Coated in a crunchy chocolate topping with a soft cookie-like base, these Healthy Cookie Dough Bars are perfect for munching. Naturally dairy-free, grain-free, and gluten-free, they're a no-bake recipe that works for both a snack or dessert.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 35 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 9
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 268 kcals and 10 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Natural peanut butter, Collagen powder, Coconut flour,almond flour, Sugar-free chocolate chips and honey.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, no-bake, high-protein.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These edible cookie dough bars are rich, satisfying, and come together without turning on the oven. With a soft cookie dough base and a crisp chocolate topping, they’re perfect for last-minute desserts, meal prep treats, or when you want something indulgent that still feels nourishing.
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If you like having a treat ready for hectic days, these no-bake cookie dough bars are a total lifesaver. They’re soft, chewy, and packed with chocolate chips, giving you that classic cookie dough vibe without the wait. I keep a batch in the fridge for those afternoons when everyone’s hungry now, and patience is thin.
These healthy chocolate chip cookie dough bars are a personal favorite because they satisfy a craving and sneak in a bit of protein, which feels like a win. The best part, though, is that when I make them (and things like my peanut butter chocolate bark), people don't even realize they're healthy! Bring them to girls’ night, stash them for busy weeks, or keep them just for you; either way, they make snacking feel way more fun (along with these other dairy-free high protein snacks).
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: With zero baking required the gluten-free cookie dough bars come together easily and with just a few ingredients.
Healthy alternative: Compared to traditional desserts, this recipe is a great swap. Naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and they can easily be made low-carb as well.
Versatile: There are so many ways to adjust the flavor, look, or purpose of the cookie dough bars that you’ll be making them again and again.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chocolate chips: Make sure to use appropriate chocolate chips as per your dietary preference. If you need the bars to be low-carb, use sugar-free chocolate chips and use sugar-free maple syrup, Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey, or Harmless Hunny in place of honey. Of course, using a homemade low carb sweetener should work too. These all work in my low carb chocolate pancakes, too.
- Walnuts: Any nuts can work. Know that each kind of nut brings a different flavor and texture to the bars. Almonds don’t chop as well so the bars will be crunchier than say, walnuts.
- Make them low-carb: If you need to scale back the carbs, use allulose in place of honey.
- Collagen powder: The easiest way to get in quality protein. Learn more about what is collagen powder and make more collagen powder recipes.
- Make them vegan: Use Enjoy Life chocolate chips and skip the collagen powder. Instead, use equal amounts of coconut and almond flour to replace it and know that the carb count will be different. Likewise, use agave in place of honey.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
Toppings: Adding a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, sprinkles, or drizzle of coconut milk caramel sauce is a fun twist.
Extract: Make the no-bake cookie dough bars festive with a bit of peppermint extract mixed into the base or chocolate topping.
Crunch: Swap the chocolate chips in the bars for something like sprinkles or crushed candy canes. This works for cookie dough protein overnight oats and gluten-free cupcakes with almond flour, too.
How To Make Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
Step 1: Pulse the chocolate chips and walnuts in a food processor.
Step 2: Add in the remaining dry ingredients. Then, transfer everything to a bowl and stir in the wet ingredients until combined.
Step 3: Press the dough firmly into a prepared baking pan.
Step 4: Melt together the coconut oil and chocolate chips.
Step 5: Pour the melted chocolate on top of the cookie dough base.
Step 6: Pop into the fridge or freezer.
Expert Tips
Line your baking pan with parchment paper to make it easier to get the bars out.
Make sure to press the batter into the pan as hard as possible, as this is what will ensure the cookie dough bars hold together.
Let the bars sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before you cut them so that you don’t break the chocolate topping into pieces.
If you want to use a dry keto sweetener like stevia, you’ll need to add about ½ cup of water to the batter.
How to store them: Store leftover cookie dough bars in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week. Enjoy them right out of the fridge or let them come to room temperature.
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars FAQs
Yes, you can freeze no-bake cookie dough bars. Store them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Make sure to separate layers of bars with parchment paper, though, and just let them thaw in the fridge overnight for when you need them.
Cookie dough bars can become too crumbly when not enough sticky ingredients are added, or the bars are not pressed firmly enough into the baking dish.
Yes, you can make cookie dough bars nut-free by replacing the nuts with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or shredded coconut and the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter. You may need to adjust the sweetener to get the taste you want.
More Dairy and Gluten-free Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Healthy Cookie Dough Bars Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars
Video
Equipment
- 8x7 Baking pan
Ingredients
Cookie Dough Layer
- ¼ cup Coconut flour
- ¼ cup Almond flour
- ½ cup Collagen powder
- ½ cup Natural peanut butter fresh
- 5 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Chocolate chips sugar free
- 4 tablespoons Chopped nuts
- Water as needed
Chocolate Layer
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons Chocolate chips sugar free
Instructions
- Line an 8 ×7-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Pulse the nuts and chocolate chips with the flours and collagen powder in a food processor. Leave some chunks for texture.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in the wet ingredients. Mix until sticks and then slowly add in water one teaspoon at a time until everything is combined and sticky (you end up needing about 1-1.5 tablespoons water).
- Pour and press the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bring to the refrigerator while you melt the chocolate for the topping.
- Add chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe container, melt in intervals of 30 seconds or less in the microwave, stirring constantly. Or, heat in a pot over low heat until melted. Pour chocolate onto the dough layer and, with a spatula, spread all over.
- Chill in the refrigerator until completely firm, at least 1 hour. Or in the fridge for 30 minutes. Allow sitting at room temperature for 10- 15 minutes before cutting.
- Cover the leftover bars tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make sure to press the batter into the pan as hard as possible as this is what will ensure the bars hold together. Let the bars sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before you cut them so that you don’t break the chocolate topping into pieces. If you want to use a dry keto sweetener like stevia, you’ll need to add about ½ cup of water to the batter. Dietary Preferences and Substitutions Low carb: Make sure to use sugar-free chocolate chips as well as a sugar-free sweetener like Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Honey, or Harmless Hunny in place of honey. This results in the bars having 15-17g grams of net carbs per serving. Vegan: Use vegan chocolate chips and replace the collagen powder with equal amounts of coconut and almond flour. You’ll also want to use agave syrup in place of honey. Know that the carb count will be different. Not protein based: Remove the collagen powder and instead replace it with equal amounts of coconut and almond flour.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Shelby S says
I love how easy it is to make these as a regular dessert or a snack with a hit of protein!