Healthy Cookie Dough Bars (No-Bake, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan)
For a great mid-day pick-me-up, turn to these Healthy Cookie Dough Bars. They’re sugar-free, no-bake, gluten-free, vegan, and filled with protein from peanut butter. They taste just like cookie dough, and toddlers and adults love them!
The BEST Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
For the second time in a week, I knew that I had to publish a snack recipe immediately–both to share it and to make it easier for me to find my own recipe. (haha)
What makes these healthy cookie dough bars so amazing?
First, the flavor (of course).
Then healthfulness because we omit all refined sugars and flour.
And then also the ease with which they come together for a quick, healthy snack.
Easy No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars
The first part of these cookie dough bars (and probably best part for many moms tired of cooking endlessly) is that they require absolutely no baking.
No-bake cookie dough bars are super easy and tasty.
They keep well in the fridge for days.
Everyone (even picky eaters) love them.
And they travel well.
What could make them better?
Well, the fact that they are also healthy.
Healthy No-Sugar Cookie Dough Bars
One of my main concerns as a mom making snacks for my growing family of six is that I want them to be healthy.
Refined sugar is something I avoid like the plague.
Why? Because, well, it has no nutritional value whatsoever (source) and is so easy to replace with healthier alternatives, like raw honey and maple syrup.
This recipe for healthy cookie dough bars has no sugar. Instead, we use raw honey (or maple syrup for a vegan option) to add natural sweetness.
Healthy Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Bars
Refined flours, like refined sugar, are devoid of nutrition (source).
Where possible, I replace them with homemade oat flour (which is super simple and easy to make in a food processor!).
Our family makes these healthy cookie dough bars gluten-free by doing this very thing.
A cup of organic quick oats, a simple whir of the food processor, and our gluten-free flour alternative is ready to use!
Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough Bars
I love using raw honey in this recipe.
However, you can easily make these healthy cookie dough bars vegan by trading the raw honey for maple syrup.
The exchange should be a 1:1 ratio, so use the same measurements for maple syrup that the recipe uses for honey.
Tools You Will Need
- a food processor (for making the homemade oat flour)
- a mixing bowl
- a reusable silicone baking mat
- a small saucepan (for melting the dark chocolate)
- a spatula
- a small baking dish (8″x8″ is perfect, but the size isn’t a huge deal because these bars do not spread)
Ingredients and Measurements for Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup organic quick oats
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp. cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
How to Make Healthy Vegan Cookie Dough Bars (Step-by-Step)
Step One: In a food processor, blend the quick oats until they are a fine flour.
Step Two: In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, raw honey, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt. Add the oat flour and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and stir until fully combined.
Step Three: Line an 8″x8″ baking dish with a reusable silicone baking mat. (This will help with removal of the bars later.)
Step Four: Press the cookie dough into the baking dish in a rectangular or square shape. It may not reach all the sides of the pan, and that’s ok.
Step Five: In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp. coconut oil. Stir constantly over low heat. When melted, remove from the heat. Spread evenly over the prepared bars.
Step Six: Put the cookie dough bars in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow the chocolate topping to cool and harden.
Step Seven: Using the silicone baking mat to lift them, remove the bars from the baking pan and place on a cutting board. Remove the baking mat from beneath the bars. Slice into bars.
Step Eight: Enjoy immediately or keep stored in the refrigerator.
Storage Instructions
Keep these healthy cookie dough bars (whichever ones you don’t devour immediately) in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.
While you can technically store these cookie dough bars at cool room temperature, since the dark chocolate topping should be stable, the peanut butter cookie dough will be soft and–admittedly–a bit sticky.
Therefore, our family prefers to keep these bars crunchy by storing them in the refrigerator.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Here are some ideas to change up this recipe a bit:
- Add dried fruit. Dried cranberries are always a great option.
- Stir a tablespoonful of raw cacao powder into the cookie dough for a double-chocolate cookie dough bar.
- Try using almond butter instead of peanut butter. Just adjust the measurement of raw honey to sweeten to taste.
- If you have a nut allergy, use your favorite seed butter substitute in the recipe instead.
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars FAQs
Can you freeze healthy cookie dough bars?
Yes! Once chilled and sliced, wrap each bar individually in parchment paper and store in an airtight glass container. Keep in the freezer for up to three months.
When you want to eat these bars, remove them from the freezer and allow them to thaw for several hours at room temperature.
(You may notice some condensation collecting on the chocolate topping. This is normal and will not affect the flavor. Simply dab it off with a cloth or paper towel.)
Make These Sugar-Free Chocolate Snack Recipes Next!
We love snacking in our home. We also love doing it healthfully.
For your next snack adventure, try one of these recipes (they come highly-recommended by my family):
More Sugar-Free Vegan Snack Recipes
Here are more vegan recipes for your snacking pleasure:
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars Recipe Card
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars (Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan, No-Bake)
For a great mid-day pick-me-up, turn to these Healthy Cookie Dough Bars. They're sugar-free, no-bake, gluten-free, vegan, and filled with protein from peanut butter. They taste just like cookie dough, and toddlers and adults love them!
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut butter (if using natural peanut butter, you may need to add more raw honey to taste)
- 3/4 cup organic quick oats
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp. cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend the quick oats until they are a fine flour.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, raw honey, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt. Add the oat flour and 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and stir until fully combined.
- Line an 8"x8" baking dish with a reusable silicone baking mat. (This will help with removal of the bars later.)
- Press the cookie dough into the baking dish in a rectangular or square shape. It may not reach all the sides of the pan, and that's ok.
- In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp. coconut oil. Stir constantly over low heat. When melted, remove from the heat. Spread evenly over the prepared bars.
- Put the cookie dough bars in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to allow the chocolate topping to cool and harden.
- Using the silicone baking mat to lift them, remove the bars from the baking pan and place on a cutting board. Remove the baking mat from beneath the bars. Slice into bars.
- Enjoy immediately or keep stored in the refrigerator.
Notes
Storage Instructions
Keep these healthy cookie dough bars (whichever ones you don't devour immediately) in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator.
While you can technically store these cookie dough bars at cool room temperature, since the dark chocolate topping should be stable, the peanut butter cookie dough will be soft and--admittedly--a bit sticky.
Therefore, our family prefers to keep these bars crunchy by storing them in the refrigerator.
How to Make This Recipe Vegan
Some vegans will tolerate a little honey in their diet. If that isn't the case for you, then simply use a 1:1 ratio to substitute maple syrup for raw honey in this recipe.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Add dried fruit. Dried cranberries are always a great option.
- Stir a tablespoonful of raw cacao powder into the cookie dough for a double-chocolate cookie dough bar.
- Try using almond butter instead of peanut butter. Just adjust the measurement of raw honey to sweeten to taste.
- If you have a nut allergy, use your favorite seed butter substitute in the recipe instead.
- For an extra-decadent treat, add a layer of homemade coconut milk caramel sauce on top of the cookie dough layer. Allow to harden in the fridge before spreading the chocolate layer on top.
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