Salted Peanut Protein Bar with Milk Chocolate Coating

Headnote

This bar is built for clean structure: a supple protein matrix, a measured peanut presence, and a restrained salt finish beneath a milk chocolate shell. It should eat like a confection, not a compromise, with firmness at first bite and a smooth, cohesive chew. The balance depends on precision in mixing, shaping, and chilling.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Protein bar

Cuisine or origin: Contemporary confectionery

Course type: Snack

Yield: 1 bar

Serving size: 55 g

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Digital scale

Small mixing bowl

Silicone spatula

Small saucepan

55 g bar mold or a narrow lined mold of equivalent volume

Refrigerator

Ingredients

Protein base

18 g milk protein

12 g collagen hydrolysate

7 g peanut, finely chopped

5 g sweetener

3 g glycerol

2 g palm kernel oil, melted

1 g salt

1 g flavoring

Coating

6 g milk chocolate coating

1 g cocoa butter

Method

1. Combine the milk protein, collagen hydrolysate, chopped peanut, sweetener, salt, and flavoring in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly so the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and the peanut is dispersed throughout the mixture.

2. Add the glycerol and melted palm kernel oil. Work the mixture with a spatula until it becomes a cohesive, pliable paste with no dry pockets. It should hold together when pressed and feel slightly elastic, not crumbly.

3. Press the mixture firmly into a 55 g bar mold. Compress it in layers to eliminate air gaps and create a dense, even interior. Level the surface cleanly.

4. Chill for 20 minutes, or until the bar is firm enough to unmold without distortion.

5. Melt the milk chocolate coating with the cocoa butter over very gentle heat, stirring until smooth and fluid. The coating should be glossy and fully combined, with no visible granules.

6. Unmold the bar and coat it evenly in the melted chocolate. Allow the excess to drain briefly, then set the bar on parchment. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes, just until the coating is fully set and firm to the touch.

Plating and serving

Serve the bar whole, with the chocolate shell intact and the surface clean. The bite should move from a crisp exterior to a dense, salted peanut center with a controlled chew.

Professional notes

The bar depends on compression: insufficient pressure will produce a brittle, uneven crumb.

Keep the coating thin; a heavy shell obscures the interior and dulls the finish.

Chill only until set. Overchilling hardens the texture and reduces the clean chew that defines the bar.