Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Cheerio Bars (vegan, gluten-free)

0 Put the cheerios in a large bowl. In a small pot, add the maple syrup and peanut butter. Heat over medium low heat and stir with a spatula continuously until nice and smooth. Remove from heat and add the salt and protein powder. Mix until well combined and smooth.
1 Pour mixture over the cheerios and stir until everything is well combined and evenly coated. Press the cheerios into a 9×9 pan (I lined mine with parchment paper). Make sure it is firmly packed in.
2 Melt the chocolate in 30 second increments in the microwave until melted and smooth. Make sure you stir the chocolate after each increment. I only microwaved mine for 1 minute total. Drizzle onto bars. Place in the freezer for 45-60 minutes to set. Slice and enjoy! Store in the freezer. You can eat these directly from the freezer. They don’t get super hard.