Chocolate-Coated Caramel-Peanut Protein Bar

Headnote

This bar is built for clean structure: a supple caramel-peanut core, firm enough to slice, enclosed in a smooth chocolate shell. The protein base gives it body without heaviness, while glycerol and polydextrose preserve a tender chew. It should eat like a confection, but hold with the discipline of a composed bar.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Protein bar

Cuisine or origin: Contemporary Scandinavian confectionery

Course type: Snack

Yield: 1 bar

Serving size: 55 g

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Small mixing bowl

Small saucepan

Heatproof spatula

55 g bar mold or a small lined rectangular mold

Small offset spatula or spoon

Refrigerator space

Ingredients

Caramel-peanut center

18 g milk protein

8 g collagen hydrolysate

8 g peanut, finely chopped

5 g caramel

4 g glycerol

4 g polydextrose

2 g sunflower oil

1 g sweetener

0.5 g salt

Coating

4.5 g chocolate coating

Method

1. Prepare the center. In a small bowl, combine the milk protein, collagen hydrolysate, chopped peanut, polydextrose, sweetener, and salt. Mix until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and the peanuts are fully dispersed.

2. Bind the mass. Warm the caramel, glycerol, and sunflower oil together in a small saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until fluid and glossy. Do not boil. Pour over the dry mixture and stir with a spatula until a dense, uniform paste forms. The texture should be pliable, slightly tacky, and free of dry pockets.

3. Mould the bar. Press the mixture firmly into the mold, compacting it in layers so the surface becomes level and the edges are sharp. Chill for 10 minutes, or until the bar is firm enough to unmold cleanly.

4. Coat the bar. Melt the chocolate coating gently until smooth and fluid. Unmold the chilled bar and set it on a rack or parchment. Spoon or spread the coating over the bar in an even layer, covering the surface completely. Allow excess to settle so the shell remains thin and neat.

5. Set the finish. Chill for 5 to 8 minutes, just until the chocolate coating is firm, glossy, and no longer tacky to the touch.

Plating and serving

Serve the bar whole, centered and cleanly presented. The shell should give a crisp first bite, yielding to a compact caramel-peanut interior with a controlled chew and a clear chocolate finish.

Professional notes

The center must be pressed firmly; insufficient compaction will produce a crumbly bar.

Keep the chocolate coating thin. A heavy shell dulls the texture and overwhelms the filling.

The bar should remain pliable, not soft, at room temperature; if it smears, the center was underbound.