Healthy Cookie Dough Bars (vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free)
These healthy cookie dough bars are perfect for summer when you don’t want to turn on the oven. They are super easy and fast to whip up too! You just need a handful of ingredients and a food processor. It’s the best quick and good for you no bake treat that you definitely need to have on hand this summer!
It’s a cookie dough bar that you can totally eat raw and is vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. The secret ingredient is chickpeas and don’t you worry, it’s super delicious and doesn’t taste “beany” at all! It’s also high in protein and fiber thanks to those lovely chickpeas! When you blend the chickpeas up with cashew butter, almond flour, and some maple syrup, it becomes super creamy and thick like normal cookie dough.
The chocolate layer on top takes these healthy cookie dough bars to the next level. Adding chocolate to anything always makes it ten times better in my opinion! I opted for dark chocolate because I LOVE dark chocolate, but feel free to use your favorite kind of chocolate. You can store these in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for longer. Just make sure to let it sit out for 15 minutes before eating when you take it out of the freezer. I hope you give this chickpea cookie dough a try because it’s super tasty and good for you too!
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars (vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free)
Ingredients
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
chocolate layer
- 1/3 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Remove outer skin of chickpeas, doesn’t have to be perfect, just do at least half of the chickpeas.
- Add the chickpeas, cashew butter, almond flour, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract to a food processor. I feel like it works better than a blender. Process/blend until smooth and creamy, pausing to scrape down the sides every so often. Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.
- Transfer cookie dough to a 9×5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Spread it evenly into the pan. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Make the chocolate layer. In a small bowl, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second increments and stir after each increment. Mine took a little less than 1 minute total, careful not to burn your chocolate. Pour over cookie dough and swirl the pan around so the chocolate evenly covers the top of the cookie dough. Place in the freezer for at least 1.5 hours.
- Lift cookie dough bars out and let it sit for a 5 minutes before slicing and serving. If it’s been in the freezer for a long time, let it sit out for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for a few months.
