Copycat Hazelnut Coffee Maca Thunderbird Bars [vegan + gluten-free]

Aromatic coffee combines with rich chocolate, hazelnuts, and superfood maca for the ultimate energy bar! Raw, vegan, gluten-free, and no added sugar, these copycat bars taste just like your favorite Thunderbird bar. 

Have you ever wanted to recreate one of your favorite snacks at home? Happens to me ALL the time! Especially since I am always finding new favorites from all over the country (and world!). Shipping is NO joke…and sometimes it’s just so much more convenient to make a homemade version of your favorite food rather than paying for shipping or waiting days for it to arrive in the mail. I am pretty lucky to be an ambassador for one of my FAVORITE bar companies, Thunderbird bar. I am an OG ambassador for Thunderbird. I’ve been with them from the beginning, even before they had their current name and branding! Needless to say, I am a BIG fan and literally love every bar flavor and variety they come out with. Another thing I love about the company as a whole, is the people who work for them and are behind the brand. Some of the nicest, most generous people I have ever met! And everything they promote and stand for aligns perfectly with my outlook on life. They are always sharing fun stuff with us ambassadors…and of course keeping us stocked up with our favorite products! I go through their bars like LIGHTNING. My two favorites, Pecan Goji Pistachio & Hazelnut Coffee Maca, don’t last long in my house. So much in fact, that I thought it might be fun to try to make my own “copycat” version of their bar so I don’t have to keep bothering my friends at Thunderbird all the time. ;) They were ecstatic about the idea and I figured it would be a good challenge to replicate the deliciousness of their Hazelnut Coffee Maca bar. I mean this bar has EVERYTHING going on. Amazing rich coffee & cocoa flavor, buttery richness from hazelnuts, cacao butter, & hazelnut butter, great texture from almonds & chia seeds, and incredible nutritional info! Vegan, gluten-free, raw, no sugar added, paleo-friendly. SO MUCH WIN. And my version comes pretty darn close to the original. ;) Print With 3 taste-testers lined up, we went to town comparing the original bar with my recreation. Everyone loved the real Thunderbird bar, of course, and agreed that my bar was just delicious (slightly more chocolatey thought ;) )! I am pumped because now for all of you that can’t find Thunderbird in stores near you or would like to “try before you buy”, you have the chance to make them at home! And when you are ready to order from Thunderbird, you can use healthyhelper for 15% off an order of anything on their website! Let me know if you need suggestions. ;) Have you ever made a homemade version of your favorite snack? Have you tried Thunderbird Bars before? Let me know if you make these and tag me on Instagram if you take a pic! :)