I’m not sure which I like better, these little bars or this adorable heart print cake stand I just got from Sur La Table.  It’s part of their Valentine’s Day collection, and I’m admittedly obsessed with all things hearts, this time of year and always.  Of course, you can’t eat the cake stand.  These bars are a perfect mid-morning, pre-workout or anytime snack, packing about 11 grams of protein each.  While typical protein bars are dense and heavy, these bars are surprisingly light and crunchy.  They’re also gluten free, made with airy brown rice puffs, almonds, coconut and goji berries.  The great thing is, once you’ve got the recipe down, you can really substitute any combination of nuts, seeds and dried fruit.  I’m dreaming up a version dipped in dark chocolate as we speak…stay tuned for that!

Makes about 10 1-inch x 3- inch bars

1/2 cup nut butter of your choice (I used almond)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch cinnamon
1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
2 scoops grass fed whey protein powder, or protein powder of your choice
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried goji berries

Combine the brown rice cereal, protein powder, coconut, almonds and goji berries in a medium bowl.

Heat the nut butter and honey over medium low heat until bubbling. Remove from heat. Stir in the sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Pour the nut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Press into an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper, or into bar molds like these! Place in the refrigerator until firm, then cut into bars or pop out of molds.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week…if they last that long.