Healthy Red Velvet Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

 
For a few years after graduating from college, I lived in a small house not too far from campus. Once I started working full time on Amy’s Healthy Baking, and therefore with my kitchen permanently overflowing with treats, I began knocking on neighbors’ doors to share my baked goodies… And so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat them all by myself!  

A family of four lived directly to my left, including a daughter around eight and a son about five. When I brought over a plate of sweets in early January and the kids rushed to the door to answer, the little girl mentioned that they had been running errands and picking up party supplies for her birthday party later that month.
 

 
Of course, as a huge food lover, I asked her what flavor of birthday cake she had picked out, and she her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “Chocolate!!” I smiled at that; I’m a huge chocoholic too!

So to surprise her and her family, I baked a batch of my favorite extremely rich and decadent chocolate cupcakes, which I dropped off a few days after the party. As a kid, I remember feeling a little disappointed in the days the followed my birthday parties because all of the presents were unwrapped and the excitement had ended, so I thought that extending her birthday with a second dessert might be fun.
 

 
When I knocked on the door with the plate of cupcakes and wished her a happy belated birthday, she and her brother started jumping up and down, completely overjoyed at the sight of another special treat. Before I turned to go, the little boy asked me a question.

“Will you bake something for my birthday too?”

I reassured him that I’d love to, and I inquired when his birthday was.

“September,” he replied. “And I want red cake. It’s my favorite color!”

How cute was that??

Yet a few days ago, I actually saw photos that their mom shared on Facebook of her two children, and I gasped. Her daughter is nearly in high school, while her son is just finishing up elementary. I know time flies but… How did they grow up so quickly??
 

 
Memories of their childhood years floated through my mind, including those birthday treats… Which inspired me to make these Healthy Red Velvet Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting! They’re the same stunning color of the dessert I baked for the little boy years ago, and they’re supremely soft and chewy, just the way I like my cookies.

Yet unlike most store-bought red velvet treats, these contain no refined flour or sugar, including in the sweet and silky cream cheese frosting. And they’re just 67 calories!
 

 
So let’s go over how to make these healthy red velvet cookie bars! I actually learned a lot about the history and science of red velvet cake when I developed my ultimate healthy red velvet cupcakes recipe, so I’m summarizing some of that for you so your treats turn out perfectly!

To begin, you’ll need white whole wheat flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. Yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour!

Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… Which lets the soft and chewy texture of your healthy red velvet cookie bars really shine!
 

 
Nerd Alert #1: Cocoa Powder
When red velvet cakes first appeared in the early 20^th century, bakers wanted a way to make moist and tender cakes during the Great Depression and World War eras without using expensive cake flour. Therefore, they turned to cocoa powder! When combined with regular all-purpose flour, the cocoa powder prevented the flour from forming long gluten strands (aka a tough texture!) when mixing together the batter.

However… The proportions of cocoa powder to flour varied between red velvet recipes. By a lot. And this completely changes the flavor of red velvet cake!

Personally, I prefer a higher cocoa powder to flour ratio. It creates a rich and decadent chocolaty vanilla flavor, rather than the almost pure (and somewhat bland!) vanilla flavor of many modern store-bought red velvet cakes.

So you’ll use almost half as much cocoa powder as white whole wheat flour! That’s 6 tablespoons, as opposed to the 1 or 2 tablespoons of many other recipes. I highly recommend using regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like this, rather than Dutched or “special dark” cocoa powder. It gives your healthy red velvet cookie bars a much better taste and texture!

Nerd Alert #2: Measuring
Just a quick reminder… It’s extremely important that you measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own and love!) Too much of either ingredient will make your cookie dough dry and your cookie bars crumbly. Not good! But if you measure them correctly, you’ll end up with perfectly soft and chewy healthy red velvet cookie bars!
 

 
Nerd Alert #3: A Secret Ingredient
Unlike traditional cookie bars that call for a full stick or two of butter (that’s ½ to 1 full cup!), you only need 2 tablespoons for this recipe. That really helps keep your healthy red velvet cookie bars low fat and low calorie!

Then to boost the richness in their flavor, you’ll use a secret ingredient… Extra vanilla extract! Vanilla enhances butter’s rich flavor, so by adding a bit more than in traditional cookie recipes, your healthy red velvet cookie bars will taste just as indulgent as those traditional ones.
 

 
Nerd Alert #4: The Red Color
Traditional red velvet cakes from the early 20^th century got their iconic color from the chemical reaction between cocoa powder and vinegar. However, modern cocoa powder is made differently and doesn’t react with vinegar the same way. Therefore, modern red velvet cakes depend on other means for their color.

The most common coloring agent is red food dye. I’ve tried using more natural ingredients like beets or pomegranates, but unfortunately, they don’t produce the same brilliant red color… And they also tend to give these red velvet cookies a slightly fruity and off-putting flavor. So I went with red food coloring because (a) it gives the prettiest color, (b) it’s easy to find in stores, and (c) it’s really easy to use {unlike beets or pomegranates, which require a lot more work!}.
 

 
Nerd Alert #5: Sweeteners
Yes, you’ll actually use two! The first is pure maple syrup, and the second is liquid stevia. Both are unrefined sweeteners that come from plants! Pure maple syrup comes from maple trees, and the only ingredient on the bottle should be “pure maple syrup.” It usually comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).

However, there’s a slight problem with pure maple syrup. If you added enough to make these healthy red velvet cookie bars taste really sweet, like a true dessert, then that would add way too much liquid to the cookie dough… And your cookie bars would have a bready or muffin-like texture, rather than really soft and chewy like regular cookies.

Yet if you added less, just the right amount to get that soft and chewy texture… Then your cookie bars wouldn’t taste nearly sweet enough. They’d taste like muffins or bread rolls!
 

 
So that’s where the liquid stevia comes in! Liquid stevia is highly concentrated, which means you only need 1 teaspoon for your healthy red velvet cookie bars. That’s the equivalent of nearly ½ cup of maple syrup or granulated sugar! That teensy volume adds lots of sweetness without a lot of liquid, so your healthy red velvet cookie bars taste perfectly sweet and have the perfect soft and chewy texture.

Tip: I buy my liquid stevia online here because that’s the best price I’ve found, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!
 

 
One thing I absolutely love about these healthy red velvet cookie bars? You don’t have to chill the cookie dough! So once you’ve spread your cookie dough into your square baking pan in a thin layer and popped that in the oven, then it’s time to make your healthy cream cheese frosting!

And that healthy cream cheese frosting actually starts with equal parts Greek yogurt and light cream cheese. I love the silky and creamy texture from the Greek yogurt, and it adds a protein boost to your frosting too! Then you’ll add more liquid stevia for sweetness, along with…
 

 
Instant pudding mix! Yes, I know instant pudding mix sounds like a strange ingredient for frosting… But it actually thickens the Greek yogurt while your frosting chills, which makes this healthy cream cheese frosting just as thick as regular buttercream or cream cheese frosting!

Tip: I’ve shared another frosting alternative in the Notes section if you can’t find instant pudding mix or prefer not to use it!

Then all that’s left to do is spread your healthy cream cheese frosting on top, slice your healthy red velvet cookie bars, and…
 

 
Enjoy! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your healthy red velvet cookie bars with cream cheese frosting!

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Red Velvet Cupcakes
♡  Healthy Red Velvet Pancakes
♡  Healthier White Chocolate Red Velvet Cookies
♡  Healthier Baked Red Velvet Donuts