Vegan No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bars

peanut butter cookie bars for breakfast

If you are looking for ideas to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthier way, then here comes a highly-satiating vegan dessert which should be an absolute must-try for you.Bursting with peanut butter flavour, these no-bake cookie dough bars with subtle hints of salt are simply irresistible.

Furthermore, these nutty chocolatey flavoured treats can blow your mind, not just because of the way they taste, but for how easy they are to make. In fact, you can make these little bites of deliciousness within an hour.

Vegan no-bake peanut butter cookie bars

On top, these naturally-sweetened vegan bars have a lot going on and all of it is good as they are made with wholesome ingredients that are good for you.

The bars can aid you in improving your energy, stamina, and vitality as they contain many healthy ingredients like cacao powder which are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and magnesium. They are also high in proteins and fiber which is why they keep you full.

What’s more, the peanut bars are an excellent way to enjoy the earthy, nutty, and butterscotch like the taste of maca powder. Maca powder can help you in increasing your intake of vitamin C, iron, potassium, and copper while being low in calories.

The Medjool dates on the other hand add a rich sweetness and softness that makes the bars taste divine. So make it, eat it, and love it. Your body will thank you.

How to Make No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Ingredients

For the cookie layer:

  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp peanut butter, creamy
  • 2½ cups almond meal, blanched
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 2½ tbsp maca powder
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 cup chocolate chips, vegan

For the Cacao Layer

  • 1½ cups walnuts
  • 10 Medjool dates, soft
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp cacao powder
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ¼ tsp sea salt

Method of Preparation

For making these delightful cookie bars, combine peanut butter, salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup in a large mixing bowl with a whisker until mixed well.Tip: You can microwave the peanut butter for 10 to 20 seconds at high power to make the mixing easier.

peanut butter in glass jar

Next, stir in the almond meal and maca powder. Combine.

After that, gently fold in the chocolate chips to the dough. Then, transfer the mixture to a parchment-paper-lined square-shaped baking pan.

Now, spread the dough evenly across the baking pan with your fingers and press it down slightly.

Then, place the baking pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until the cookie dough layer is set. Cover the pan with plastic wrap.

In the meantime, pulse cacao powder, sea salt, and walnut in a food processor until they are well chopped. Set aside in a bowl.

a bowl of walnut

Add dates and vanilla extract to the processor and pulse it several times until you get a smooth mixture that sticks to the sides of the processor. Spoon in the walnuts mixture to it and pulse again. Tip: Add two tablespoons of water if it gets struck. Scrape down the sides with a spatula. Pulse for 1 to 2 minutes.

Once the mixture is ready, spread it over the cookie dough layer.

Finally, freeze it again for another half an hour. When it becomes firm, slice it into bars.

Nutritional Information per calories

  • Calories: 440Kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 29.3g
  • Proteins: 15.8g
  • Fat: 33.7g
  • Sodium: 80mg

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Bar Tips

  • You can garnish the cookie bars with flaky sea salt for extra flavour.
  • These bars are delicious served on their own. To make it more scrumptious, they can also be served along with ice cream.
  • If the dates are hard, you can soak them in warm water for about ten minutes and then drain away the water. Pat dry the dates and use.
almond meal
  • Similarly, instead of making bars, you can also make balls out of this dough.
  • You can store the bars in air-tight containers and place them in the refrigerator. The bars stay good for 7 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 months in the freezer in freezer-friendly containers. Before serving, you just need to make sure to thaw them for 15 minutes at room temperature.
  • As the recipe is highly customizable, you can also use dark chocolate chip cookies or mini chocolate chips instead of the regular ones.
  • Use salted peanut butter for the recipe. If it is unsalted, add a bit more salt as needed.
  • For making them more nutritious, you can try using chia seeds or grounded flax seeds. Or you can add oats to it if you want to up the carb level in these balls.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars FAQ 

For best results, follow the recipe as it is.

However there are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe. They are:

  • Instead of cacao powder, you can use regular cocoa powder. But the healthier choice would be the former.
  • Instead of chocolate chips, you can try sweetened shredded coconut flakes or sub-dried cherries, or even chopped tart cherries.
  • If you are unable to get maca powder, you can skip them and use extra almond flour.
  • You can substitute peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter if you wish to make it paleo-friendly.

Is it necessary to keep the dough in the freezer?

Yes, it is necessary to keep them in the freezer as they will stiffen the dough and makes it easier for you to handle.

What to do when the mixture seems too sticky?

almond meal

You can add more almond meal to make it less sticky

What to do if the mixture seems to be dry?

You can add more butter to the mixture to decrease the dryness.

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Tammy Kennedy
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