Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bars

I’ve been making these no-bake peanut butter cookie dough bars for years and for good reason – they’re easy, made with healthier ingredients and a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Here’s another foolproof recipe for you that anyone can make and everyone can enjoy! They’re dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan so they’re perfect if you have an allergy/intolerance or want to make something sweet for a loved one who cant eat gluten, dairy or eggs. They can easily be made nut-free too by substituting the peanut butter with a seed butter or tahini. 

As well as speedy recipes, I’m also really into anything cookie dough! I’ve actually been experimenting with a couple of other cookie dough ideas at the same time as making these. I had to make these peanut butter cookie dough bars 4 times before I was completely happy with them. That’s actually not bad as far as recipe creating is concerned. Some recipes have taken 6-7 trials before they made my blog. Other recipes I tried over and over again and still wasn’t 100% happy with them so I decided to leave them with the intention of returning to them later, but that time just never came. I will get around to testing old recipe ideas when I have more free time. It’s just really frustrating when you have a really good idea in your head and keep hoping if you make a tweak here and there that it will eventually turn out exactly how you imagined it in your head! 

The first time I tried these bars they were too crumbly. Second time they were still kind of dry, and the third time I decided the cookie dough to chocolate ratio wasn’t right, but by the forth attempt I was finally happy with the outcome! I’ve probably eaten my body weight in cookie dough over the last week. Ok, so that was a bit of an exaggeration, but I did eat a lot and that trend isn’t about to change soon. I’m still working on the other two cookie dough recipes and I have no idea how many trials it will take before I’m happy with them both. So cookie dough for breakfast, lunch and dinner it is then 😛

Why I love these peanut butter cookie dough bars:

What I love most about these peanut butter cookie dough bars, apart from the fact they’re easy and no-bake, is that they’re made using better-for-you ingredients like oats, peanut butter and dark chocolate. If you’re going to indulge in a treat, why not pick something that nourishes both your body and soul. At the same time as satisfying your taste buds with something tasty.

I generally prefer making no-bake desserts than baked ones. I find the testing process so much easier and more enjoyable. The end result also tends to be tastier with a better texture. Since I usually make many healthier substitutes, baking a recipe doesn’t always end with the result I hoping for. Baking is a science and when you mess around with too many elements, the process just doesn’t go as well as you’d hope. There’s more of a chance the baked goods turn out dry with not the most pleasant texture. 

Also, no-bake recipes often allow for easy alterations and modifications, enabling you to adjust ingredients to suit dietary preferences or restrictions. The process is a lot simpler too, considering you don’t have to turn on the oven/there’s no baking involved. Recipes like this peanut butter cookie dough bars offers a great quick fix for when you’re craving something sweet without the need for baking and waiting for it to cool.

What you need to make these peanut butter cookie dough bars:

Oats – I love using oats as a replacement for plain flour. So much better for you and higher in fibre. All you need to do to make oat flour is blend oats in a high-speed blender. Use gluten-free oats for a gluten-free recipe. 

Peanut butter – rich in vitamins & minerals and a good source of healthy fats. You can use any nut butter here or seed butter like tahini. Peanut butter is probably the easiest to get hold of and is cheaper than other nut butters. 

Maple syrup – I’m using maple syrup to sweeten, but also helps hold everything together since we’re not using eggs. 

Chocolate chips – because it wouldn’t be cookie dough without chocolate chips! I always use dark chocolate chips, mainly because I prefer the taste of dark chocolate, but also because they’re better for you and more likely to be dairy-free (for those who need a dairy-free/vegan recipe).

Dark chocolate – For added goodness and to make these peanut butter cookie dough bars more luxurious, I’m topping them with a layer of dark chocolate. You can of course omit if you’re looking for a version with fewer calories. They still taste amazing without! 

These peanut butter cookie dough bars are:

• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Can be made nut-free (by substituting the peanut butter with tahini/sunflower seed butter)
• No-bake
• Easy to make 
• Better for you than your average dessert
• Great to satisfy your sweet cravings
• Great to satisfy your chocolate cravings
• Easily adjustable to likes/preferences
• Super delicious! 

If you enjoyed this peanut butter cookie dough bars recipe, you may also like the below recipes:

• Cookie Dough Chocolate Tart
• Vegan Cookie Dough Ice Cream
• Cookie Dough Brownies
• Vegan & Gluten-free Cookie Dough Bites