These no-bake peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bars are the perfect afternoon treat!

A chocolatey cacao-cashew topping covers a decadent peanut butter chocolate chip layer.

Vegan . Refined Sugar Free . Dairy Free

If you like cookies, and you like peanut butter, you're going to love these drool worthy chocolate chip cookie-dough bars! With a delectable peanut butter chocolate chip cookie-dough layer underneath a rich cacao-cashew icing layer, we make them sound super fancy. But these peanut butter cookie bars are actually very easy to put together. No baking and food-processor required!

The base of these bars are made with whole-food ingredients. Almond meal, oats and peanut butter. Almond meal provides a nice fine texture similar to flour in a regular cookie, but with a healthy kick and loads more nutrients.

The oats are a great source of carbs and fibre which means you'll be fuller for longer. They are also are loaded with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant plant compounds. It's and win win! But, if you are gluten free you can switch these out for more almond meal or fine coconut.

When it comes to peanut butter, I like to keep my options open. Which is why at any give time you'll find about 3-4 different types and brands of peanut butter in my pantry. For this recipe Mayvers Smooth Peanut Butter is perfect.

However I didn't have any of this one left (cause its my favourite to cook with), so I used the next best option, Mayvers Crunchy Peanut Butter. I prefer to use the smooth as it is runnier and blends better. If you use the 'crunchy' version you may find you'll need to add a little extra.

Now for the good part...the chocolate chips! I used Noshu Sugar Free Chocolate Chips. They are vegan friendly, gluten free, refined sugar free and usually available from your local supermarket.

I'm a sucker for a good chocolate chip cookie, so I always have these on hand. If you wanted to opt for a healthier alternative here you could use cacao nibs. Keep in mind Cacao nibs can be a little bitter if you're not used to eating 95% dark chocolate.

For the chocolate topping we're using cashew butter, coconut oil, cacao powder and maple syrup. If you're sitting here reading, thinking what the heck is cacao? Cacao is the most pure form of chocolate, and it’s packed with antioxidants, fiber, and magnesium. That's right...healthy chocolate! Definitely a pantry staple! You can find it in the health food aisle at your local supermarket.

We going to pour this delicious combination over our cookie dough and pop it in the freezer to set. The coconut oil will help the icing set and hold shape. The best part about this recipe, it doesn't require baking, or a food processor! Simple ingredients and easy steps, you can make these bars in under 15mins + setting time.

RECIPE

Cookie Dough-licous Bars (vegan)

Ingredients:

Base

• 100g almond meal
• 30g oats
• 200g smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp maca (optional)
• 2 pinches of Himalayan salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 choc chips

Icing

• 5 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp cashew butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• pinch of Himalayan salt

Method

1. Combine all dry 'base' ingredients together in a mixing bowl
2. Add in the peanut butter and maple syrup, mix until combined
3. Press into a loaf tin lined with baking paper for easy removal
4. Re-using your mixing bowl, or in a new small mixing bowl mix together all the icing ingredients until smooth
5. Pour over the base and pop in the freezer for 30-45mins until set. (side note: I like to add a sprinkle of buckwheat and cacao nibs on top for an extra crunch, if you don't have these ingredients you can leave them as they are or add some crunchy seeds).
6. Once set you can cut these up into bars. Store in your refrigerator or freezer.

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with #sweetnutrients @sweetnutrients as I would love to see and share!