salted caramel apple pecan streusel protein bars (Edit recipe)

crust & streusel

1. preheat oven to 350.
2. to a food processor, add cinnamon cookie dough bars, pecans, monk fruit, & salt; blitz into a powder.
3. add ~⅔ of mixture to one bowl (the crust) & other ~⅓ (the streusel) to another bowl.
4. to the crust bowl, add 2-3 T of nut butter + 2-3 T of water to create a dough.
5. line a baking dish with parchment paper, firmly press down crust into pan, then bake for ~10-12 minutes.
6. to the streusel bowl, add other ½ cup of chopped pecans + 1-2 T of nut butter & just wet your fingers to create a streusel; set aside.

salted caramel apple filling

1. in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter & brown.
2. stir in remaining “protein caramel” ingredients & mix until everything is dissolved (should be quite watery).
3. dice up your apples & toss with a little lemon juice.
4. fold apples into protein caramel & simmer for 25-30 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken up (if crust is finished cooking first, just set aside until salted caramel apple filling is ready).
5. add salted caramel apple filling on top, then sprinkle & press in streusel mixture.
6. bake bars for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is nice & golden.
7. allow bars to cool completely before slicing.
8. top with protein whipped cream or vanilla cottage cheese ice-cream & enjoy!