Go Back
Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars – soft, chewy, fudgy & SO easy to make! You only need 20 minutes to get them in the oven. They’re the BEST cookie bars I’ve ever had! ♡ simple gluten free vegan peanut butter cookie bars with no sugar, butter or oil. dairy free clean eating peanut butter cookie bars. homemade flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookie bars. healthy cookie bars clean eating. peanut butter bars recipe healthy.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

© Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 16 cookie bars
These cookie bars are simple to make and perfectly soft, chewy, and even a bit fudgy too! They have lots of sweet peanut butter flavor and rich chocolate morsels, and they’re perfect for quick weekday treats, summer picnics, school lunch box desserts, or any time you’re craving a little something sweet! Leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator — if they last that long!
5 from 14 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F, and coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter and cashew milk. Stir in the salt, vanilla, stevia, and maple syrup. Pour in the oat flour, and sprinkle the baking soda over the oat flour (to prevent it from clumping!). Stir in the oat flour and baking soda until just incorporated. Stir in 3 tablespoons of miniature chocolate chips.
  • Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips on top. Bake at 300°F for 12-15 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan, and let the bars rest for at least 6 hours once at room temperature for the best taste and texture before slicing and serving.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's very important to measure the oat flour using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much oat flour will make your cookie bars dry, cakey, or crumbly.
 
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to follow the instructions exactly as written! The order of ingredient additions, as well as when you stir them in, makes a big difference in the texture of your cookie bars.
 
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: The cookie bars are done when the edges look firm but the center still looks glossy and underdone. The heat from the pan continues to cook the center while they cool. If the edges of the cookie bars pull away from the edges of your baking pan within 10 minutes of pulling them out of the oven, then you’ve baked them for long enough!
 
IMPORTANT COOLING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For the best chewy texture, you must let the cookie bars rest for 6+ hours after they've reached room temperature. If you cut into them sooner, they'll be more bready and cake-like. However, if you’re too impatient to wait for 6+ hours once your cookie bars are at room temperature, then you can stick the pan in the refrigerator for 2+ hours after they’ve reached room temperature to speed up the process!
 
FOR SWEETER COOKIE BARS: Increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ teaspoon (for 1 ¼ teaspoons total), or substitute 2-4 tablespoons of additional pure maple syrup for an equal amount of unsweetened cashew milk (ie use an extra 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and decrease the milk to 4 tablespoons to compensate).
 
CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: This is my homemade creamy peanut butter recipe. You just need 5 minutes to make it! If you prefer to use store-bought peanut butter, then make sure the only ingredients are peanuts and salt, and stir it really well before using in this recipe. Do not substitute crunchy peanut butter; it'll make the texture drier and more cake-like.
 
If you prefer, homemade creamy almond butter may be substituted for the peanut butter. Alternatively, if you prefer to use store-bought almond butter, then make sure the only ingredients are almonds and salt, and stir it really well before using in this recipe. Do not substitute crunchy almond butter.
 
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened cashew milk.
 
LIQUID STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they're not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. Therefore, for the best flavor and texture results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do. I buy it online here (and you’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine!).
 
You cannot substitute additional pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia because the cookies require a precise balance of wet and dry ingredients. However, if you strongly prefer to omit the stevia, then substitute ¾ cup (144g) of coconut sugar or light brown sugar for the liquid stevia AND omit both the the pure maple syrup AND the milk. (If the cookie dough seems dry when you mix everything together, then add a little milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it forms a smooth cookie dough.)
 
PURE MAPLE SYRUP ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
 
OAT FLOUR NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, or Organic Unbleached White All Purpose Flour may be substituted for the Whole Grain Oat Flour. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour also works just as well!
 
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oat Flour.
 
VEGAN, EGG-FREE + DAIRY FREE OPTION: Use vegan-friendly mini chocolate chips. These are my favorite!
 
HOW TO STORE: Store the cookie bars in an airtight container. If refrigerated, they should last at least one week. They freeze really well too!
 
{gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.