Protein balls and bars have become the common shapes for when you’re consuming your post-workout muscle fuel in solid form, but why limit yourself? There’s a big wide world of geometric shapes out there, one that includes squares. Squares like these, which contain vanilla protein powder, almond butter and seeds to ensure they deliver a protein hit that satisfies your aching muscles after you’ve put them through a savage workout.
As well as packing in the protein, almond butter is high in monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and manganese, while seeds are rich in essential minerals such as zinc and copper, which play critical roles in energy metabolism. The recipe also contains cinnamon, just because it tastes fantastic, a quality that is just as important as all the minerals and such.
The squares are also simple to make. Sure, there are a lot of ingredients, but they all get chucked in together pretty quickly, there’s no faffing about with separate parts. Once you’ve made a batch they will keep in the fridge for a few days, so you’ll have a ready supply of snacks to support your training.
We should say that if you’re not training, it’s probably best not to scoff too many because the squares are high in energy at 308 calories apiece. That makes them ideal for someone bashing out workouts regularly, but not so good for someone who hasn’t had a chance to leave their desk all week.
Ingredients (Makes Eight Squares)
- 170g almond butter
- 75g butter
- 100g honey
- 100g dried apricots, chopped
- 25g mixed seeds
- 1tsp cinnamon
- ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
- 100g wholemeal self-raising flour
- 150g porridge oats
Method
- Melt the butter, almond butter and honey in a large saucepan.
- Add the protein powder, apricots, seeds, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, flour and oats and mix.
- Press the mixture into a greased or lined baking tray. Bake at 180˚C/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes until the edges are crisp but it is still soft in the middle.
- Leave in the tray until completely cool, then cut into eight squares and refrigerate.
See related
- Joe Wicks’s No-Bake Protein Brownies Recipe
- High-Protein Snacks: Quick And Easy Protein Hits
- 23 Protein Shake Recipes For A Tasty, Refreshing Treat
Nutritional Info (Per Square)
Calories 308
Protein 8g
Fat 16g
Carbohydrate 35g
