Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe
These vegan Layered Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars have it all -- a layer of gluten-free shortbread topped by a layer of chocolate and all of this deliciousness smothered under a delicious almond-chocolate crumble. The cookie base is naturally sweetened with dates and your hands-on time is under 15 minutes. Everyone will be asking for more.
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 262kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup deglet noor dates (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, then drained)
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup full fat coconut milk (from the can)
- ¼ cup blanched, sliced almonds (optional)
- Oil (for preparing the baking pan)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter or oil (optional, for a firmer crumble)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8 X 8 inch or similarly sized baking pan by oiling, then lining with parchment paper.
- Place the drained dates in the food processor and process until they have broken down into a paste with some small pieces dispersed throughout. Add salt, 2 cups of almond flour, vanilla, cinnamon, and vegetable oil to the food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together.
- Put ¾ths of the mixture into the baking pan you've already prepped and, using your fingers, press it into an even layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- While the cookie layer is baking, add the remaining ¼ cup of almond flour to the food processor and process until evenly mixed. If you want the crumb topping to hold together more firmly, you can add a tablespoon of melted vegan butter or oil to the food processor at this point. Remove the crumb topping to a bowl and stir in the blanched, sliced almonds and ½ cup of the chocolate chips. I used a mix of white vegan chocolate chips and regular chocolate chips here.
- Use the other 1 cup of chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl and place it in a double boiler (over a pan with some water in it). Once the chocolate chips melt and are really smooth, turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk until you have a very smooth mixture.
- Pour the chocolate over the warm cookie in an even layer. Spread the crumb topping evenly over the chocolate layer. Place the pan in the oven and bake 12 more minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a rack. Place in a refrigerator for an hour at least before you slice and serve.
Notes
- Baking takes 22 minutes total: 10 minutes for the base, then 12 minutes after adding the layers. The total includes the 15-minute date soak and at least 1 hour refrigeration; allow additional time to cool on the rack before refrigerating. The cookie base is sweetened with dates; semisweet chocolate chips contain added sugar.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 247mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg