Healthier edible Cookie Dough, turned into fun bars! These No Bake Cookie Dough Bars are the best Summer treat, with a cookie dough base and a chocolate topping. They’re gluten-free, easily dairy-free and vegan.
I’m gonna guess you like cookie dough if you’re reading this.
Yeah, it’s sort of the best.
It’s sweet, chocolate-y, and brings back great childhood memories. Cause seriously, if you made it through childhood without eating raw cookie dough (that you weren’t supposed to eat…) I’m not sure how you did it?!
I try my hardest to keep my kids out of raw cookie dough when I make cookies and they help, but they’re so sneaky sometimes! And I can’t really blame them. It’s delicious.
So, let’s make some healthier cookie dough that you can eat, in a fun and no bake bar form?!
These No Bake Cookie Dough Bars have a thick and creamy cookie dough layer underneath with little chocolate chips throughout, and a creamy chocolate layer across the top.
These bars were inspired by these No Bake Cookie Dough Bars, but this recipe is made gluten-free, and can easily be made dairy-free and vegan too. They’re made healthier with ingredients like oat flour, cashew butter, and coconut milk.
These are quick to whip up too, so if you have 15 minutes to spare (with a little freezer time too), then you should make these no bake bars! 🙂
Let’s chat about ingredients first though.
For this recipe, you can use butter or a dairy-free butter alternative. Coconut oil would also work, but it will give a touch of coconut flavor to these bars. It’s delicious that way, but not the classic cookie dough flavor you’re probably looking for.
To cut back on the butter and make these bars healthier, I’ve added in cashew butter in this recipe. You can use whatever nut butter you prefer (cashew, almond, peanut, sunflower), just think of the flavor of the nut butter, and that you may end up with some of that flavor in your bars if it isn’t a more neutral nut butter.
I recommend cashew or almond butter first.
For these Cookie Dough Bars you can use white sugar or coconut sugar. You could try and use maple syrup instead, but the flavor just won’t be the same. You just won’t get the same classic cookie dough flavor with a different type of sugar.
Rather than using condensed milk, for these bars I use coconut milk. No other type of milk should be used in it’s place. Coconut milk will make these bars creamy in a way that other milks will not.
Before you use your coconut milk straight out of the can, be sure to stir it together well. Coconut milk in a can will have a thick cream on top and a thinner milk underneath. So, you’ll have to pour it into a bowl and whisk it together till you have one consistent coconut milk.
And, you don’t have to use oat flour if you don’t want to. I love oat flour, because it’s a whole grain and comes with extra fiber and benefits. But, you can use a (gluten-free) all purpose flour too if you’d like instead.
To make these bars dairy-free and vegan it’s as easy as using dairy-free chocolate chips, and that’s it! How great is that?
If you love cookie dough, and are always on the hunt for a great no bake dessert, then these are the bars for you. Quick, a little healthier, easy to make and filled with cookie dough and chocolate flavor.
Now the real question is, how many pans of these will I make this Summer?! I’m in LOVE with these! 🙂
If you’re looking for more no bake desserts, check out my healthier Classic No Bake Cookies, Peanut Butter Coconut No Bake Cookies and healthy Double Chocolate Truffles.
- 1/4 cup butter (or dairy-free butter alternative)
- 1/4 cup cashew butter (or other nut butter, or butter)
- 1/2 cup sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups oat flour, certified gluten-free (or all purpose gluten-free flour)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or dairy-free)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (milk, dark, or dairy-free)
- 1/4 cup cashew butter (or other nut butter)
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To begin, line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper sticking out both sides, for easy removal.
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To a large mixing bowl, add your butter, cashew butter and sugar and beat them together with a mixer till creamy. Add your coconut milk and vanilla and beat again till the mixture is smooth. Add your oat flour and salt, and mix again, till you have a thick cookie dough-like mixture. Add your chocolate chips and gently fold in.
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Pour your cookie dough mixture into your pan and carefully spread it out, into one thin and even layer across the bottom of the pan. Put your pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
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Add your chocolate chips and cashew butter to a microwaveable bowl or pyrex. Microwave for 30 seconds, and stir your chocolate and cashew butter together. Microwave for another 30 seconds, stir again till smooth (if necessary microwave for another 15-20 seconds).
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Take the cookie dough bars out of the freezer, and pour the chocolate topping on top. Spread across the top till you have a thin and even layer of chocolate.
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Put the bars in the freezer again for at least one hour. Remove, cut into 16 bars, and devour!
Store these bars in an airtight container in either the fridge or freezer. They will last about a week in the fridge and a couple months in the freezer.
The Organic Coconut Milk (BPA & Gum Free) I have is quite thick. I have Cha’s organic Premium coconut milk which contains 17% coconut solids. Because it is quite thick, shall I watered down to make the No Bake Cookie Dough Bars recepie? What consistency should the coconut milk be for this recepie?
Hi Luisa. I’m not familiar with that coconut milk brand, but the coconut milk should be relatively thick, almost like a sweetened condensed milk consistency. You may want to thin it out with a little water or almond milk if you’re concerned that it’s too thick. I hope this helps!