Flourless Protein Crunch Bars (gluten-free, vegan, no bake)

You will LOVE these sweet chewy/crisp protein bars - imagine if a Power Bar + Rice Krispie Treat had a baby. They're crammed with peanut butter, oats and crispy cereal, and then topped with mini chocolate chips. And since they're sweetened with maple syrup, they're refined sugar-free (add that to the bragging rights: gluten-free, vegan, protein-rich, and crammed with complex carbohydrates). Perhaps most importantly, they're delicious too.

To ramp up the protein in these bars, I added 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder. Why? I wanted to create a healthy snack that would help boost post-workout recovery (protein provides the fuel muscles need after exercise). And when I say healthy, I mean delicious bars that are free of refined sugar and rich in whole grain carbohydrates and high-quality protein. That's exactly what these babies deliver. For vegan bars, choose a protein powder that's also vegan.

For the cereal, I chose whole grain puffed brown rice cereal, but you can use any cereal you want for the crunch. You can even use granola. Just try to get a whole grain and something  without added sugar.

Flourless Protein Crunch Bars (gluten-free, vegan, no bake)

2 cups smooth peanut butter or nut butter of choice
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 cups oats, regular or quick-cooking, ground into a fine flour
2 scoops vanilla protein powder of choice (choose a vegan variety for vegan bars)
1 1/2 cups whole grain puffed rice cereal (such as Arrowhead Mills)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (choose a vegan variety for vegan bars)

Line the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (don't skip this step - it makes getting the bars out of the pan super easy).
Combine the peanut butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan and set the pan over medium-low heat. Cook until the mixture is thin and warm. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ground oats and protein powder. Fold in the cereal. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over top and press them into the dough.
That's it! When ready to serve, cut the mixture into bars. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Makes 16-24 bars (depending on how big/small you cut them)