) when covered in chocolate!
Now I will say, my bars don’t taste EXACTLY like the Chunky Peanut Butter thinkThin bar but they’re definitely similar and they still taste just as good. They have the nut butter and chocolate combo that I enjoy and the texture has a little crunch to it, just like the thinkThin bar does.
Of course, the nutritional stats aren’t the same either. My version doesn’t have as much protein and it also has sugar — from dates and the chocolate chips — but in my opinion less processing and a little sugar is better than the fake stuff. Plus, I see these as a dessert more so than a protein bar so I’m totally cool with them having a little sugar.
Isaac and I have been enjoying these as a treat throughout the week. I keep them in the freezer and then just pull one out to thaw a few minutes before we want it. Works great for satisfying a sweet tooth and tastes delish. I hope you like them as much as we do.
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My homemade version of the Chunky Peanut Butter thinkThin bars. They’re made with almond butter and vegan protein powder, sweetened with dates and contain no soy, dairy or gluten!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 3 Tablespoons natural or vanilla vegan protein powder (I like Sun Warrior)
- 4 pitted medjool dates (I used Natural Delights)
- 1 Tablespoon raw almonds
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (I used enjoy life)
- 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Place almond butter, dates and protein powder into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add in raw almonds and pulse a couple more times, until almonds are broken up into small chunks. Mixture should be thick and form easy to form into bars. If it’s too thin, add a little more protein powder.
- Form mix into rectangular shaped bars and place on parchment paper. I used a square container as a cookie cutter and then formed each square into a rectangle using my hands. I was able to make 10 small bars.
- Place bars into the freezer for a couple hours (or overnight) to harden up.
- A couple minutes before taking the bars out of the freezer, combine chocolate chips with the coconut oil and melt the mixture. Use a double boiler or microwave in 30 second increments (stirring after every 30 seconds) until the chocolate is melted.
- Dip chilled bars into the melted chocolate until covered. Place back on parchment paper. Once all bars are covered, place back in freezer until hard. Store in freezer or fridge until ready to enjoy.
Notes
If you want the bars to have less sugar, use less chocolate chips and just drizzle a little melted chocolate on each instead of covering them in chocolate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 10g
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
I like those bars, too… but also don’t like the long ingredient list and the brand name!
So, you totally posted these in honor of my birthday, right? 😉 BECAUSE THEY’RE THAT AWESOME? You betta believe I’ll be making these since the originals are some of my very favorites snack bars!
Duh! Well actually, I have a special recipe that I’ll be posting soon in honor of your b-day. 🙂
Perfect! I used to eat a lot of think thin bars because the taste was amazing and they were high in protein. However, I am very similar in that I do not do well with sugar alcohols and avoid soy. I had to give them up as a result. Thanks for the great recipe!
Can’t wait to try these! I love the taste and texture of thinkthin but echo your sentiments on some of the ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
What could I use instead of protein and dates?
It doesn’t have to be healthy.
Thanks for this recipe! Also try to avoid these ingredients!
Awesommmme.
I’ve never had the think thin bars because of the ingredients. These sound like a perfect after dinner treat. I like the idea of just drizzling with chocolate too. I’m not the best at dipping things in chocolate. Plus these would be great bars for my son in the morning. Thanks!
Monique, you should try nuts-n-more almond butter. It is all natural and has twice the protein of regular almond butter. They have amazing flavors, too! You can buy it from their website, GNC or Amazon. Enjoy! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Oops, not Monique! I was sent to your link by Monique 🙂 Sorry, Brittany!
Yummy, yummy! I found you on Lee’s site @ Fit Foodie Finds! I love your site!! 🙂 So happy to have found you today. xo
Love those bars! These look great girl! you make them look perfect!
OMG finally something I cannot buy in Thailand that I have been craving on the daily, these sound so good and I already own all of these ingredients. I am definitely making these after my bikini comp! xo C
Yay! Let me know how they turn out.
I like thinkThin Bars. it’s testy & healthy. It’s all Ingredients have protein.
Hello! What could I use instead of protein and dates?
Just made these last night and gave them a try this morning! YUM! I enjoyed them with my visiting nephew (who ran a few hours in the a.m.)! Can’t wait to make more – Thanks!
Yay! Thank you so much for trying the recipe, Patricia. I’m glad you and your nephew enjoyed them. 🙂
Is there anyway to keep the taste but add more protein? In the process of going Vegan and I got hooked to the ThinkThin bars when I went gluten free. But they have way more protein.
You could certainly try adding more protein powder. I’m just not sure how it would taste. Let me know if you try it.
Those do look tasty, but at 3grams protein per serving it defeats a large reason why i turn to thinkthin bars
I’m allergic to almonds, can I substitute PB? Also can I leave out almonds (not replace)?
Hi Loni. Peanut butter will work great as a sub for the almond butter and leaving out the 1 T of almonds should be fine. You could also use peanuts instead.