The almond extract helps to bring the birthday cake flavor to the recipe. After testing multiple batches, my testers preferred ½ teaspoon, but anywhere between ¼ and ½ teaspoon will work. If you absolutely cannot stand almond extract, you can substitute it with vanilla, but will lose a little of the birthday cake flavor. I use Cooks Pure Almond extract, which is made from the pits of peaches and apricots and produced in an allergen free facility. If you have a nut allergy, please do your own research if the almond extract is safe for you to use. Use a plant based protein powder to get a Vegan homemade protein bar; ProteinWorld has a Vegan protein blend that would work well here (code HAYLSKITCHEN for a discount).

Our MACRO MUNCH™ Protein Bar is a soft-baked, high-protein, low-sugar, triple-layered wonder. High in protein and low in sugar, it’s a winning solution for reaching your daily protein target without unnecessary sugars

Oats– I use old-fashioned oats for this recipe, but you can use gluten-free or any kind of oats that match your dietary needs. Vanilla protein powder ~ the protein powder is a prominent flavor in the finished protein bars, so make sure you use a vanilla protein powder that you enjoy! To keep the bar recipe vegan I use a vegan protein powder such as Trader Joe's Vanilla Pea Protein Powder or Sprouts Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder. Mix wet ingredients.To a medium mixing bowl, add cashew butter, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix to combine.

In a bowl mix together the sunflower seed butter (½ cup/128g) and maple syrup (¼ cup/60mL) until fully combined. Then add the vanilla (2 teaspoons) and almond extracts (½ teaspoon) and mix again until the mixture is smooth. If you need the homemade protein bars to be gluten free, make sure your oats are certified gluten free. An oat flour can also be substituted, but again, make sure it's gluten free if you need that dietary constraint. Sweetener is optional. However, honey adds a nice flavor (I definitely recommend using it) and is loaded with health benefits. For a Vegan option, I recommend using maple syrup. Vanilla Pea ProteinUnflavored Protein Powder to replace some of the flour (and carbs) in the recipe for a slightly lower carb high protein. I recommend the Multi-purpose mix protein powder from Quest Nutrition. Protein Blend (40%) ( Milk Proteins, Soy Protein Nuggets (Isolated Soy Protein, Tapioca Starch, Salt)), Humectant (Glycerol), Corn Fibre, Caramel Flavour Coating With Sweeteners (10%) (Sweeteners (Maltitol, Sucralose), Sustainable Palm Oil, Whey Powder ( Milk), Fortified Flour ( Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Cocoa Mass, Emulsifiers ( Soya Lecithin, Rapeseed Lecithin), Natural Flavouring, Colour (Carotenes)), Caramel (8%) (Oligofructose, Humectant (Glycerol), Shea Oil, Water, Colour (Plain Caramel), Gelling Agent (Pectin), Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Rapeseed Lecithin), Salt, Natural Flavouring), Rapeseed Oil, Isomalto-oligosaccharides, Sweetener (Maltitol), Biscuit Crumb (1%) (Fortified Flour ( Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Sustainable Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Sugar, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate, Salt)), Natural Flavourings, Colour (Plain Caramel), Emulsifiers (Lecithin, Rapeseed Lecithin), Salt. White Chocolate Gooey Egg (Limited Edition)

Chocolate chips: In particular, I recommend using mini chocolate chips. If you have regular chocolate chips, roughly chop them so they are a bit smaller.

Firmly press the batter onto the baking sheet and spread so that it is all one layer and covers the baking sheet. Sugar-Free: For someone who is watching their sugar intake, the fact that these bars are sugar-free is a huge plus. It's sweetened with alternative sweeteners like erythritol and stevia, which I find to be a great option. You may use any sprinkles you want. If you're super motivated you could even make your own! Another option is to omit them. However, birthday cake protein bars without sprinkles just seems wrong 😉 How to Make Protein Bars