Protein powder version
Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing day celebrating with family and friends and eating all of your favorite foods. ☺️ I decided to wait and post a recipe Friday instead of yesterday with it being Thanksgiving and all.
Have you ever tried a Perfect Bar? I tried one for the first time ago when I was traveling to Europe. I fell in love instantly. Considering how obsessed I am with peanut butter, I’m not exactly surprised. Ever since I tried one months ago, I knew I wanted to try to create a similar version here on the blog! Pretty much like I did when I recreated RX Bars.
Oat flour version
I was reminded again of my desire to recreate these bars after trying a pumpkin pie Perfect Bar a couple months ago. While I definitely liked the texture, I have to say their version of pumpkin and peanut butter together wasn’t my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE peanut butter. But somehow, I just felt the pumpkin pie spice and peanut butter flavors were competing with each other and just didn’t go well together.
Oat flour version
My solution? Trying a more subtle/neutral tasting nut butter! I used cashew butter in these bars, which in my opinion has a mild yet buttery flavor and goes SO WELL with the pumpkin flavors too. Here’s a bit more about the ingredient breakdown and options:
Oat flour version
Ingredients and Substitutions
Cashew butter. As I mentioned, I love the neutral taste of cashew butter in these protein bars. However, I also think almond butter would be delicious. Or, if you want to mimic the pumpkin Perfect Bars go for the peanut butter!
Pumpkin puree. 100% pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Super easy; just from the can. Not going to lie, I wouldn’t recommend a substitution here since these are pumpkin pie bars, after all. ?
Spices: Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt contribute to the classic pumpkin pie flavor!
Protein powder OR oat flour. Here’s where you have more options again! I tested these bars two different ways; one version with vanilla protein powder and one with oat flour. They are both equally delicious but did have slightly different textures. I found the protein powder version to be much softer; honestly, I found keeping them in the freezer to be the best option. Adding a tablespoon or two of coconut flour (which is extremely absorbent) helps the protein powder version to be a bit firmer. I used a plant-based protein powder for these bars. The oat flour version was a bit denser, but I also added in about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to sweeten the oat flour batch (since my protein powder is naturally sweetened with stevia). Don’t forget that little bit of sugar is you make the oat flour version!
Protein powder version
I can’t wait to hear you like these bars! Let me know if you try them by tagging @audras_appetite on Instagram or Facebook!
Protein powder version
- Protein Powder Version:
- ½ cup cashew or almond butter (I used cashew)
- ¼ cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder-about ½ cup or 46 grams*
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut flour (amount will depend on your protein powder)
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Oat Flour Version:
- ½ cup cashew or almond butter (I used cashew)
- ¼ cup pure pumpkin puree
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)**
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Simply mix all ingredients together (I used a food processor to be very evenly combined), but you can also use a bowl and spoon.
- I just used any glass container to press dough into (like a small loaf pan, or only use part of a loaf pan). Cut each batch into 4-5 bars.
- These protein bars have a pretty soft texture, so these bars must be kept refrigerated (just like store-bought Perfect Bars!). I froze mine to firm up and for longer storage.
**I used 1.5 tablespoons
These are genius and I love that they’re vegan friendly!!
Thank you! Yes, so these are great for a huge variety of lifestyles! 🙂