Gluten Free Red Velvet Cake Protein Bars (The Best Guilt-Free Dessert)

All Purpose Veggies

Please use the 2x 3x adjustable servings button for larger batches

4.20 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Servings bars

Calories 178 kcal

Ingredients

Protein Bars

1 cup vanilla protein powder , see notes for more info*
½ cup coconut flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder , use dark cocoa powder for deeper color
¼ cup monk fruit sweetener , or any granulated sugar of choice**
4 oz low fat cream cheese , softened to room temperature. See notes on using vegan cream cheese***
2 tsp no-taste red coloring gel 16g
⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk , or other dairy free milk like cashew or coconut milk

Deco (optional)

½ cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

In a clean bowl, mix the dry ingredients: protein powder, coconut flour, cocoa powder and sugar of choice (I used monk fruit sweetener).
Next, add the cream cheese and red food coloring gel and use your hands to incorporate them throughout the dry ingredients.
Add in the milk, using your hands to knead and get the dough to combine together.
Add more coconut flour if the dough is too soft, add a teaspoon or more of milk or water if the dough is too thick. The final dough should be firm, but soft enough that you can roll the dough into a ball without it falling apart.
Shape the protein dough into a rectangular mound, then wrap in plastic wrap or an airtight container, and let the dough set in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Use a sharp knife to cut the protein dough into 7 bars. Keep the bars in the freezer until the next step.
Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second bursts until melted, stirring in between
OPTIONAL: for a thinner chocolate shell, mix in 2 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil) to the melted chocolate. This thins out the chocolate and makes it easier to coat the protein bars.
Dip the protein bars into the melted chocolate and then set it aside on a clean parchment paper.
Let the chocolate set before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

*I used Orgain Plant Based Vanilla Protein Powder. Whey protein powder will also work, but the bars will have a slightly gummier texture. Collagen Peptides Protein Powder DOES NOT work in this recipe (go to my collagen recipe page here).

**For the low carb option reflected in the nutrition facts, use a sugar-free substitute such as monk fruit sweetener or erythritol. For stevia powder, be sure to convert the amount of stevia according to package directions

***you can substitute regular cream cheese with dairy free cream cheese that's made with dairy free milk such as Daiya, Tofutti or Kite Hill Brands.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 14gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 96mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mgZinc: 0.1mg***Net Carbs: 21g

Keyword cream cheese, no-bake, protein bars, redvelvet, xmas

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