These deliciously, low-carb, power bars ROCK! I made a batch of these the other night and brought them to work to get opinions from my co-workers. Were they good? My empty tin says yes. Everyone that tried my bars liked them. And when I told them they were low-carb, they liked them even more.

Power Bars (low-carb)

Ingredients
2 cups almonds (raw)
½ cup golden flaxmeal
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup creamy peanut butter or any nut butter of your choice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut oil
4 drops stevia extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (grade B)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chunks (I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips)

Directions
1. Place almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, peanut butter and salt in a food processor
2. Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds
3. In a glass measuring cup, melt coconut oil in the microwave, about 20 seconds.
4. Add stevia, honey and vanilla into oil.
5. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. **
6. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.

7. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens.
8. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously.
9. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens
10. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve

**You can also leave the chocolate chips whole and add them before pressing the mixture into the 8×8 pan.

Nutrition information: based on recipe as written using specific products. Nutrition info. may vary.
(20 bars, about 2 inches)

Calories: 218
Fat: 20 g.
Carbs: 8.3 g.
Fiber: 3.7 g.
Net carbs: 4.6 g.
Protein: 5.5 g.

LRBK TIPS
Substitutions:
*Honey for maple syrup can be substituted. Carb count may vary slightly.

*Stevia extract can be found at your health food store. It’s a little pricey and if you aren’t worried about the carbs so much, you can add a title extra honey or maple syrup. Making a simple syrup using Truvia, using a one-to-one ration (3 T. Of Truvia to 3 T. Of water-hot, stirring until sweetener is dissolved and cooled). I’ve never used this method, so results and carb count may vary.

*When looking for a nut butter, even peanut butter, make sure that it does not have any added sugar. Smucker’s has a great peanut butter that is just peanuts and salt. You can use sun butter, almond butter macadamia nut butter, etc. You can even make your own nut butter by adding raw nuts to a food processor and blending until you reach a butter consistency. Some nuts, such as almonds, need to be skinless.

*I love Bob’s Red Mill products and use their organic flaxseed (ground), and unsweetened coconut shreds.

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