Ok, fine.
I didn’t REALLY make these with Nutella. But calling these “store-brand chocolate hazelnut spread collage protein bars” is a bit of a mouthful, dontcha think?
On the same token, you’re going to want a mouthful of these bars because…
Well, have you ever had something so good, you hid it from the rest of the family so you could eat it all yourself?
And when you did eat it, you were in the bathroom or in the pantry or in the closet or basically NOWHERE so no one else could see you eating it and then ask if they could have some too?
Yeah, that’s the caliber of awesomeness of these Nutella collagen protein bars.
It should be made known that I don’t ordinarily buy Nutella, and I didn’t buy Nutella for this recipe. So let’s get that out of the way before I ruin my street cred for being a healthy blogger. Kroger’s organic brand was pretty good and Aldi has an affordable option as well. Just be sure to double check the ingredient list for the bad stuff!
And in my testing, I did make various versions of this particular recipe just to make sure it wasn’t the chocolate hazlenut spread causing the goodness in my mouth. I made a vanilla version (very good) and a peanut butter version too (also very good).
Why bother making three (actually, five) versions of the same recipe?
Because I KNEW that if I posted the vanilla recipe, someone would ask if they could sub peanut butter for the coconut butter.
And if I said “Yes, you can subsitute peanut butter,” that someone ELSE would curiously and harmlessly suggest that Nutella would be a great substitute for peanut butter and that – oh man – wouldn’t that be so good?!
So of course I just skipped ahead in the conversation and made the chocolate hazelnut spread (<– not Nutella) version and that’s where I am today. Stuffing my face with collagen protein bars because A) collagen makes your hair grow, your nails strong and your skin amazing, and B) why not?
It should also be known that these wannabe-Nutella collagen protein bars are directly request and inspired by YOU.
I wrote about the health benefits of collagen and you guys went bonkers. You stocked up on that awesome sale and then wanted to know how you could eat it.
I suggested my favorite smoothie, including it any of the already high-protein smoothies in my book, adding it to coffee (since it dissolves completely), adding some to healthy peanut butter cups (Reese’s copycat) and stirring it into a bowl of oatmeal, but you guys said, “What else?”
So I went to the think tank to come up with something that was ordinary enough to be considered a “supplement” to your daily diet, yet special enough that you wouldn’t want to eat the whole bowl in one sitting.
Well, I met the first goal for sure. I designed this particular recipe specifically so that every bar is the equivalent to one scoop of grass-fed collagen. That way you’re getting the full serving of “one scoop,” whether you are adding it to something else you’re already making, or if you’re making this collagen bar recipe in particular.
I can easily imagine nibbling on one of these bars as my “dessert” every night, knowing full well I’m feeding my body something pretty amazing. (Although just FYI, I listed this as a “snack” in the recipe index, that way non-dessert peeps can find it too!)
As for the second goal?
Well… you’ll have to restrain yourself from licking the bowl. #sorrynotsorry
If you don’t want to infest your house with a delicious chocolate hazelnut spread, I don’t blame you. I can’t tell you how many times I just wanted to kick back with that jar and a spoon and binge on my current Netflix obsession. (Thank goodness that jar is finally gone!)
That’s one reason why I tested so many different variations.
I tried peanut butter (the reliable stand-by) and cashew butter and both were spot on. You’ll likely have to adjust how much maple syrup you want to add depending on which you choose, but both are solid choices.
And while I haven’t tested them personally, sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) and almond butter have similar consistencies as peanut butter and cashew butter. I’d say it’s safe to substitute with either of these too.
The only “butter” you CAN’T equally substitute in this recipe is coconut butter. This is what I used to make a vanilla version of these collagen protein bars, and it’s definitely tasty, but it requires a different method to mix.
And utilizing substitutions from the pantry is one of my budget saving techniques taught in Grocery Budget Bootcamp. So if you NEED these protein bars ASAP, make a “butter” substitution with what you have on hand!
Grocery Budget Bootcamp enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE 5-day Crush Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!
Perfect Supplements Collagen is ON SALE NOW!
- I highly recommend Perfect Supplements collagen. (They beat out another popular brand when I compared the two.)
- Right now you can save 30% on any Perfect Supplements products PLUS save an extra 10% with coupon code CRUMBS10.
- There are no minimums and no limits. Usually you have to buy SIX tubs of collagen to get 30% off. This is a great time to buy and try out Perfect Supplements collagen!
- CLICK HERE to go straight to their site to buy. Or read my review first!
Nutella Collagen Protein Bars
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Freeze
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp grass-fed collagen (this is the brand I recommend and use)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (make your own vanilla extract here)
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 – 1 Tbsp maple syrup, optional, to taste (I used 1/2 Tbsp)
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, combine the chocolate spread, collagen, coconut oil, vanilla and just a pinch of salt. Mix very well and taste. The batter should be very smooth.
- Add 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup and mix well. The batter will become significantly thicker. Taste and add additional maple syrup if desired.
- Scoop the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and free-form into a square. Use a sharp knife to score lines and divide the square into four pieces.
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
- Break the bars where the scored lines are. Enjoy as a collagen supplement and store in the freezer. One bar has the equivalent of one scoop of grass-fed collagen.
Vanilla Collagen Bars
If you decide to go with the vanilla collagen bars, you need to know a couple tips.
- Follow the recipe above except for the chocolate hazelnut spread. Instead use 1/2 cup of coconut butter.
- If the coconut butter is solid, heat up a small sauce pan of water and then place your coconut butter contain in it to heat until its soft. Then you will be able to stir and measure.
Yum, yum! My family loves these bars, and I’ve been trying to figure out how we can eat collagen.
A question: It was crazy how the smooth batter “seized up” when we added the maple syrup. Do you know the chemistry behind that? It would be a great lesson for my kids, but I don’t know what the maple syrup is reacting with (and why) to make the batter thicken up. Thanks!
Hi mam after put collagen what is the shelf life of the protine bar how early one needs to consume it if I make it big batch
Hi Sheetal! If you store these in the freeze, you have a good 2-3 months!
What about a “PlumpyNut” Bar with probiotics for mal-nourished kids in developing countries?
Amazing! SO good! As in, we have a large family and have made two 5x batches this week. We won’t do this every week for obvious reasons, but yum!
Fyi, 2 jars of Aldi hazelnut spread is the perfect amount to make five batches of these bars. (And this fits great into a glass 9xI3 pan with parchment paper. Remember to score before freezing. I forgot once and the results are just as yummy, though not as pretty.) If I have an opened jar or nutella sitting around it’s not going to last long around here anyhow, so might as well make it into bars. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on the jars Jen! And I’m with you – better to just make the bars than leave the jar open in the pantry, LOL!!
I am excited to try these, I have my own homemade keto nutella already made…so this is happening!! I also wanted to link back to this giving people more ideas on how to use collagen in my most recent low carb protein bars, thanks!
Do you think you could substitute protein powder for collagen? Or leave the collagen out? I love it with the collagen, but am currently out, and waiting for more to come in the mail. But these made with peanut butter taste like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and are so tasty and I kind of want to eat some today.
I’m not sure you can leave the collagen out altogether… the texture would be significantly different. Protein powder might work, but honestly, if you have a hankering for the inside of a PB cup, I’d get a scoop of PB and mix in a little bit of powdered sugar to hold me over. 😉
In the interests of spreading the love of collagen, Mama Natural has a really good recipe for waffles with collagen: https://www.mamanatural.com/grain-free-waffle-recipe/
Your collagen protein bars looks so good… I bet they would be fantastic with Speculoos Cookie Butter. Too bad cookie butter has less than perfect ingredients 🙁
You know what? You should figure out how to make healthy cookie butter!
Thanks for sharing Kaelynn! Healthy cookie butter?! Oh man… where’s the drool emoticon when you need it!
Quick question…….my 3 year old is loving all these diff. granola recipes I am making off your Blog! So I know she is going to want these as well. Would it be safe for her to eat these with the collagen?
I definitely think it’s safe Vanessa – it’s no different than chicken stock, just in super concentrated form. You’re welcome to reduce the amount though, or make the bars smaller, if you want to stretch the collagen to last longer. 🙂
Awesome! Thank you
Is this four scoops of Perfect Supplements? Rather than dirtying all those measuring devices haha
LOL – yes it is.