Peanut Butter and Chocolate Snack Bars - a flavour match made in heaven! Gorgeous dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter and quinoa puffs combine to make these vegan snack bars a healthy yet decadently rich treat! Recipe on thecookandhim.com

Posted in Recipes on 21.09.2018

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Vegan Snack Bars

prep: 30 mins / cook: 5 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 35 mins / quantity: 16 squares Print recipe?

These vegan snack bars truly are a taste match made in heaven.

Gorgeous dark chocolate, creamy peanut butter and quinoa puffs combine to make these vegan snack bars a healthy yet decadently rich treat!

I use a LOT of chocolate. And, maybe, even more peanut butter. I buy raw cacao powder in 1kg sacks and peanut butter in 1kg tubs. And I’m not going to embarrass myself by telling you how long they last!

But to make these vegan snack bars even more chocolatey I needed even more, um, chocolate! Enter Doisy & Dam and their amazing vegan dark chocolate range. I honestly can’t get enough of this stuff. This is our GBBO watching treat. If you’ve found a way to watch the Great British Bake Off not surrounded by chocolate/cakes/treats please let us know how!

I’ve used quinoa puffs instead of rice krispies for a couple of reasons. 1. I already have a Healthy Rice Krispy Treats recipe 2. Quinoa is an amazing ingredient – full of protein and fibre as well as being gluten free and with a low glycemic index. It’s also quite difficult to find puffed rice with no added sugar. I get our quinoa puffs from a lovely company called Hodmedods – all British grown ingredients (including chia!!)

Side note, when you’re mixing these vegan snack bars together it makes the best squelching sound.

My original plan was to just make them, leave them to set then cut them up. But I wanted EVEN MORE chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness in them so went for a rich, creamy ‘frosting’. The day I made these was one of the hottest days of this summer. And this summer was HOT. And if you’ve seen our Instagram stories you’ll know I spend a lot of time photographing on the floor, in the patio door where the best light is. Hot, sticky sunlight on the hottest day of the year doesn’t mix well with soft, easily melted chocolate.

By the time I’d finished photographing these there was chocolate everywhere. On the camera. Up my nose. On the carpet. Smeared across my specs ?

Oh the lengths we go to.

The bonus was that stacking them in a container to chill and reset meant you got six pieces instead of one. Oh well ?

If you make these Vegan Snack Bars or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture! ❤)

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!

If you make this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him we’d LOVE to see! Just snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #thecookandhim and tagging @thecookandhim in the photo itself (as this guarantees we’ll see your picture!)

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter for even more recipe inspiration and chat, competitions, behind the scenes and so much more!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Vegan Snack Bars

prep: 30 mins / cook: 5 mins / inactive: 0 mins / total: 35 mins / quantity: 16 squares

Ingredients

1/2 cup (60g) pecan nuts
2 x 80g bars Doisy & Dam Maple, Toasted Rice and Pink Salt
1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil
1/2 cup (140g) smooth peanut butter
3 cups (100g) quinoa puffs (from Hodmedods)

Topping

40g Doisy & Dam Maple, Toasted Rice and Pink Salt
1 tblsp coconut oil
1/2 cup (140g) smooth peanut butter
1 tblsp maple syrup

Instructions

Start by toasting the nuts - the quickest and easiest way to do this is in a dry frying pan over a gentle heat. Toss or stir for a few minutes until golden and toasted. Set aside to cool
For the bars melt together the two bars of chocolate and the coconut oil. You can do this in a microwave or over a bain-marie. This is just a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.
When melted stir in the peanut butter until melted and smooth
Tip the quinoa puffs into a large bowl, roughly chop the pecans (or just crush in your hands if they're cool enough) and add to the bowl
Stir in the chocolate mixture and mix very well, making sure all the quinoa puffs are coated
Line a square 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) tin with cling film, covering the base and sides then spoon in the quinoa mix. Push out to the corners, flattening the top as you go
Put in the fridge while you make the topping
Again, melt together the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave or over a bain-marie then stir in the peanut butter and maple syrup until melted and smooth
Pour and spread over the bars then return to the fridge to set completely (around an hour, maybe less)
Remove the whole thing from the tin, peel off the cling film and set onto a large chopping board
I used a large hot knife to cut into squares
Store in the fridge

Notes

You could vary the nuts, toasted ones just SO compliment the toasted flavour that comes from the chocolate. You can also add any dried fruits to the mixture for a pop of sweetness and chew!