On Saturday during our Hawaii vacation, we drove halfway around the island to see our favorite hula show. I snagged the coveted couches in the open-air lounge as an elderly couple abandoned them, and we all settled in to wait for the torch lighting ceremony to begin.
Throughout the evening, a waitress periodically stopped by to ask for our orders. Everyone put in requests at different times—Dad for a quesadilla before the entertainment started; Mom for a salad in between the torch lighting and hula show; and my brother for a BBQ pizza and passion fruit smoothie while the dancers ran offstage to change clothes.
As an indecisive self-proclaimed snacker, I usually sneak bits and pieces off of other people’s plates to make up my meals. (I can hardly choose just one dish to try on a menu!) But I spent the show distracted by the sweet four-year-old girls up on stage, and I completely forgot to steal enough samples to satisfy my stomach from my family’s dinners!
Before I even buckled my seatbelt, my tummy started rumbling. No way could I survive the 1.5-hour drive back to the condo with a snack! I rustled around the trunk in the pitch-black darkness until I nearly knocked over Mom’s beach bag. Bingo!
An avid hiker, Dad always stashes some energy bars in the car on our vacations, just in case we pass by an interesting trailhead (or he gets hungry). As I ripped one open, my brother asked what I was doing.
“Uhh… Finishing my dinner?”
AKA enjoying pure pretzel and peanut buttery bliss! But when I saw the Mojo™ Nutrition Label back at the condo, I knew I could come up with a lighter version.
My first attempt resulted in what I lovingly referred to as “The Mojo Granola”—too dry and crumbly to stick together as bars! Try #2 came out just perfect, and Dad smiled a bit bigger than normal when I said I’d leave the whole batch with him. (P.S. Check out the Nutrition Information below to see how mine compares to the original!)
These are sweet, salty, soft, and really peanut buttery. They’re a great afternoon or hiking snack!
- Lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.
- Add half of the soy crisps to a blender or food processor, and pulse 3-4 times. Pour into a large bowl and break up any large pieces with your fingers. Repeat with the remaining soy crisps. Add the soy protein powder to the bowl, and stir until evenly distributed.
- Add the powdered peanut butter, water, and agave to a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, for about 3 minutes until it begins to boil. Let it boil for 15-20 seconds before pouring over the soy mixture. Stir with the spatula until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the soy mixture into the prepared pan, and carefully press down. In order, sprinkle the peanuts, pretzels, and peanut butter chips over top, pressing each down into the soy mixture. Cut into 10 bars.
Notes: I used Whole Food’s 365 Everyday Value Soy Crisps, Sea Salt flavor. These were lower in fat and higher in protein than other brands.
I cut each of my peanut butter chips in half to ensure there’d be a little bit in every bite, but you can sprinkle the whole chips on top instead if you’re in a hurry!
So excited about this recipe, however we are allergic to soy. What would you substitute for the soy crisps?
I’d recommend rice crisps or rice krispies, if your family isn’t allergic to those. I hope you enjoy the bars Greta!
Thanks for this recipe! I’ve been looking for protein bar recipes to replace the expensive ones I buy. In the last couple of days I made three different kinds and this is the best one and the only one that was no-bake. I’m glad I read all the reviews because I wanted to use peanut butter too instead of the powder. So in case anyone is doing the same – I used 6 T natural pb (5 creamy, 1 crunchy because I ran out!), and about 1/3 c water on the stove w/ the agave. I added only 1/4 c water first and got that all blended on the stove, then added a little more until it was the desired consistency (thick, but not too thick, more like a spread). For the soy crisps – I used the store brand sea salt same as Amy, but the bag comes in 3.5 ounces so I used the whole bag. The food processor made a powder out of them so I ended up just dumping the bag in the mixing bowl and breaking them up by hand. I omitted the peanuts but the pb chips, almond slivers and pretzel pieces on top were plenty. They shaped perfectly well in the pan and cut easily. Next test – to see if they stay in the same shape in the kids lunch boxes so they can have them after sports practice. Now that I think of it, they will probably be eaten long before the end of the school day!
I forgot to mention I used vanilla whey protein instead of the soy, same amount.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the protein bars Colleen! Thank you for including your modifications too. It’s great to hear what works! 🙂 And your kids have a fantastic mom to pack them extra snacks for after sports practices!
Do you know how long these will last unrifridgerated?
They should last at least a week if sealed in an airtight container. Their texture may soften over time, but that’s probably it. I hope you enjoy the bars if you try them Deanna!
I really enjoyed them thank you sooooo much☺️
It’s my pleasure, Maya! I’m so glad you loved these bars! 🙂
Hi Amy,
These look great and I’d love to try out – is it essential to use peanut butter chips. I live in the UK and they aren’t very easy to find. Can I use something else?
Also, can I use rice cereal instead of the soy crisps? Again, struggling to find these unless I go to a specialist food store.
Thanks
Thanks Kay! It isn’t essential to use the peanut butter chips — I just love the way that they taste! You could easily substitute them with butterscotch chips or chocolate chips, or you could omit them altogether. Rice cereal should work in place of the soy crisps, although the texture may be slightly different. I hope you enjoy the snack bars!
My wife shouldn’t have soy products, is there a work around to replace the soy?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nick! Your wife is so lucky to have you. 🙂 You should be able to replace the soy crisps with rice crisps (the small circular ones about 2″ in diameter), and most plant-based protein powders will work in place of the soy protein. Not all protein powders behave differently, so you may need to add a little milk if the mixture seems too dry or bake it a little longer if it seems to wet. (I share more information on my Protein Powder FAQ Page here!). I can’t wait to hear what you think of these!
Amy, these look great, but I can’t anything called Soy Crisps….and I’ve looked at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Walmart, Kroger…and I haven’t found anything called Soy Crisps. I also checked Amazon. What can I substitute and still get the protein added by the soy crisps??
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Nancy! Soy crisps look and have a very similar texture to mini rice cakes, so you could easily substitute with those. Quaker has their “Popped” products (although I don’t believe they carry a just-salted flavor), and other companies and stores may offer more brands too. Then you could increase the amount of protein powder to compensate. If the mixture seems dry, then just add more water 1-2 teaspoons at a time. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these snack bars!
I also couldn’t find soy crisps so I used green pea crisps baked pea snacks by Aldi’s Simply Nature brand and worked out great with 5g of protein per 1 oz green pea crisps serving. Thank you so much for putting this recipe out there! So much cheaper and healthier to make homemade than buy already made.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these Susie! Thank you SO much for letting me know about the green pea crisps — that’s awesome to know that they work! 🙂