Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These healthy chocolate chip cookie bars are naturally sweetened, can be vegan and gluten free and they even have a little protein in them! Oh and did I mention they taste AMAZING?

These are quite possible one of my new favourite recipes I've made. But to be honest, naming these was a bit of a challenge. They aren't quite crispy enough to be called a cookie skillet butt they are also a little too dense to be called a blondie. That's where the cookie bar comes in. Imagine all of the flavours of your favourite cookies, with the moist texture you love in a blondie. That's exactly what you get when you bite into these healthy chocolate chip cookie bars.

So you might be thinking, if you don't even know what to call them how did you even start to make them? Well my friends, I was inspired to make me by the amazing Bria Lemirande (if you haven't watched her Tiktok videos yet you NEED to). Bria's cookie skillet has single-handedly taken over social media (and for good reason). So one day when I was craving something sweet but wanted a change from my usual chickpea blondies I make (another recipe you should try). That's when I got the inspiration to combine a cookie skillet with blondies and VOILA the perfect moist, healthy chocolate chip cookie bars.

Honestly the second I bit into one of these bars (after burning my mouth because I was impatient) I was blown away. Not to toot my own horn but these are PRETTY DANG GOOD. They have the perfect amount of sweetness, a rich almost caramel flavour and melty pockets of chocolate. What more could you want?

If I could recommend one single dessert recipe to try from my blog... it would be these (and that's saying alot).

SO what are you waiting for..... MAKE THEM!

What makes the cookie bars healthy?

Ok before you make them you might be thinking 'OKAY Nicole you've sold me but I don't like "healthier" desserts, I want it to be the real deal.' I completley agree ALLL treats (healthy and not) deserve a place in your life. Believe me when I say I do not discriminate about my dessert. When I'm craving a blondie from a cute little bakery I'll have that blondie and enjoy it in all it's deliciousness. But sometimes I also crave something that's still sweet but just a little lighter.

That's why I love creating "healthier" desserts that are a little less sweet with a few added nutrients. How do I do that? I use ingredients like oat flour to add some added fibre to make treats that keep me full a little longer. I also like trying to use a little less sugar by finding ways to add naturally occurring sugars (like applesauce and bananas) into my treats.

So when it comes to these healthy chocolate chip cookie bars that's exactly what I did I used banana and maple syrup for a little natural sweetness and oat flour for some added fibre! I also completely reduced the amount of oil/ butter in the recipe while still keeping the moist texture! AKA I created the perfect dessert without sacrificing any of the flavour and texture.

If you are looking for other healthier dessert don't forget to try these sweet potato brownies, almond flour sugar cookies or olive oil chocolate chip cookies!

What ingredients do I need for these healthy chocolate chip cookie bars?

oat flour- The first step of the recipe is to blend oats into a fine powder. This is essentially creating oat flour (aka my favourite flavour). I love using oat flour because it makes me feel like all of my desserts are actually just breakfast! You can use any oats you have on hand- quick, minute or rolled (if you are gluten free- use gluten free oats)!

collagen powder- for a little protein boost! I like using this unflavoured collagen because it's completely flavourless and bakes great! However feel free to substitute this with an equal amount of additional oat flour.

maple syrup- Natural sweetness and a rich caramel flavour. Just make sure you are using the REAL stuff for the best flavour (I have not tried any other liquid sweeteners).

baking soda- for that RISE (no you can't just use baking powder they are different!)

banana- natural sweetness and moist texture!! Just one ripe, mashed banana will make these healthy chocolate chip cookie bars OUT OF THIS WORLD.

vanilla extract- for alllll the flavour. I use artificial vanilla extract because it's cheaper and it's unnecessary to spend the extra money if you are baking it anyways!

salt- a need in a good cookie recipe (helps balance that sweetness)

coconut oil- As I say in most of my recipes I personally like using coconut oil in my baked foods (we buy this giant coconut oil tub found here). I love the subtle coconut flavour it brings to treats. However you can 100% substitute the coconut oil for the same amount of butter for the same texture.

mix ins- I used a mix of semi sweet and milk chocolate chips and crushed Oreos but feel free to get creative (M&M's would also be amazing and vegan chocolate chips also work).

PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you make these healthy chocolate chip cookie bars, don't forget to tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment below!

📖 Recipe