Best of the Blog - Copycat Perfect Bars from ErinLivesWhole

Welcome to my new series, "Best of the Blog" where I review top-rated recipes from popular food blogs. Today we're reviewing ErinLivesWhole's Copycat Perfect Bars. This recipe is rated five stars from 191 reviews. Wow!

I love Perfect Bars! I went through a serious phase for about six months last year where I ate one every other day. I love peanut butter, but also the texture of the Perfect Bars was hugely appealing to me. They are doughy, chewy, crumbly, creamy, and amazing just out of the fridge. Honestly, they kind of have a firm play dough texture (I know that doesn't sound good....but for some reason it really is). So I was looking to see if Erin could nail both texture + flavor here with this copycat recipe!

You start by mixing your dry ingredients: salt, protein powder (I skipped), and oat flour! She recommends store bought for finer texture. I couldn't find any (but also I only checked two stores, lol) so I made my own! Just blitzed some regular oats in my food processor.

Then you add in the wet ingredients: honey, peanut butter, and a little melted coconut oil. Then you gotta mix it up, which is the trickiest part since the mixture is thick! You may need to get in there with your hands. Then you add the chocolate chips (mini are best!) and press it into your lined pan. You can press extra chocolate chips on top, or sprinkle a little flaky salt like I did. 

Put the pan in the fridge and let them chill for a few hours to really set. Remove and cut as desired. 

These bars are so. tasty! I think the flavor is spot on. I love the option to add protein powder as well to up the protein content (so its more similar to the original). I think the texture is also excellent. Making my own oat flour created a little grainier texture, but I don't mind. 

I also love how customizable these bars are! Erin has several variations listed on her blog post (and continues to create more), and you could totally come up with your own by swapping the PB for another nut butter and adding different mix ins (different chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.). 

Erin is an awesome follow for both food and life content (her dog Coconut is such a cutie)! And these bars are stellar - I can totally see why they are so popular and best of the blog!