New Year New You: Protein Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies

New Year New You: Protein Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StartWithJifPowder #CollectiveBias

Make Protein Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies using Jif Peanut Powder for a nutritious option in the afternoon or evening.

The month of January is now past the half way mark. Have you stuck to your New Year’s goals so far or had to adjust them a bit? I tend to keep certain areas of my life a bit vague (e.g. build memories with the family) so that I can easily adjust what I am doing to meet them. This includes my outlook on personal lifestyle goals which includes making sure my food delivers on nutritional needs for my body, like eating enough protein, and that I am staying active.

Having just spent a week in Las Vegas for business, it was a challenge to eat the way I prefer. My pocket book gravitated towards the carb laden dishes while my personal preference is for a heavier dose of protein and vegetation. Thankfully, I was able to fit in physical activity with multiple fast walks between the conference venue and neighboring spots for lower priced meals and a few nights at parties with dancing.

Now that I am back home it is a lot easier to control what goes into my mouth. Knowing that something with little nutritional value gives just a moment of pleasure before potentially converting into fat, I have a much easier time saying no to eating it. Yet, I like to have options to delight my taste buds (chocolate, anyone???) while delivering on nutritional must-haves like protein.

In the last few years, I witnessed the entry of peanut powder to the market. I joined others in ordering online so that I could drop the total calories when making things like a PB Cup meal replacement shake as the fat content and sugar are both reduced. I was tickled to see that I can easily purchase Jif Peanut Powder at my local Walmart and never worry about needing to wait for delivery by mail.

I grew up eating PB & J sandwiches using Jif, so I had my own expectations of how much I would enjoy the Jif Peanut Powder. This product cuts the fat 85% compared to traditional peanut butter without giving up all the nourishing protein. Plus, there is less calories and sugar when adding the delicious peanut taste to whatever dish you are making.

What truly impressed me, beyond having a chocolate option, is that Jif Peanut Powder is made from just one ingredient – fresh roasted peanuts. If you are eating it straight after rehydrating rather than in a dish, you’ll probably notice the lack of salt and sugar. This mama is actually loving this product as I don’t miss the sugar or salt in most things. (Note, Jif Chocolate Peanut Powder does contain semi-sweet chocolate and a dash of sugar.)

When deciding what to try out in my kitchen beyond smoothies, I decided to appeal to my sweet tooth and make a version of buckeye candies which would see a serious boost in nutritional value. This pack some serious protein in them, making it a great option for part of an afternoon snack or post-dinner treat.

Making Protein Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies

The first step is to reconstitute the peanut powder. I always start with less water than I need and add a bit more until the consistency is correct.

Other ingredients are then added: a bit of honey for sweetness, some ground flax seed for a boost of fiber and other nutrients, and vanilla protein powder to supercharge these candies with protein. I also added a pinch more of vanilla extract, although depending upon the protein powder you use it might be unnecessary.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Protein Rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies

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Author: Laura

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 12+

Ingredients

1 cup Jif™ Peanut Powder
⅓ cup of water (to start)
1 scoop protein powder (I used vanilla)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
a scant Tbsp. of honey or agave nectar
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
½ cup chocolate chips
1½ tsp. coconut oil

Instructions

In a bowl, reconstitute the Jif™ Peanut Powder by adding ⅓ cup of water. Add small amounts of water until you reach a thick, yet creamy consistency.
Add protein powder, vanilla extract, honey, and flax. Mix well.
Using a melon baller or large soup spoon, scoop out approximately 2 Tbsp serving sizes and plop onto a lined cookie sheet. Place the sheet into the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
After chilled, you can either form more perfect ball shapes by rolling or leave as is.
To prepare the chocolate coating, place the chocolate chips into a microwaveable bowl and heat on low power until quite soft. Stir in the coconut oil.
Using toothpicks, pick up each peanut ball and dip into the chocolate. Rotate to cover at least the bottom and sides. Place back onto the lined cookie sheet.
When all balls are dipped in chocolate, place the sheet into the refrigerator to firm up.
After about 30 minutes, you are ready to enjoy! Just make sure you store these in the refrigerator.

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An alternative sweetener is to use a mashed up banana (half to a whole small one.) You’d most likely use a bit less water and I’d highly recommend storing those in the freezer to extend the shelf life of your candies. This is what I’m going to try for my next round of making this recipe. After all, what better way to enjoy life than to delight your taste-buds while packing some serious protein?