Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars {gluten-free}

These Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are made with quick oats, almond meal and use coconut sugar for a delicious, healthier treat. Gluten-free!

I am soooooo excited to bring you these bars guys. Like, woah. Typically I like my cookies in traditional cookie form, i.e. circular. But I was feeling something easy and quick. Cookie bars are obviously the next best thing.

And they definitely passed taste testing with an A+. My husband probably had no idea they were vegan when he ate two in a row. Typically he would turn his nose up at treats described as “vegan”. Poor vegans, you guys get a bad rap! These bars will definitely change that mindset though. At least in the sweets department. I can tell you that much for SHO. When my husband took his first bite he said “Woah… You should call these Brownie Boyfriend Pleasers.” I died. He is a funny one. (Sorry babe, nothing is safe anymore.)

But seriously, they are pretty freaking good, if I do say so myself 😉

I doubled up on the kinds of chocolate in these babies. Chopped chocolate chunks AND mini chips. Because we’re going for chocolate in every bite here, peeps. And I promise I’m not trying to pass these cookie bars off as “healthy”. “Healthy eating” is a relative term anyway, and means different things to different people. What I will say is that these bars are made with healthIER ingredients. No butter, refined sugar-free, flourless, vegan.  At least those count as “healthier” in my book. All in all, they’re pretty “clean” if you’re following a less processed, more whole foods diet.

The other lovely thing about these bars is that there is a touch of protein in them! So really, they kind of make an awesome, filling snack. Now Foods sent me some of their Plant Protein Complex powder to try and I just HAD to see if they would work in these cookie bars. I love trying out new protein powders in baked goods, and this one turned out to be fantastic in this recipe. The plant complex is made up of pea protein, sprouted brown rice protein, hemp protein, and quinoa protein. What I think is extra great about this vegan protein powder is there are no artificial sweeteners, and it is both soy and dairy-free. HOLLA. And if you’re not up for adding protein, you could replace it with 1/4 cup of more quick-oats and almond meal. No biggie.

Good thing I stashed some of these in the freezer. If I hadn’t my husband totally would have eaten the whole pan in two days.

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

How to Make…

Gluten-Free Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

These Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are made with quick oats, almond meal and use coconut sugar for a delicious, flavorful treat. Gluten-free! 

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes

• Yield: 16 bars 1x
• Scale: 1x2x3x

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats (gluten-free if necessary)
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup +1 TBS unsweetened desiccated coconut (finely shredded)
• 1 scoop (about 1/3 cup) vegan protein powder*
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or raw honey if not strictly vegan)
• 1/3 cup + 1 TBS coconut oil, softened*
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBS chia seeds
• 3 TBS water
• 3 TBS dairy-free chocolate chunks, chopped (I used enjoy life)
• 1/4 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (I used enjoy life)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper, or use a square silicone pan.
2. In a small bowl, combine chia seeds with water and set aside until gel forms (about 3-5 minutes).
3. In medium bowl combine oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, protein powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with large spoon until well combined, set aside.
4. In large bowl, using hand mixer (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) cream together softened coconut oil and coconut sugar, about 1-2 minutes. Add in brown rice syrup (or honey),vanilla, and chia seed/water, mix until until well combined.
5. Add dry ingredients to large bowl of wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Add in chopped chocolate chunks and chocolate chips, and stir with large wooden spoon until combined. Mixture should be thick and fairly wet, not too dry.
7. Press mixture into prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until edges have slightly browned.
8. Let mixture cool in pan for 1 hour before removing. Carefully remove mixture with parchment paper from pan. Using a large, sharp knife cut into 16 squares.
9. Keep cookie bars in airtight container 5-7 days at room temperature. Cookies may also be stored in fridge, or kept in freezer up to one month fresh.

Recipes Notes:

If not using protein powder, sub with 1/4 cup more quick oats, and 1/4 cup more almond meal. I do not recommend whey or casein protein powder, as I can’t vouch for the results. If coconut oil is solid, let jar sit in bowl of hot water until softened. Or use softened vegan butter. You may sub dry sweetener of choice instead of coconut sugar. The middle may feel slightly underdone, but will set in pan upon cooling.

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 185
• Sugar: 14
• Sodium: 168
• Fat: 12
• Saturated Fat: 7
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 19
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 4
• Cholesterol: 1mg

Category: Dessert Method: bake Cuisine: American
Keywords: cookies bars, gluten free cookies, ways to use almond meal
Author: Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen

Now go make these Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and please someone! Fairly certain they won’t be disappointed.

DISCLAIMER: Now Foods was kind enough to provide me with their plant complex protein powder, in exchange for an honest opinion when posting the next recipe of my choice. While I was provided some of their products at no cost, I was not compensated for my time.

SOME OF THE PRODUCTS I USED IN TODAY’S RECIPE

This post contains some affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase through said links, I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support in helping keep Fit Mitten Kitchen up and running. 

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