Peanut butter and raspberry oat protein bars

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Ingredients

180 g rolled oats, blend 60 g to flour and leave 120 g whole
100 g unflavoured or vanilla protein powder, unsweetened where possible; absorption varies by brand
60 g pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
45 g freeze-dried raspberries, crush 15 g to powder and keep 30 g in small pieces
220 g smooth peanut butter, well stirred
120 g honey
30 ml water, begin with 30 ml and add only as needed
2 g fine salt

Line a 20 cm square tin with a parchment sling. Blend 60 g of the oats to a fine flour.
In a large bowl combine the oat flour, whole oats, protein powder, pumpkin seeds, raspberry powder, raspberry pieces and salt.
Warm the peanut butter and honey gently in a small saucepan or microwave just until fluid, not hot. Pour over the dry mixture and stir firmly.
Add 30 ml water and knead the mixture with a sturdy spatula or clean hands. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze a handful: it should hold firmly without dry cracks and should not smear. Because protein powders vary, add more water 5 ml at a time only if it still crumbles, stopping at 60 ml total.
Press into the lined tin. Cover the surface with a second sheet of parchment and press very firmly with the flat base of a measuring cup for a full minute, especially at the edges and corners.
Cover and refrigerate for 90 minutes. Lift out the slab and cut into 12 bars with a sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

Allergens: peanuts. Protein powder may contain milk or soy, and oats can have gluten cross-contact. Choose products suited to the people eating the bars.
Freeze-dried raspberries are essential here. Fresh or frozen berries add enough water to shorten storage and make the bars soft, so they are not an equivalent substitution.
Protein powder brands differ in particle size and liquid absorption. The water range is deliberate. Start low, rest the mixture and add only enough to remove dry cracks.
No exact protein claim is given because the protein content depends on the chosen powder and peanut butter.
Refrigerate airtight for up to 5 days or freeze individually wrapped bars for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Carry chilled bars in parchment inside a rigid container and use an insulated bag with an ice pack. Do not leave them unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.
Pressing is what turns the mixture into bars. Gentle spreading leaves air gaps and produces rubble when cut.