Salty Peanut Protein Bar

Headnote

This bar is built for a clean, dense bite: nut-forward, lightly salted, and held together with exacting control. The structure should be firm but not brittle, with a supple chew from the protein base and a polished finish from the cocoa butter. It is a restrained confection, precise in sweetness and deliberate in salt.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Protein confectionery bar

Cuisine or origin: Contemporary Scandinavian-inspired

Course type: Snack

Yield: 1 bar

Serving size: 55 g

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Small heatproof mixing bowl

Small saucepan

Silicone spatula

Digital scale

55 g bar mold or small lined rectangular mold

Offset spatula or straight-edged scraper

Refrigerator

Ingredients

Protein base

18 g milk protein

8 g collagen hydrolysate

7 g polydextrose

3 g sweetener

1 g salt

Fat and binder

6 g cocoa butter

4 g palm kernel oil

4 g glycerol

3 g peanut butter

2 g peanut, finely chopped

0.5 g flavoring

Finish

1.5 g peanut, finely chopped

Method

1. Line a 55 g bar mold with a smooth strip of parchment if needed. Combine the milk protein, collagen hydrolysate, polydextrose, sweetener, and salt in a small bowl. Stir until the powders are completely uniform and no streaks remain.

2. In a small saucepan over the lowest heat, melt the cocoa butter and palm kernel oil together just until fluid, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the glycerol, peanut butter, and flavoring until glossy and fully integrated.

3. Pour the warm fat mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with a silicone spatula for 1 to 2 minutes, pressing and folding until a dense, cohesive paste forms. Fold in the 2 g chopped peanut. The mixture should be pliable, slightly tacky, and free of dry pockets.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared mold. Press firmly and evenly, working from end to end so the bar compacts without voids. Smooth the surface with the edge of the spatula. Scatter the remaining 1.5 g chopped peanut over the top and press lightly so it adheres.

5. Chill for 10 to 12 minutes, just until the bar is set and firm enough to unmold cleanly. The finished bar should hold sharp edges, slice without crumbling, and yield to the bite with a dense, chewy resistance.

Plating and serving

Unmold the bar and serve it whole on a plain plate or cut it cleanly on a slight diagonal. The surface should remain smooth, the peanut finish visible, and the bar composed with the discipline of a confection, not a snack.

Professional notes

Keep the fat phase just warm enough to flow; excess heat will loosen the structure and dull the finish.

The mixture must be pressed with conviction. Insufficient compaction produces a brittle, uneven bar.

Chopped peanut should remain distinct. Overmixing will smear the texture and weaken the final bite.