Poppin' Peanut Butter Bars

Do you like peanut butter? Do you like chocolate?

Good, then we're on the same page. These rich peanut buttery delights are:

• no bake
• gluten free/grain free
• vegan
• 4g net carbs
• simple ingredients

The popcorn on top adds an extra element of surprise and it has that sweet salty combo that makes you want to come back for more. If you're the type of person who leaves a party early, you can go ahead and make these bars without the popcorn topping but if you like to party, get poppin'!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup, divided 1/4 for topping, 1/4 for base (I used Choczero Maple Pecan syrup to reduce sugar)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• sprinkle of sea salt 
• 1/4 coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder 
• 1/3 cup sea salt popcorn (optional), I used Square Organics

Directions:

1. Line an 8x8 pan with wax paper or spray with a nonstick cooking spray. 
2. Combine peanut butter, coconut flour, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup syrup, and salt in a bowl. The mixture will be stiff and hard to stir. 
3. Press the peanut butter mixture evenly into the lined pan. Allow this to chill in the fridge. 
4. Combine the coconut oil, cocoa powder and 1/4 cup syrup. 
5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter layer and smooth it evenly over the top. 
6. Sprinkle the popcorn (and additional sea salt if you love sweet and salty!) while the chocolate is still not set. 
7. Allow to set in the fridge! Slice and enjoy! 

I adapted this recipe from WildlyWholesome.com

A few notes:

*Due to the coconut oil in the chocolate layer, these will need to be stored in the fridge or a cool environment. You could also try substituting the coconut oil for melted butter, vegetable oil, etc. 

*My taste tester said they weren't very sweet but not bad. She was expecting a Reese's cup and these are not Reese's cups. That being said, feel free to increase your sweetener of choice to your liking but if you use a liquid sweetener, you may need to add additional dry ingredients and vice versa with dry sweeteners, you may need to add more of the wet ingredients to get the proper consistency.

*Feel free to use any nut butter you desire. 

Bonus! This recipe doesn't use an entire bag of popcorn so you can snack on that while you wait for your bars to chill! Go here: https://www.squareorganics.com/collections/popcorn to grab your popcorn and use code: Healthy_happy_and_free for a discount!

Sweet and salty combo - do you love it or hate it?