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Trim Healthy Mama Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (THM:S)
I have to tell you, this recipes took way to long for me to put together because of some craziness with our rental property.
Thank goodness, we have a signed contract, and tenants moving in in 10 days. But first, the floors needed to be sanded down and refinished, since they were pretty rough.
It wasn't a big deal at first. We hired a contractor to do the job, but then the contractor didn't show. Then showed up. Then didn't show again.
So we had to take the partially-sanded floors, finish sanding, clean thoroughly, and then put down the Poly coating. My amazing father-in-law and two of my brothers-in-law came over the help, and tonight the final layers of finish are going down.
Then tomorrow the trim goes in!
Those poor guys are so tired, and my stress levels have been nuts!
A chocolate/peanut butter fix is exactly what I needed, and these Trim Healthy Mama Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars fit the bill perfectly!
These bars are the perfect combination of chewy, chocolatey, and peanut-buttery goodness that remind me of those Sunbelt Chocolate Peanut Butter granola bars.
They're an S, with a fairly high fat content, which could cause confusion because they also have Instant Oats in them. I've done the math to keep each bar below 10g of carbs and within THM:S guidelines. Just make sure to cut the pan into 15 bars. They're pretty good size, and theire richness will leave you very satisfied!
A couple of notes about the recipe & method:
I used THM Baking Blend in this recipe because I happened to have it on hand, but honestly I don't usually buy it. Instead, I purchase Organic Coconut Flour, Organic Almond Flour, and Whole Husk Psyllium Fibers and combine them in equal parts for a quick and cost-effective baking blend!
Also, in this recipe, you can absolutely sub out the 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil + 1 cup of De-Fatted Peanut Flour for 1.5 cups of natural peanut butter. I did have some on hand, but since it tends to be more expensive, I decided to basically make my own peanut butter an it worked great!
Finally, after these bars are set up in the fridge, they'll sort of be stuck to the pan – even a buttered pan. So, to make them easy to get out, you can either line with aluminum foil or parchment paper, or you can do like I did and leave them out on the counter for about 5 minutes, then cut and remove them from the pan. Just a few minutes of them being out of the fridge really helps them release from the pan.
Mix a batch up – it's delicious!!
I do have some serious favorites when it comes to ingredients and products that I cook with, so to give you an idea, here are some quick links of the foods and items I use. These are affiliate links, so if you click on them and buy something, I may make a small commission. This helps these recipes stay free, and there is no cost to you!
Where to buy supplies:
- For the bars:
- 3 cups Organic Finely Shredded Coconut
- 2 cups Instant Oats
- 1 cup Baking Blend
- 2 T Super Sweet
- 2 cups Organic Unsalted Butter, melted
- 1 cup De-Fatted Peanut Flour
- ½ cup Coconut Oil
- For the topping:
- 1½ cup Coconut Oil
- ⅔ cup Cocoa Powder
- 3 T Super Sweet Blend
- To make the peanut butter bars, mix together all ingredients for the bars and press into a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- While the peanut butter bars are cooling, make the topping by melting the coconut oil over low heat, then whisking in the cocoa powder and super sweet.
- Pour over the peanut butter bars, then put the entire pan into the fridge to set up.
- When you're ready to cut the bars, remove from the fridge for 5 minutes, then cut and remove from the pan.
Talk Soon,
Gretchen
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victoria knipp says
April 26, 2017 at 7:46 pmI just made these!!! AMAZING Thanks for the recipe. I don’t understand how they are an S with oatmeal in them? Are these considered a crossover?
Cynthia says
January 29, 2019 at 12:01 amI had the same question. They sound delicious, but i’m not wanting a XO.
Gretchen Lindow says
January 29, 2019 at 12:10 pmThe oatmeal is a small enough amount to keep the carbohydrates low enough to fit into a THM:S. I’ve done the math to keep each bar below 10g of carbs and within THM:S guidelines. Just make sure to cut the pan into 15 bars. They’re pretty good size, and theire richness will leave you very satisfied!
victoria knipp says
April 26, 2017 at 7:56 pmI just made these!!! AMAZING Thanks for the recipe. I don’t understand how they are an S with oatmeal in them? Are these considered a crossover? I just read where you kept carbs down. Makes sense!
Andrea says
October 19, 2017 at 8:55 pmJust wondering will the oats not make this a crossover for thm?
Gretchen says
October 21, 2017 at 1:43 pmThere are few enough oats, that spread out through the entire pan, keeps the carbs low enough
Cat says
October 27, 2017 at 11:28 amDisappointed that these looked nothing like the pictures, and when I poured the chocolate on it melted right into the bars. I’m hoping they at least taste good to make the use of ingredients worth it. The pictures look just like unhealthy PB bars, which is why I decided to try them. I’ll update once I eat one. 🙂
Cat says
October 27, 2017 at 12:04 pmUpdate: Will definitely not bother trying these again. I have no idea what I did wrong, but the bar is just a sloppy mess of goo. No form whatsoever. I’m so disappointed I could cry. Doesn’t taste terrible, but not good enough to try again. I went over the recipe multiple times, and I know I did it right.
Janet Kimball says
December 16, 2018 at 10:13 amSame thing here. So bummed!
Abby Soliday says
June 19, 2018 at 11:18 pmI’m not sure what I did wrong, but for some reason the chocolate on top didn’t set. And the sugar is gritty even though it was a powdered form. Did I heat it up to long? Or not long enough? I tasted the peanut butter part before baking and it was amazing. Have any thoughts?
Janet Kimball says
December 16, 2018 at 10:10 amSeems like WAY to much butter. Batter was soupy and it’s taking a LOT longer to bake.
Nat says
March 26, 2019 at 2:09 pmI thought thm says no more than 5 carbs in an S…