Healthy Cookie Dough Bars (Low Sugar)
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Published Jun 09, 2017, Updated Jun 12, 2023
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Healthy cookie dough bars made with a base of grain-free chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with layer of melted vegan chocolate. Sweetened with stevia, these bars are lower in sugar and the perfect way to satisfy a craving for something sweet.
And just like that, the weather is warming up and I’ve decided it’s too hot to turn on the oven. If you’re feeling the same way you’re going to love the sweet treat I’m sharing today because there’s no baking involved with these cookie dough bars. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, paleo-friendly and vegan. Plus, the ingredients are minimal and there’s no added sugar in the dough (besides the chocolate chips) because it’s sweetened with stevia.
Edible Cookie Dough
In the past few months I’ve noticed that cookie dough is becoming the new cupcake! Edible cookie dough brands are popping up in stores, there are boutique shops serving cookie dough in cups and cones like ice cream and we even have a vendor at our local farmer’s market selling cookie dough now.
I even have a few edible cookie dough recipes on the blog like this protein cookie dough and these protein cookie dough bites.
So, if you’re one of those people who likes eating cookie dough even more than you like cookies, make these cookie dough bars ASAP because they’re totally going to be your JAM.
Ingredients Needed
- almond flour – make sure you grab almond flour, not almond meal!
- cashew butter – almond or peanut butter will work too
- coconut oil
- vanilla
- Stevia – like to use Wholesome Organic Stevia. See notes below
- sea salt – omit or reduce if your cashew butter has salt
- mini vegan chocolate chips – I love Lily’s chocolate chips for a low-sugar option and Enjoy Life chocolate chips for a dairy-free/soy-free option.
Healthy Cookie Dough Sweetened with Stevia
I used Wholesome Organic Stevia, which allowed me to keep the sugar content of these bars relatively low. 1 teaspoon of stevia is all you need to make the cookie dough in this recipe perfectly sweet.
If you’re unfamiliar with stevia, it is a natural sweetener that’s great to use in place of artificial sweeteners (like those that you might find in the pink, yellow and blue packets). Wholesome Organic Stevia is different than other stevia products on the market because it’s organic, non-GMO, vegan, kosher and doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste.
Stevia isn’t something I use every day, but I love having it in my pantry when I want to add a little sweetness to something without adding extra sugar/calories or a bitter aftertaste. It works great for coffee, tea, yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies and dessert recipes.
How to Make Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
These no bake cookie dough bars are super easy to whip up.
Combine dry ingredients: in a mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, stevia and salt). Set aside.
Combine wet ingredients: in another mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (cashew butter, coconut oil and vanilla).
Mix together: add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.
Let cookie dough set: line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spread the cookie dough into the pan. Press the mixture down well that sticks together well. Place loaf pan into the freezer and let the bars herded up for about 1 hour.
Melt chocolate: remove bars from the freezer and melt chocolate chips by placing them in a small microwave save bowl with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after every interval until the chocolate chips have melted. This shouldn’t take more than 1 minute. Once melted, pour chocolate over the hardened cookie dough and spread so the bars are coated in a thin layer of chocolate.
Set up in freezer: place loaf pan back into the freezer for 10-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden. Once the chocolate has set remove bars from the loaf pan, by pulling up the parchment and cut the bars into squares. Enjoy right away and store any leftover bars in the freezer or fridge.
How to Enjoy These Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
The cookie dough in these bars is delicious and can easily be eaten straight up with a spoon, but I loved the idea of using the cookie dough to make bars for a bite size dessert. Once the cookie dough has set up in the freezer you simply add a layer of melted chocolate to create the full chocolate chip cookie dough bar. Once the chocolate has hardened in the freezer, simply cut the bars into bite-size squares and serve cold.
More Healthy Dessert Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Protein Cookie Dough
- Healthy Cookie Dough Bites
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Healthy No Bake Cookies
- Healthier Butterfingers
- 5-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups
If you try these healthy cookie dough bars please leave a comment letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Healthy Cookie Dough Bars
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup cashew butter, almond or peanut butter will work too
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Wholesome Organic Stevia
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, omit or reduce if your cashew butter has salt
- 1/4 cup mini vegan chocolate chips
Chocolate Topping:
- 1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (almond flour, stevia and salt). Set aside. In another mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (cashew butter, coconut oil and vanilla). Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spread the cookie dough into the pan. Press the mixture down well that sticks together well. Place loaf pan into the freezer and let the bars herded up for about 1 hour.
- Remove bars from the freezer and melt chocolate chips by placing them in a small microwave save bowl with 1 teaspoon coconut oil. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after every interval until the chocolate chips have melted. This shouldn’t take more than 1 minute. Once melted, pour chocolate over the hardened cookie dough and spread so the bars are coated in a thin layer of chocolate. Place loaf pan back into the freezer for 10-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
- Once the chocolate has set remove bars from the loaf pan, by pulling up the parchment and cut the bars into squares. Enjoy right away and store any leftover bars in the freezer or fridge.
Notes
- If you want to cut down on the sugar content you use stevia sweetened chocolate chips or make a homemade chocolate coating with cocoa powder, coconut oil and stevia.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post is sponsored by Wholesome® Organic Sweeteners.
Did this recipe used to use maple syrup as a sweetener? It’s been a minute since I’ve made this one and it’s always been a favorite, but I remember it being slightly different. Thanks in advance!
Hey Danielle! No, this recipe hasn’t changed at all, but you should be able to make this cookie dough with maple syrup as a substitute.
Very tasty and actually satisfy a cookie dough craving but closer to a protein ball or bliss ball – nice combination! Made a few subs for what we had around: high quality unsalted butter for coconut oil; 2 scant tbsp. maple syrup for stevia; no chocolate melted on top as 1/4 cup mini chips was plenty for our taste. A bit challenging to press into the tin. Freezing is a must for cutting. Yum! Will double next time…
So glad this recipe was a hit, Nicole! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Making these for the second time today. I feel so much better when I eat a vegan dessert as opposed to dairy or low carb ice cream. These satisfy my sweet tooth and keep.gut healthy. Love them!!!!
Rating
Yay!! So pumped you’ve been loving this recipe, Amber. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
what can I substitute for stevia (i don’t have any on hand)? Would splenda or something else work?
Hey Carly – You could use honey or maple syrup instead of the stevia. Do you have either of those on hand?
yes, thank you!! i am anxious to try these!
would i still use 1 tsp?
Hey Carly – You’d probably need more honey or maple syrup to get the level of sweetness that 1 teaspoon of stevia provides. I’d start with 2-3 Tablespoons, taste the cookie dough and add more if needed. 🙂
I loved these bars! I mixed my flours using 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour. They turned out great and were very easy to make!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these bars, Abby! Thanks for sharing the subs you made and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It’s super helpful to other readers, so I appreciate it. <3