This Berry Collagen Protein Bar recipe is both Paleo and Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) compliant. These protein bars are creamy, full of flavor, and are truly a healthy addition to your weekly breakfast routine. Grab the recipe below.

I’m sure every health coach claims that every recipe they ever create is “insane”, right?

Even if this is true, you have to believe me when I tell you this Berry Collagen Protein Bar recipe is INSANE. I truly mean that these healthy as f***, low sugar, high protein bars taste as good as a seriously irresistible dessert.

Unlike most of my recipes, these bars didn’t just ‘happen’. This recipe was one that I had to research, test, retest, and retest again before finally stumbling upon the perfect combination of ingredients.

Here’s how this Berry Collagen Protein Bar recipe came to be.

If you read my post on these Mashed Cauliflower Breakfast Bowls, you know that I’ve been pretty lazy with my breakfasts. So naturally I began searching for the best way to indulge my lazy breakfast mentality: protein bars. It’s pretty much impossible to find a store bought protein bar that is dairy, nut, and grain free, so I went to Pinterest to find a homemade recipe.

Even going the homemade route, I quickly realized how few recipes were A. dairy free, B. nut free, and C. oat free. It seemed every recipe I saw included one or more of those three ingredients. And so the drive was born to create something of my own that was free of all three.

About that Berry Collagen Protein Bar recipe…

In this recipe, the combination of collagen protein, coconut butter, coconut cream, and berries makes the most insanely delicious protein bar. These protein bars are so delicious, I swear they could pass as dessert.

The Protein Component: Collagen

Although I was once an avid plant-based protein kinda girl, the protein powder I swear by these days is a form of protein called collagen hydrolysate, aka collagen peptides.

Collagen is one of the most structural substances in your body, responsible for healthy tissue repair, joint flexibility, bone and skin renewal, and reducing inflammation. If one of your goals is to stay looking young sans botox, collagen is your golden ticket.

The Creamy Component: Coconut

Confession: I’m not a fan of coconut butter. It’s dry, crumbly, and not easy to snack on since it solidifies at room temp. It is however key to the success of this recipe, and once all the ingredients come together, the coconut butter is a non-issue for me. These bars are anything but dry or crumbly, and they’re a perfect snack.

Coconut butter on it’s own has plenty of merit as well. It’s said that the fat from coconut butter can’t be stored as body fat since it’s so readily available for energy. This means that despite these bars being higher in fat, you don’t need to worry about your waist line when eating them. In fact, you can expect any of the following benefits from indulging in these coconut butter based bars:

1. High in healthy medium chain triglycerides
2. High in fiber
3. Improved blood sugar control
4. Reduced sugar cravings

Pretty insane, right? Let’s move on.

The Fruity Component: Berries

I’ve made these bars with two berry options: fresh blueberries, and dried mixed berries. The first option has a shorter shelf life, but the end result is delicious. I love the combination of the fresh, juicy blueberries mixed into the creamy coconut butter. This option is also lower in sugar than what is shown on the nutrition label (which calculated with dried berries). The second option, dried mixed berries, yields more of the chewy texture that you’d expect from a protein bar. I can’t say I prefer one over the other, but will likely choose to use dried berries for when I’m prepping a bunch of bars for weekday breakfasts.

The Dessert Component: Chocolate Icing

Full disclosure, I didn’t photograph these bars with the coconut oil chocolate icing recipe listed below. I decided to use 80% dark chocolate for when I was snapping photos solely so I wouldn’t worry about them melting during the process. However, after tasting the recipe with the substitution of dark chocolate in place of my coconut oil chocolate icing, I realized that this collagen protein bar recipe had an alter-ego… and it’s that of a true dessert.

Regardless of the chocolate option you choose (dark chocolate or coconut oil ‘chocolate icing’), you won’t be disappointed.

Berry Collagen Protein Bars

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Preparation 0:10 2017-07-22T00:10:00+00:00

Cook Time 0:00 2017-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

Total Time 0:10 2017-07-22T00:10:00+00:00

Serves 8 bars     adjust servings

Ingredients

Bars

• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 3/4 cup Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/4 cup dried or fresh berries
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Chocolate Icing (optional)

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp cacao powder, or carob powder for AIP
• 1/2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup

Instructions

For the Bars

1. Mix all ingredients together by hand in a bowl. It may take a bit of stirring before the dough comes together.
2. Form into 8 equal bars. I used this inexpensive silicon mold to make my bars all the same size, but you can also use a greased glass baking sheet, or you can shape the bars by hand.
3. Place the formed bars in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Once they're set, remove the bars from the silicon mold or the baking dish. At this point, you can choose if you'd like to make the chocolate icing, (recipe below ) or leave plain.
4. The bars tend to have the best texture at room temperature, but you can also store in the fridge for a longer shelf-life.

For the Chocolate Icing

1. Melt the coconut oil and stir in cacao powder (or carob powder for AIP) and maple syrup.
2. Dip bottom half of each bar in the chocolate icing.
3. Use a piping bag or a ziploc with a small hole cut in the tip to drizzle chocolate on top of the bars.
4. Place bars on waxed paper in the refrigerator to set.

Nutrition information is for the bars without the chocolate icing. If you're including the icing, you'll add 85 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 2 grams of carbs.

Recipe Notes

 

These bars are also delicious dipped in 80% dark chocolate and eaten as a low sugar dessert.

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2 reviews

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
Amount Per Serving	As Served
Calories 210 Calories from fat 305
% Daily Value
Total Fat 13g	20%
Saturated Fat 11g	55%
Sodium 196mg	8%
Carbohydrate 14g	5%
Dietary Fiber 5g	20%
Sugars 7g
Protein 11g
Cholesterol 1	0%

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:

	Calories	2000	2500
Total Fat	Less than	65g	80g
Sat Fat	Less than	25g	80g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g	375g
Dietary Fiber		25g	30g

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Other gluten free recipes you might like:

AIP Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mashed Cauliflower Breakfast Bowl

AIP Pumpkin Spice Granola

Want some help rocking your AIP transition? Grab my free ebook containing protocol specifics, an enjoy + avoid list, a dining out guide, and even some (not so average) meal planning tips. Download your free copy below!