For the past few years, our little street has held a block party at the end of our cul-de-sac on Halloween. With lots of families with little kids living here, we usually get a great turnout, even when the holiday falls on a school night.
About an hour before the sun dips below the horizon, neighbors gather where the road ends. Nearly everyone wears a costume or something festive and fall-themed (including the adults!), and the kids run around on the pavement, laughing and dancing and asking every five minutes, “Is it time to trick-or-treat yet??”
So cute!
While waiting for the sunset — the official starting time of trick-or-treating! — we set up a small potluck spread on a couple of folding tables. Each house brings something to share, ranging from appetizers to desserts, and we all nibble on the food while mingling, catching up, keeping an eye on the kids, and watching for cars.
Although most of the people remain the same, the potluck dishes that appear at our Halloween block party vary each year. We’ve enjoyed homemade seven layer dip, fresh salsa and tortilla chips, fried chicken, and even little hotdogs wrapped in strips of crescent roll dough to look like mummies.
Sticking with what I know best, I typically bake a dessert to share. The first year, just a few months after I moved into my house, I worried a bit… Would the parents hate me for bringing something sweet that their kids could eat right before filling up on candy from trick-or-treating??
Thankfully… Other people brought desserts too! Pans of brownies made from boxed mixes, thick frosted sugar cookies, and store-bought mini cupcakes decorated with festive black and orange sprinkles all sat on the folding tables, and nobody minded one bit when their kids reached for those treats.
Whew!
With our annual Halloween block party right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about what to bake this year… And these healthy “flourless” almond butter cookie bars with chocolate frosting would be so perfect!
They’re quick and easy to make, even on a weekday (or Halloween!). Despite no butter, oil, or eggs, they’re still incredibly soft and chewy… And a little fudgy, similar to brownies! The smooth chocolate frosting contains no butter, cream or powdered sugar either. You only need 2 minutes to make it!
Which leaves plenty of time for socializing, nibbling, admiring the adorable kids’ costumes… And passing out candy to trick-or-treaters too!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY FLOURLESS ALMOND BUTTER COOKIE BARS
Let’s go over how to make these healthy flourless almond butter cookie bars!
You’ll start with — you guessed it! — one medium mixing bowl. No mixer required for this cookie dough! You just need a fork. Super easy!
To begin, you’ll stir together homemade creamy almond butter, a splash of vanilla extract, and a teeny pinch of salt. This is my homemade creamy almond butter recipe. It’s also really simple to make. You just need 2 ingredients (almonds + salt) and a blender!
Tip: If you prefer using store-bought almond butter, make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind! It should be a thick liquid at room temperature, and the only ingredients should be almonds and salt. Don’t use crunchy almond butter. It’ll make these bars cakey and dry — so stick with the creamy kind!
Next, you’ll add in the sweeteners. Yes, two! You’re using both pure maple syrup (the kind that comes directly from maple trees!) and liquid stevia in these healthy almond butter cookie bars. Although I try really hard to make my ingredients lists as short as possible for you (I know it isn’t fun to track down extra ingredients!), there’s an important reason you need to use both of these sweeteners.
If you just used pure maple syrup, and if you added enough to make these healthy almond cookie bars taste like a true dessert, then that would add way too much liquid to your cookie dough. Too much liquid would give your cookie bars a cakey, muffin-like consistency… Instead of being soft and chewy cookies. Not good.
However, if you cut back and only added enough pure maple syrup for the correct soft and chewy texture, then your cookie bars would taste pretty bland… And with a sweetness level more like breakfast scones or muffins, not true sweet “dessert” cookies. Also not good.
So that’s where the liquid stevia comes in! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!), and it’s also highly concentrated. Just 1 teaspoon of liquid stevia adds the sweetness of nearly ½ cup of maple syrup!
In other words… By using both pure maple syrup and liquid stevia, you end up with (a) perfectly sweet almond butter cookie bars that are also (b) perfectly soft and chewy.
It’s a win-win!
Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same one I do! I buy it online here (that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!
Like I mentioned earlier, these dessert bars have no eggs. That’s right — they’re completely egg-free! You’re using unsweetened almond milk in place of the eggs. That also means these healthy almond butter cookie bars are dairy-free… And {accidentally but happily} vegan as well!
Two more ingredients to go! And those are oat flour and baking soda. Because oat flour is technically just really finely ground oats (but “powdered oats” just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it! 😉 ), I wasn’t sure whether to call these healthy one-bowl almond butter cookie bars “flourless” or “practically flourless.” Either way, they’re really delicious!
Tip: This is my favorite store-bought oat flour (or this for the gluten-free version!), and I also show you how to make homemade oat flour here.
For the best results, sprinkle the baking soda over the oat flour before stirring in both of them! Sprinkling helps prevent clumps of baking soda… Which then ensures your healthy almond butter cookie bars bake evenly!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CHOCOLATE FROSTING
While your cookie bars bake and cool, it’s time to make the frosting! You have two different healthy chocolate frosting options… And neither one contains any butter, powdered sugar, or heavy cream!
This is the first option. It’s made from Greek yogurt and cocoa powder! This option tastes lighter and closer to milk chocolate. You’ll also need a little instant pudding mix to make it thick enough to spread over the almond butter cookie bars and hold its shape (instead of dripping down the sides). I love that nifty trick — it also makes this Greek yogurt frosting stiff enough to pipe, like for on top of cupcakes!
Hint: For the photos in this blog post, I used this first healthy chocolate frosting option!
This is the second option. It’s made from cocoa powder and milk. Again, no butter, heavy cream, or powdered sugar — and no mixer required for this frosting recipe! This option tastes much darker, closer to 75% dark chocolate. However, no instant pudding mix required in this healthy chocolate frosting recipe! So if you’re not a fan of pudding mix (or can’t locate it!), then this would be the best choice for you.
Both are really easy to make… And equally delicious!
Then once your “flourless” almond butter cookie bars have cooled… And you’ve spread your healthy chocolate frosting on top…
It’s time to eat! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy almond butter cookie bars with chocolate frosting!
Healthy Almond Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp (80g) homemade creamy almond butter
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp liquid stevia
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp (90mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 ½ cups (180g) oat flour (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- chocolate frosting, for serving (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cookie bars, stir together the almond butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the salt and liquid stevia over the top, and stir them in until completely incorporated. Stir in the pure maple syrup until completely incorporated. Stir in the almond milk. Pour in the oat flour, and sprinkle the baking soda over the oat flour. Stir them until until just incorporated.
- Using a spatula, gently press the cookie dough into the prepared pan in a thin, even layer. Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes or until the center feels firm to the touch. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan.
- While the cookie bars bake, prepare the frosting. Beat the Greek yogurt, instant pudding mix, cocoa powder, and vanilla stevia together using an electric or stand mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the bowl with foil, and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Once the cookie bars are completely cool, spread the frosting across the top. (I highly recommend an offset spatula like this to do so!) Slice them into 16 square bars.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Almond Butter Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Peanut Butter Cookie Bars with Chocolate Frosting
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
♡ Healthy Almond Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Chocolate Monster Cookies
♡ Healthy Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Protein Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cookie recipes and healthy dessert bar recipes!
I’m jealous of your street block party! How fun! I LOVE treats made with almond butter… these need to get on my baking wishlist! YUM!
Thanks Andrea! I’d totally make them for you the next time you come down! If your break was any longer… I’d say you should come down for our Halloween block party! ????❤️
Is there a grain free option for these cookie bars? I can’t eat grains but they sound wonderful. And being a diabetic I would substitute monk fruit sweetened maple flavored syrup. Thank you for your work on healthy recipes.
Ruth Johnson
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ruth! If you have a store-bought gluten-free flour blend that’s also grain-free and works as a 1-for-1 substitute for regular flour, then it should also work in this recipe. If not, then you can substitute almond flour, but you may need to use a bit more because it’s not quite as absorbent as oat flour. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookie bars!
Any idea if you could swap almond flour or coconut flour? This is SO CLOSE to being keto friendly…the oat flour is the only obstacle.
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making these Amy! (And I love your name! 😉 ) Coconut flour won’t work, but almond flour will! You may need to use slightly more since almond flour isn’t quite as absorbent as oat flour, but everything else should remain the same. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookie bars!
I mean…with a name like Amy…. what’s not to love, right? LOL. That’s even better since I prefer almond flour! I will be trying these – i’ll post to let you know how they turn out! Thank you!!!!
You’re too funny Amy!! 😉 It’s my pleasure! I’m always happy to help. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookie bars! 🙂
This sounds so delicious, I’m so anxious to make them, however the instructions in the recipe say peanut butter and cashew milk! That kind of throws me off since they are not listed in the ingredients. Am I crazy or what? Maybe it’s a typo. I await your reply before jumping into this recipe. I just love your recipes, each and every one of them.
Kindest regards,
Donna Richardson
Thanks so much for catching my typos Donna — all fixed! I can definitely tell you read all of my blog posts and recipes. 😉 Your interest and support truly means the world to me, so thank you SO much!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookie bars!
Would love to make this but wondering if I could use granulated stevia in place of liquid stevia. Would that work?
It means a lot that you’d like to try making these cookie bars, Stephanie! What’s the exact granulated stevia (brand + product name!) that you’d like to substitute? Many brands and stevia products have slightly different sweetness levels (and sometimes behave differently in baking recipes!), so the answer depends on the product you’d like to use. 🙂
Amy,
These sound amazing! I can’t wait to make these! However, I am I able to eat almonds. May I substitute cashew butter for the almond butter?
Thank you
Elizabeth Montgomery
Yes, absolutely! If it’s homemade creamy cashew butter or the store-bought kind that’s liquidy at room temperature and only includes cashews and salt, it should work just fine. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of these cookie bars Elizabeth!
I made a batch of the Healthy One-Bowl Flourless Almond Butter Cookie Bars today. I followed the recipe exactly except I used store bought almond butter and used unsweetened almond milk with no vanilla flavor added. I enjoyed making my own oat flour with 1-minute oats in the food processor. The bars baked up very nice and flavorful. I made the option 1 frosting and it came out great. I was genuinely surprised with the frosting recipe. Nice consistency, tangy flavor. The bad news, the liquid stevia ruined it for me. This was the first and last time I will ever bake with stevia. Even before I took a bite I could almost smell or taste the stevia and could certainly taste it for a while afterward. I found the stevia flavor/ sweetness overpowering.
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe of mine too, Mark! I’m glad you enjoyed the cookie bars and the frosting consistency. 🙂 Did you use the same liquid stevia that I did? Could you taste it in both the cookie bars and the frosting? If so, do you have a different no-calorie sweetener that you prefer? We might be able to modify this recipe to use that instead!
I made this as written and it came out perfect using frosting option #1 so impressed with this frosting and will use it on other things. Great recipe Amy! Keep up the great work you are constantly teaching this old baker new tricks.
I’m so glad you loved these cookie bars Donna! That means a lot to me that you’d want to try the chocolate frosting on other things too. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I’m really excited to hear what other recipes you decide to try making in the future, too!
Hi Amy ! These look incredible and I’m planning to make them this weekend using frosting option 2 ! Just a question before I start : How is the frosting holding together as it’s only made of cocoa powder and liquids ? Just curious !
I’m SO honored that you’re trying another one of my recipes Caty!! ♡ If you follow frosting option #2 exactly as written, then it’ll hold together just fine! You can see how it looks on top of these cupcakes, and there’s a little video above the recipe that shows the frosting consistency as well. Does that help? 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookie bars!
OMG I’m so excited ???? I can’t wait to be tomorrow and make them !
I’ll let you know of course ????
That means so much to me Caty!! I’m really excited to hear what you think of these! ♡
Finally tried them and Oh My …
I made the Frosting Option 2 and each bite is a trip to heaven, literally !
Thank you again ????
I’m so glad you love these cookie bars Caty!! You just made my entire day! ❤️ Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂