Birthday Cake Protein Bars {vegan, gluten-free, easy}

Easy and scrumptious birthday cake protein bars made with coconut flour nd plant-based protein powder. They are vegan, gluten-free and no-bake.

Coconut flour has become a pantry staple for me in the past few years. Naturally gluten-free and grain-free, it is a soft, faintly sweet flour that is a natural by-product of coconut milk production. Specifically, once all the milk is extracted from coconut meat, what remains is dried and ground into flour.

Also, it’s delicate fragrance and flavor remind me of birthday cake.

So I decided to use said coconut flour to make a batch of easy, all-natural, no-bake  birthday cake protein bars.

 

Evocative of coconut pound cake, but so much easier, these minimalist, no-bake protein pucks manage to be both fitness fuel and dessert. Although these are as straightforward to make as can be, don’t try to sub another flour; it needs to be coconut here.

You’ll notice that I’ve given a range for the amount of milk needed for this recipe. The reason for the range is twofold:

(1) I’ve observed over the years, both from my own experience and from readers’, that coconut flours vary by brand in terms of their absorbency.

(2) Although I recommend using rice protein powder for these pucks (that’s what I used to test the recipe), you can use vanilla vegan protein powder you have on hand or prefer, which means the liquid ratios may vary. Aim for a consistency that is akin to firm cookie dough (not too stiff, or they’ll end up tasting dry) and you’ll be good!

I’ve got two spin classes to teach today, so I’m going to have my birthday cake (bars)  and eat them, too. Enjoy!

 

 

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