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It’s high protein in the form of Chewy Peanut Butter Protein Bites…which are fudgy, chewy, and peanut buttery but deceptively good for your metabolism. They don’t taste overwhelmingly of protein powder (one of my biggest pet peeves). Oh, and did I mention that they’re not hard to make? I took these amazing little snack bites on vacation and they sure came in handy after I got back from a long, brisk walk!
What’s the secret to the fact that each small square of peanut butter fudge has 5 GRAMS of PROTEIN without tasting disgusting? Well, that would be defatted peanut flour. I know, it’s not exactly a common ingredient, but thankfully it’s getting easier and easier to find! You can find my favorite brand – ProteinPlus – online from several different sources such as Netrition and Amazon. Not an online shopper? Many different stores are starting to carry defatted peanut flour! Jif Unsweetened Peanut Powder can be found at Walmart. Defatted peanut flour has a fraction of the fat that regular peanut butter has, but it has a lot of protein! 16 grams per 1/4 c. serving, to be exact.
Since the defatted peanut flour is so light and there aren’t many other heavy fat sources in this recipe, most of the fat load comes from coconut oil, which is great for your metabolism! Protein and coconut oil in one delicious bite? Sign me up!
I like to store these protein bites in the fridge because they get too firm to eat if kept in the freezer. However, if you want to be able to pack up a few of these bites in a baggie for when you’re out and about running errands, freezing them first would be a good idea so they take longer to thaw.
Hungry for fudge? Here are a few other recipes you could try (but these don’t have as much protein):
- Chocolate Truffle Fudge (Deep S!)
- Brianafinger Truffle Fudge (milk chocolate fudge with peanut butter and toasted coconut)
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Fudge (probably my favorite)
- Peanut Butter Fudge (secret ingredient alert)
As always, check out the Notes section of the recipe for extra info. Check out the links in and below the recipe to see the products I use and recommend. Some of the links included in the recipe and blog post are affiliate links, which means that if you make purchases through these links, I make a small commission to help defray the costs of running this blog (at no extra charge to you). Thanks for your help!
You may also enjoy:
- Starting THM
- my recipe index
- my recipes grouped by fuel type, allergy info, and theme
- all my candy recipes
- all my peanut butter recipes
- 2 c. defatted peanut flour
- ¾ c. Briana's Baking Mix
- ¼ c. whey protein powder (unflavored or vanilla)
- 1 tsp. Knox gelatin*
- 1 tsp. THM Super Sweet Blend
- ¾ tsp. xanthan gum
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder
- -
- 1½ c. warm water
- ⅔ c. refined coconut oil, melted
- 1 T. vegetable glycerin**
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash maple extract
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients separately, then add them to the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer. A thick dough will form. Press this into a foil-lined 8"x8" pan with a spatula and refrigerate to firm up. When the fudge has firmed up a bit, use a sharp knife to slice it into 36 squares, then cover and refrigerate overnight to finish setting up. Enjoy! Store in refrigerator.
- If stored in the freezer, this fudge gets really hard, but if you want to be able to take it out with you on the go, freezing it is a good way to keep it firm longer, then you can eat it when it thaws.
**I added the vegetable glycerin for a softer, slightly sticky texture. (This is an ingredient I use in ice cream to achieve a smooth, creamy texture, and it has very little impact on blood sugar.) If you don't have it on hand, just omit it. I buy this brand from Amazon.
You can try to use THM Baking Blend to replace my baking mix in this recipe, but you'll need more than my baking mix called for since my baking mix soaks up more liquid. Start with 1 c. THM Baking Blend and add more if necessary to get the fudge to a thick dough texture.
For a dairy-free option, use collagen to make my baking mix and replace the whey protein powder in this recipe with collagen or another non-dairy protein powder.
Each of these squares has over 5g protein! Eat 3-4 for a great snack. The main fat source of good ol' coconut oil, which is great for your metabolism.
Suggested products:
- Defatted Peanut Flour (Amazon)
- THM Defatted Peanut Flour
- Defatted Peanut Flour (Netrition)
- Briana’s Baking Mix
- THM Baking Blend
- Whey Protein Powder
- THM Pristine Whey Protein Powder
- Great Lakes Collagen (iHerb)
- Great Lakes Collagen (Amazon)
- THM Integral Collagen
- Xanthan gum (Amazon)
- Xanthan Gum (iHerb)
- THM Super Sweet Blend
- THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder
- Knox plain bulk gelatin
- Great Lakes Beef Gelatin (iHerb)
- THM Just Gelatin
- Vegetable Glycerin
These seem like they could be fuel pull. Is it just automatic S due to coconut oil?
Yes, coconut oil is a fat source and is considered an S ingredient. You can have up to a teaspoon of added fat in an E or FP setting, but these bites have quite a bit more than that. 🙂
I saw these posted on the THM FB site last night, had all the ingredients, and made them right away. The texture is a little bit different than I expected, but these are addicting and SO GOOD. Probably the best thing I’ve made in awhile! Thank you for a calorie balanced and yummy quick snack/after dinner treat!
When I made these, they ended up overly soft/ gooey. I froze them and just ate them frozen and they were good like that. But I’m wondering why they turned out that way. Do you pack the peanut flour when you measure it or do you measure it loosely?
Hmm…I’m not sure why that would’ve happened! I don’t pack my flours when measuring; I try to make sure they’re fluffed up before I measure or use another measuring cup to scoop flour into my measuring cup, then level it off. Did you use my baking mix? My mix is drier than most homemade mixes, so if you used another mix/blend in the same amount perhaps it didn’t soak up as much liquid. Also, what brand of vegetable glycerin did you use? I use Essential Depot brand from Amazon. Some brands manufactured for use in cake frostings tend to be a little different – “stronger” in their softening power, maybe?
Nice recipe! I’m really not a pb fan, but perhaps this could be a good springboard for a different flavor – I was buying ready-made protein bars, but I really don’t like the ingredient list of most of them!
For Great Lakes gelatin is that 1/4 teaspoon total, or 1 + 1/4 teaspoon?
That would be 1 1/4 tsp. total.
I would love to try these today but I don’t have any vegetable glycerin. Can I sub anything in its place? Thanks!!
If you don’t have it, you can just leave it out. 🙂 I added it for a little softer texture.
I am with Cheryl on the picture subject. I’d prefer not as many when there is a recipe at the bottom, but as she said it may also be needed to make room for the sidebar ads. As you scroll down for the recipe, the pictures continue to load & you have to rescroll & rescroll &… to get to the recipe. That gets old. But I keep doing it because I want to see the recipes. 🙂 Just thought you might appreciate knowing a little more of the details of why it is frustrating for me, & maybe others.
Thanks for the feedback!
I really, really love your recipes and cookbook, but do I really need to see 9 pictures of the candy before seeing the recipe? I assume it is to make way for all the sidebar ads?
Some people like lots of pictures. 🙂 Me included. I’m sorry you don’t enjoy them.
Hi Brianna, I like pictures A lot, but I am with this poster…it seems to be with all food bloggers…so many of the same picture over and over again. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to scroll up and down a bloggers recipe page looking for the recipe. I am in a hurry, multi-tasking (homeschooling, throwing in laundry, tending to a sick or needy child, etc.) and trying to get to THAT recipe to start lunch or dinner and I am scrolling quickly and keep missing the recipe that is tucked in among all those pictures and stories. As pretty as they are, it is a frustrating situation. That aside, I do so appreciate all your hard work and wonderful recipes. You are a blessing.
Thank you for the comment, Helen! I appreciate the feedback. It’s hard to know the right balance to please as many people as possible and make a living as well, but hearing from my readers is an integral part of figuring all that out. The issue mentioned is part of the reason that I intend to continue printing cookbooks with my recipes so that people can have them at their fingertips in an easy-to-use form.
Hey Briana!
What can I substitute for the xanthan gum? I have the THM “gluccie”, would that work? Thanks!
Usually xanthan gum and gluccie are interchangeable, but I do prefer xanthan gum in recipes like this because it’s less slimy to my taste buds. 🙂
Hey Briana! I really want to try this recipe, but I’m not familiar with the THM stevia. I have pure stevia at home and I’m wondering if I can just use that in equal proportions to what you call for.
Hi Esther! If what you have is a very concentrated pure stevia extract powder, the amount used should be very similar. 🙂 Always start with less than you think you’ll need, then taste and add more as you go.
I have carbquick do u k ow if it can be used the same way? And with ehe peanut flour is it broken down completely like flour…what are the fat grams and carb grams and sugar on the de fated flour?.thank you..I have seen a few recipes around using car quick and I just want to use that first..thank.have a great day
I’ve never used CarbQuick so I’m afraid I don’t know how it compares to my baking mix. Defatted peanut flour is completely broken down into flour form. You can find nutritional info for it here (affiliate link): https://www.briana-thomas.com/recommends/defatted-peanut-flour-2/