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Save some cash and make your favorite peanut butter chocolate chip protein bar at home. This Copycat Perfect Bar Recipe is dairy and egg free but still fill of flavor and protein. You will end up liking the homemade version better than store bought!
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Homemade Perfect Bars versus Store Bought
There is nothing better than being able to make your favorite store bought or restaurant item at home. For one, it's much more cost effective and you can have it whenever you like.
So you can imagine I was quite happy when I ventured out to make the ever popular Perfect Bar recipe at home and I liked them even better than the store bought!
Ok, so they aren't exactly Perfect Bars--Perfect Bars contain egg, egg powder that is. Funny I don't happen to just have egg powder hanging around in the kitchen, ha! Plus, I thought that it would be better for my vegan friends because they could enjoy a Perfect Bar-like treat as well!
Sometimes you gotta eat, and you gotta make it easy as possible. The Perfect Bar is perfect for that!
What are Perfect Bars?
This recipe is certainly not an exact replica of an actual Perfect Bar, but it is so similar and has plenty of protein and goodness, I find it to be a great homemade alternative.
Perfect Bars are protein bars you can find in the refrigerated section of many groceries and they include a combinations of nut butters, egg powder, milk powder, and other ingredients like seeds, nuts and more.
They also boast a long list of "whole food powders" which tend to come from fruits and veggies. They typically cost about $2-$3 per bar which can be pricey but they deliver a delicious bar to fuel you up so when in a pinch, I do enjoy them.
Are they vegan?
Not all of them are. They have a couple versions that are vegan, but the peanut butter dark chocolate chip is not. Why aren't they vegan? A lot of them include egg powder and milk powder.
This recipe can easily be made vegan--you just have to add a plant based protein powder and keep the milk dairy free. You should be all set then!
What you will need to make this recipe:
- Peanut Butter: For best results, I use natural creamy peanut butter, the kind you have to stir. It is nice and drippy and has plenty of moisture.
- I absolutely LOVE almond flour. It is so amazing and sometimes I make these bars with just almond flour. However, almond flour is pricey. To make this Perfect Bar recipe more cost effective, I opted to use a combination of oat flour and almond flour. Oat flour is super inexpensive and can easily be made by processing oats into a fine powder.
- If you select a vanilla protein powder that is foul and you have to hold your nose to drink a shake with it, then it will certainly not be delicious in this recipe. Make sure you enjoy the protein powder!
- Whatever milk you prefer will work--almond milk, whole milk, etc.
How to make this recipe:
I have made these two ways and there is really no wrong way. One way is to toss everything in the bowl and just dive in. This option is great, but by the end of it, I usually think, maybe it is better to take this step by step, ok?
Choose your own adventure, friends!
- Combine the flours and sea salt in a medium bowl and stir well. (steps 1 and 2)
- Add in peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Stir to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Pro-Tip: using clean hands during this part to sort of knead the ingredients together works quite well. Don't knock it until you try it! (steps 3 and 4)
- If the mixture seems a bit dry or crumbly at this time, that is ok. That is where the milk comes in during the next step! (step 4)
- Add in the milk, slowly and stir or knead to incorporate into the mixture. I start by adding half of the milk at first. You do not want the mixture to be too wet, it should still hold up well and feel almost cookie dough like. If it still seems dry, add the rest of the milk and stir. (step 5)
- Toss in the chocolate chips and fold to mix in. (steps 6 and 7)
- Place the Perfect Bar mixture into a parchment lined 6x8in or 8x8 in pan. When it comes to the size of the pan, I prefer my 6x8in rectangular pyrex dishes. This allows the bars to be about the same thickness as a real Perfect Bar. When I use and 8x8in pan, I just don't press them all the way to one end to keep them about the same thickness. (step 8)
- Press, and I mean PRESS the mixture into the pan. Use all your strength! If you want a thick, dense bar, you just have to work for it! Pop them in the freezer and chill for about 30 minutes (or more, that's fine too) and then remove from the freezer, cut and enjoy! (steps 9 and 10)
Notes:
- When I say press, I mean PRESS these babies into the pan. If you want a really sturdy, dense bar, then you gotta put all your weight into it, sit on it, whatever you have to do, bring the power. The bars will be too flimsy if you don't so when you think you have pressed hard enough, keep going.
- Several readers who have made this Perfect Bar recipe, have said they prefer mini chocolate chips instead of full size, just as they use in real Perfect Bars.
- If you like the sweetness of Perfect Bars, add a bit more maple.
- Make sure the protein powder you use is one you would be okay drinking as a shake without holding your nose. Just sayin--consider yourself warned.
Possible Substitutions for this recipe:
- I used vanilla protein powder in these. I love the way the vanilla combines with the peanut butter and almond flour especially. Feeling kind of funky? Switch up the protein powder. You could substitute a chocolate protein powder (obviously this will alter the color of the bars.), I have seen Birthday cake flavors of protein powder--try something fun to change these up a bit.
- Not feeling peanut butter? Have a peanut allergy? Try cashew or almond butter. Both will sub for peanut butter well. I prefer the drippy kind that you have to stir. They work best in recipes like this.
- My FAVORITE substitution is to change up the chocolate chips in this copycat perfect bar recipe. I have made these with white chocolate chips--amaaaaazing. You could also opt for dark chocolate. What about peanut butter chips--too much? I even omit the chips altogether sometimes.
If you love energy bars and bites, then I have got soooo many goodies for you. This Perfect Bar recipe is just the beginning my friends!
Some of my other favorite no bake recipes:
- No Bake Mango Coconut Cashew Bars
- Blueberry Muffin Protein Bars (Very similar to a Perfect Bar as well!)
- Blueberry Lemon Energy Bites
- Pecan Pie Energy Bites
- No Bake Mocha Brownies
- Birthday Cake Perfect Bars
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This recipe was originally published in January 2018. Post was updated in March 2020 to include process photos and updated copy.
Perfect Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ c almond flour
- ¾ c oat flour
- ½ c peanut butter
- ⅓ c vanilla protein powder
- ¼ c milk of choice
- ⅓ - ½ c maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ c chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon Dash of sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together almond flour, oat flour, protein powder and sea salt. Add in peanut butter, maple and vanilla extract and stir well to combine. (feel free to use freshly washed hands for this part, it works very well!)
- Add in half of the milk and knead or stir to incorporate. If the mixture seems too dry, add the rest of the milk. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Press mixture VERY FIRMLY into a parchment lined pan or dish (about 6x8--pyrex has one that size. If you don't have one, use an 8x8 pan but don't press all the way to one end.)
- Freeze for about 30 minutes to set.
- Remove from freezer and cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- When I say press, I mean PRESS these babies into the pan. If you want a really sturdy, dense bar, then you gotta put all your weight into it, sit on it, whatever you have to do, bring the power. The bars will be too flimsy if you don't so when you think you have pressed hard enough, keep going.
- Several readers who have made this Perfect Bar recipe, have said they prefer mini chocolate chips instead of full size, just as they use in real Perfect Bars.
- If you like the sweetness of Perfect Bars, add a bit more maple.
- Make sure the protein powder you use is one you would be okay drinking as a shake without holding your nose. Just sayin--consider yourself warned.
Nutrition
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Karly says
These were fantastic! I actually swapped cashew butter instead of peanut butter for a more cookie dough flavor! The texture of these were *perfect* 🙂
Lorie says
Ohhhhhh I will be running to the store now for cashew butter 100%!!
Beth says
Been looking for a budget friendly alternative to the store bought bars and this was amazing! Followed the recipe to a T the first time but the second time I substituted almond butter for peanut butter, honey for maple syrup, chocolate protein powder and added a tablespoon of cocoa powder and they turned out as a great almond chocolate version!
Lorie says
Yay! I feel the same way, Beth. I needed something cost effective. And lots of options to make fun variations. Thanks so much!
Linh says
HI!
Can i replace the oat flour by just using only Almond flour?
Lorie says
Yes! I do that sometimes as well and it’s good! Sometimes a touch grittier because almond flour can be a bit less fine than oat flour.
Laura K says
I made these twice, both using almond butter instead of peanut butter. First time was amazing and no issues. Second time, same type of ingredients but they were very oily. Any suggestions or tip or possible thoughts as to what I could have done wrong the second time? (I promise I stirred the almond butter well)
Lorie says
Hmmm, I imagine it may have something to do with the almond butter. Even if you stirred it, it can release some oil when added to the recipe. If they seem too oily, try adding a bit more almond or oat flour to balance it out. Freeze them a bit longer maybe as well. Hopefully that will help!
Sarah says
Hi Lorie, these look so yummy! What protein powder do you use/recommend?
Lorie says
Hi Sarah! So my hubby always used to have UMP vanilla protein powder in the house so I used that a lot. I recently have used Orgain but it’s not my very favorite. Bobs Red Mill has a great vanilla one that I like as well. Hope that helps!!
Sarah says
Update: made the recipe and it is AMAZING!! Everyone loved them and could not believe they were healthy! So good, thank you for sharing!
Lorie says
Yay!!! Thanks so much for checking back in Sarah. I make these AT LEAST once a month. The best!
Rose says
Wow I just made these and omg so yummy I love perfect bars and this will save a lot of money for me
Lorie says
So happy to hear it!!! We live on these!!!
Shashank Mehta says
Chocolate chips are a thing everyone craves for. Chocolate chips protein bars will give us the needed proteins end energy for our body and will also take care of our taste. Thank you for sharing the recipe and ingredients with us as it will be easy to make it by ourselves. Keep sharing.
Michelle Halagarda says
I’ve been wanting a copycat perfect bar recipe for awhile because I spend so much on the bars! I had everything to make them and whipped them up real fast!Made these! So yummy! And much more budget friendly 🙂
Lorie says
So glad you love them. This is the recipe I make most often from the blog. And yes, I will take budget friendly any day!!!
Julie says
hi! what do you think would happen if i used kodiak pancake flour? i'm looking to add extra protein to it! thanks! i'm so excited to try this recipe thank you SO MUCH
Lorie says
Oh wow, that sounds amazing! I imagine you could but will have to play around with the amount of milk added to get the right texture. The only other thing to note is that kodiak cakes are sweetened a bit versus the flours on their own.
CJ says
Can regular wheat flour be used instead of oat and almond? Thanks!
Lorie says
Hi CJ! Great question. I have never tried it that way but I imagine you could use it. I would start slow adding the flour so it doesn’t get too thick or dry. You can add more milk if it seems dry as well.
Lauren says
I would be careful with regular flour because it needs to be cooked before it is consumed or it will make you sick. (it even says so on the package to thoroughly cook before consuming)
Lorie says
great point Lauren! Yes CJ, you can bake the flour at 350 F for about 5 minutes and hen allow to cool. This will kill any bacteria. Thanks Lauren!