The desire to consume chocolate at times overcomes even the strongest of us. When that cocoa aroma penetrates your senses and the drool starts to form at the corners of your mouth, you feel that there is no place to run… no place to hide… from the chocolate. OK, so maybe this isn’t you, but even so, everyone can use a tasty protein bar at times. This recipe for Homemade Chocolate Protein Bars one is for all the chocolate lovers out there.

The Recipe

1 square of unsweetened baking chocolate
3 scoops (1 cup) chocolate protein powder of your choice, I prefer Biotest Metabolic Drive Super Protein Shake (aka “M”)
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
3 packets or 1/8 cup of Splenda
2 tbsp sugar free or low sugar syrup, or maple syrup, or you can even just use water instead
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup chopped nuts, I prefer either peanuts, pecans, or almonds

Melt the baking chocolate and the butter in the microwave for 1 minute, stirring until melted. Add Splenda and heavy cream, stirring until creamy. Next, add protein powder, nuts, and coconut, stirring until everything is coated evenly. Add syrup or water, mixing thoroughly. At this point, the mixture may become very stiff. You should knead it like dough until the mixture is uniform throughout. Finally, line a bread loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the mixture into the pan firmly and evenly. Chill until very firm. The recipe can be cut into 6 bars or servings.

Nutrition Information
Approximately 170 calories from 5g carbs, 15g protein, and somewhere around 10g of fat per bar.

Try substituting dark chocolate instead of baking chocolate, for a richer darker flavor. Also, try adding all-natural peanut butter to give it an additional nutty flavor. Keep milk on hand during consumption.