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I reverse-engineered my favorite snack bar

• Cooking,Recipes,Chocolate,Peanut Butter,Dates
The image shows two pieces of a homemade snack bar or energy bar on a wooden surface. The bars are made with dates, nuts, and chocolate chips, and have a crumbly, textured appearance.
It's hard to explain how something this simple tastes this good.

When I first moved to Breckenridge, I got into the habit of buying boxes of a particular snack brand’s peanut butter chocolate chip bars. Then the pandemic hit, and prices started to climb. A box of 18 bars now costs ~$20.99. I haven’t done the math, but I’m pretty sure it’s a lot cheaper to make my own bars. (Of course: buying the ingredients for multiple 12-bar batches is less than the cost of one box of 18.) I set out to figure out how to make my own.

Thankfully, the ingredients were pretty simple, so it just came down to working on ratios and process. It only took me 4 or 5 attempts to get the recipe dialed in. Originally, I was doing a no-bake approach and refrigerating them. Ultimately, I determined that the texture would be better (the bar would be more cohesive) if I baked it briefly at a low temperature, and I did a quick test to figure out the best cook time. And I store them in a sealed container in the pantry now—they keep fine.

So here’s what I figured out. Better than store bought and cheaper, and super easy to make. I used to eat them for breakfast, but nowadays they serve as my mid-workout snack, and I carry a couple with me whenever I’m hiking or snowboarding. Oh, and they’re vegan (if you buy the right chocolate chips).

I’ve done this for a few other staples (oat milk, for example). I’ll probably share those recipes in the future.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

Delicious 3-ingredient bars for snacking or a quick energy supply.

The image shows two rectangular-shaped snack bars or energy bars on a wooden surface. The bars have a brown, nutty-looking appearance with visible chocolate chips embedded in them.

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • 8x8" baking pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Baking sheet

Ingredients

  • 275g Unsalted Dry Roasted Peanuts
  • 236g Dates (I generally buy whole medjool dates and remove the pits.)
  • 80g Vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. 1

    Blend the peanuts to crumbles in the food processor.

  2. 2

    Reserve 25g of peanut crumbles.

  3. 3

    Blend remaining peanut crumbles until crumbles start to blend together.

  4. 4

    Add dates and blend until incorporated.

  5. 5

    Remove mixture from food processor and add to a bowl.

  6. 6

    Fold in chocolate chips and reserved peanut crumbles.

  7. 7

    Line the baking pan with parchment paper.

  8. 8

    Press mixture into baking pan.

  9. 9

    Blot surface with paper towel to absorb any excess oiliness from the peanuts and dates.

  10. 10

    Cover with parchment paper.

  11. 11

    Refrigerate until firm.

    30m
  12. 12

    Pre-heat oven

    250ºF
  13. 13

    Remove pan from refrigerator and cut into 12 even bars.

  14. 14

    Place cut bars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave at least 1/2" between bars for air flow.

  15. 15

    Bake at 250ºF

    15m 250ºF
  16. 16

    Remove from oven and cool.

  17. 17

    Store in a sealed container.

Notes & Tips

  • A kitchen scale is super useful for making these.
  • I find that it helps to wear a nitrile glove. I wear it for pitting the dates, mixing the chocolate chips and peanut crumbles into the base, and pressing the mixture into the pan.
  • I usually re-use the parchment from the 8x8" pan on the baking sheet.
  • Cutting the bars before baking makes for even textures around the edges.
  • These don't need to be refrigerated.

Recipe from: Reverse-engineered from a popular snack bar.