Alton Brown's Protein Bars

Chef #348440's Note:

These are healthy energy bars that Alton Brown demonstrated on his Good Eats cooking show.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 16

• 4 ounces powdered soy protein concentrate , approx 1 c
• 2 ¼ ounces oat bran , approx 1/2 c
• 2 ¾ ounces whole wheat flour , approx 1/2 c
• ¾ ounce wheat germ , approx 1/4 c
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 ounces raisins , approx. 1/2 c
• 2 ½ ounces dried cherries , approx. 1/2 c
• 3 ounces dried blueberries , approx. 1/2 c
• 2 ½ ounces dried apricots , approx. 1/2 c
• 12 1⁄3; ounces soft silken tofu
• ½ cup apple juice , unfiltered
• 4 ounces dark brown sugar , approx 1/2 c. packed
• 2 large eggs , beaten
• 2⁄3; cup natural-style peanut butter
• canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
2. Line bottom of a 13x9" glass baking dish w/parchment paper and lightly coat w/canola oil. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ and salt. Set aside.
4. Coarsely chop the raisins, dried cherries, blueberries and apricots and place in a small bowl and set aside.
5. In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth. Add the apple juice, brown sugar, eggs and peanut butter, 1 at a time and whisk to combine after each addition.
6. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit.
7. Spread evenly in the dish and bake for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 deg. Remove and cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Reviews

[Georgiapea]

I really love these. I have a frisbee tournament coming up this weekend - and we often don't really get a lunch break, so I thought these would be a good, energy-dense choice. (I may have already eaten like 1/5 of them...what?!) Mine look more whole-grain/nubbly than mikey&ev's pic. I NEVER managed to get them up to 205 - even after like 45 minutes. I gave up when it got to about 185. They are a little chewy now - I guess that's the price I pay. Again, they are delicious, they taste like 'healthfood' I guess, but I like that. Good luck guys. They are a little expensive - but with their nutritional profile and how much you would pay for preservative-tastic off-the-shelf versions...they're worth it! Thanks Chef and Alton ::EDIT:: I used whey protein powder with little to no flavoring (it said 'natural' but smelled a bit like vanilla). I also cut these into tiny squares and got about 50 - they look like 'nuggets of energy' if you've seen those.

[Chef #926187]

Yep-They ARE Good Eats! I will never buy another tasteless protein bar from the store again. These taste wonderful, and have a nice texture. I am sure they are better for you also. Thumbs up Alton!! These are a winner!!

[WI Cheesehead]

We used to love Good Eats when we had cable! I miss him. I had this saved and finally tried it. I used the cup measurements and had to add a bit more juice to get it all combined. I used dried pineapple, cranberries, choc. chips and walnuts in place of the other 4 dried fruits. I would have liked it a bit more sweet, but my DH really liked them. He ate 3 (out of 24) right away.