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! This is my GBBO watching treat. If you’ve found a way to watch the Great British Bake Off not surrounded by chocolate/cakes/treats please let me know how!

You can use quinoa puffs or puffed rice for this recipe. Quinoa is full of protein and fibre as well as being gluten free and has a lower glycemic index than rice. Plus it can be hard to come by vegan puffed rice as they like to add animal derived Vitamin D3 to a lot brands, including supermarket own brands.

I get my quinoa puffs from a lovely company called Hodmedods – all British grown ingredients (including chia!)

The vegan chocolate topping

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 ever seem my 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.

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 this recipe or any of the recipes from The Cook & Him I’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 I’ll see your picture!)

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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
160g bar dairy free dark chocolate
1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil
1/2 cup (140g) smooth peanut butter
3 cups (100g) rice puffs or quinoa puffs

Topping

40g dairy free dark chocolate
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 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 rice or 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 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
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!