Salty Peanut Protein Bar

Headnote

This bar is built for clean structure, deep peanut character, and a controlled salted finish. The texture should be firm but not brittle, with a dense, supple interior and a thin chocolate shell that gives way without fracture. It is a precise confection: restrained in sweetness, deliberate in salt, and balanced to eat like a proper bar rather than a candy.

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: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Small mixing bowl

Heatproof bowl

Small saucepan

Silicone spatula

Digital scale

55 g bar mold or a small lined rectangular mold

Offset spatula or palette knife

Refrigerator

Ingredients

Peanut protein base

18 g milk protein

6 g collagen hydrolysate

8 g peanut, finely chopped

4 g whole milk powder

3 g soy crisp

2 g sweetener

2 g glycerol

1 g salt

1 g flavoring

Chocolate coating

6 g cocoa butter

3 g palm kernel oil

1 g cocoa mass

0.5 g emulsifier

0.5 g sweetener

Method

1. Combine the milk protein, collagen hydrolysate, finely chopped peanut, whole milk powder, soy crisp, sweetener, salt, and flavoring in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed and the soy crisp and peanut are well dispersed.

2. Add the glycerol and work the mixture with a spatula for 1 to 2 minutes. The mass should begin to bind into a compact, moldable paste with a slightly tacky surface and no dry pockets.

3. Press the peanut protein base firmly into a 55 g bar mold or a small lined rectangular mold. Compress it in layers to eliminate air gaps and create a dense, even core. Chill for 10 minutes, until the surface is set and the bar holds its shape cleanly.

4. Combine the cocoa butter, palm kernel oil, cocoa mass, emulsifier, and sweetener in a heatproof bowl. Set over very gentle heat, or a barely steaming water bath, and melt until smooth and fully unified. Stir until the coating is glossy and fluid, with no visible particles.

5. Unmold the chilled bar and place it on a rack or parchment. Spoon or pour the chocolate coating over the bar in a thin, even layer, turning once if necessary to cover the sides. Allow the excess to settle so the finish remains lean rather than heavy.

6. Let the coated bar stand at cool room temperature for 5 minutes, then chill for 5 to 8 minutes more, just until the coating is firm and the surface has a clean snap. The bar should remain dense inside, with a neat exterior and a restrained sheen.

Plating and serving

Serve the bar whole on a small, plain plate or parchment-lined tray. The finish should read as compact and exact: a dark, polished shell over a pale, peanut-forward interior. Present it at cool room temperature for the best balance of snap and chew.

Professional notes

The base must be compressed aggressively; a loose pack will crumble on the cut or bite.

Keep the coating thin. A heavy shell will dull the peanut flavor and distort the intended texture.

Chill only until set. Excess refrigeration will harden the bar beyond its proper chew.