Chocolate-mallow Protein Bars

Deb October 11, 2016

Plus fruit gummies and other variations. Suitable for Paleo, GAPS, Clean Eating, low sugar

We first started making this protein slice a few years ago, as a way to make cod liver oil a more palatable supplement. One of our customers came up with the prototype recipe, and I’ve tweaked it a few ways since. Here’s the original recipe complete with cod liver oil.

If you leave the cod liver oil out, it becomes a yummy, high protein snack bar.

It’s a firm jelly texture, so a bit more interesting than your usual protein bar.

One of its beneficial ingredients is coconut oil – the healthy fat component. If you’ve tried my healthy chocolate recipe, or experimented yourself with coconut based snack bars, you’ll know that a major disadvantage is that it melts if you try and carry it about. But in this combo, it’s more stable.

The protein comes from beef or pork gelatin. If you’re strict vegetarian, you’ll have to wait for some of my other snack bars. But if you’re not, I prefer gelatin as a protein source to many of the processed protein powders.

The added benefit of gelatin is that is helps to heal the gut.

Chocolate Gelatin Protein Bars

(If you’re in NZ and looking for sources, some of these products are available through our Nature Foods online store, and are linked to for your convenience. If there’s anything else you can’t find, ask us.)

  • 1 cup water
  • 3 Tbs Great Lakes beef or pork gelatin (red or orange cans) *
  • About ½ cup honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar or other natural sweetener (or reduce quantity for your taste)
  • 4 Tbs / ¼ cup / 50 gm coconut oil
  • ½ cup / 50gm raw cacao (or cocoa) powder

Put the water in a medium sized pan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top, bit by bit, letting it absorb into the water. If any stays dry, mix it in with a whisk. When it has softened and gone thick, heat the water gently, stirring till the gelatin has dissolved. Take off the heat and add the honey and coconut oil, stirring till dissolved. Whisk in the cacao. Put into a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate. When set, cut into squares. Keeps in the fridge, in a lidded container, for at least a week.

* You can use any other brand of gelatin, but the quantity required may be different.

Carob Protein Bars (sugar free option)

  • Replace the cacao with 50gm carob powder
  • Carob is naturally sweet, so you can reduce (or even eliminate) the sweetener
  • Optional – 25gm of mesquite powder makes it a bit caramelly

Pimp Your Gelatin Slice

If you’re on a restricted diet, and want a portable dessert-like snack to take to functions where you might not be able to eat much, one of the first two versions might be best for you.

But there are lots of ways to make it more exciting. Try adding one or more of:

  • Orange or lemon zest or extract
  • Peppermint essence
  • Dried fruit
  • Freeze dried fruit – cherries or raspberries would be particularly nice

The gelatin bar in the photo is carob with ¼ cup currants stirred in, & crushed freeze dried raspberries on top

Fortify Your Gelatin Slice

If you take liquid supplements of any kind, they can be hidden, or at least diluted by adding them to this slice.

Here are some suggestions for incorporating either Green Pasture or NutraPro cod or skate liver oil (the ones we use) into a gelatin slice. But the same process can be used for any other brands of cod liver oil, fish oils, liquid vitamins (we often add liquid B vitamins), liquid minerals or any other liquid supplement.

  • Make either the chocolate or carob basic recipe
  • Let it cool down in the pan to about body temperature, but not so cool that it’s set
  • Whisk in 4-8 Tbs cod or skate liver oil (depending on how strong you can handle it) before pouring into the prepared tray. Suggested flavours:
  • When set, cut into 24-48 pieces, which will each have 1/2 tsp of oil

Gummy Citrus Stars

Put the lemon juice in a small pan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. When it’s softened add the honey, and stir all together over a low heat till the gelatin is dissolved.

You can pour it into a glass dish, put in the fridge till set, then cut it up into squares.

Or you can use chocolate moulds. Put them in the freezer for a while, then into the fridge. I use the pointy end of a sharp knife to prise a corner out, and then peeled each one out. This amount made about 24 gummies.

Other Gummies

A New Zealand blogger recently posted these great variations, different fruit flavours, plus a coconut milk variation – a rainbow of gummy bears

Marshmallow

And for an even more marshmallowy variation, here’s a recipe from another NZ website

 

Original post on Steemit at https://steemit.com/recipes/@kiwideb/healthy-real-food-snack-chocolate-mallow-protein-bars

Steemit is a new blogging platform where authors can be rewarded for their work. Go check it out!