For those navigating a sugar-free, low-carb lifestyle, the holiday season, and its endless array of tempting treats, can present a challenge. But what if you could enjoy a classic comfort food without derailing your dietary goals? These no-bake keto cookie dough bars offer a solution, providing a delicious and satisfying treat that aligns with your health-conscious choices.
Why Choose Keto Cookie Dough Bars?
These bars stand out as a guilt-free indulgence for several reasons:
- Sugar-Free: Eliminating sugar is a cornerstone of the keto diet. This recipe relies on sugar substitutes like monk fruit and stevia to deliver sweetness without the blood sugar spike.
- Low-Carb: By using almond flour instead of traditional wheat flour, these bars significantly reduce their carbohydrate content, making them suitable for keto and low-carb diets.
- No Baking Required: This recipe is a no-bake dessert, which means it is a great way to free up the oven. And with all of the holiday baking we do this time of year it is a great way to free up the oven.
- Customizable: Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts as needed. The recipe allows for creative freedom, allowing you to tailor the flavors to your preferences.
Ingredients for Keto Cookie Dough Bliss
These no-bake cookie dough bars contain simple ingredients that you might already have in the house. Here's a breakdown of the key components:
- Butter: Use 100% grass-fed, unsalted butter at room temperature. Make sure it is a room temperature to make sure the texture is perfect. Vegan butter also works.
- Keto-Friendly Sweetener: Monk fruit is a popular choice for this recipe, use the granular form of Monk Fruit. Feel free to sub in another sugar free liquid sugar alternative that measures the same (or adjust as needed). Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Opt for pure vanilla extract which doesn’t contain any artificial flavors or additives, it’s just pure vanilla made from alcohol.
- Almond Milk: Always read the ingredients and make sure there is no added sugar in here.
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips: Lily's Chocolate Chips are a popular choice, sweetened with stevia and erythritol. I used Lily's sugar free chocolate chips in semi-sweet, but you can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, the possibilities are endless.
- Almond Flour: As mentioned above, this recipe calls for blanched almond flour. Using almond flour creates the perfect soft texture and keeps the recipe gluten-free. You could however use almond meal if you prefer a more gritty texture.
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is used for the ganache topping.
Crafting Your Keto Cookie Dough Bars
Here's a step-by-step guide to creating these delectable treats:
Cookie Dough Base:
- In a medium bowl, add butter, sugar, almond milk and vanilla extract.
- Stir to combine. TIP: The butter needs to be semi-soft at room temperature so that it's easy enough for you to mix with a spoon.
- Add the almond flour and stir again. Stir in the almond flour until combined. Add salt as needed and adjust as needed as well (flour or butter). Then fold in one half cup of the chocolate chips.
- Line a 6’’x 6’’ baking pan with parchment paper. Prepare a square baking dish with parchment paper that overhangs the edges of the pan. Using a smaller baking dish (6 X 6) will yield a taller cookie bar.
- Pour the batter in the pan and press with fingers until the bottom is all covered. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish, pressing in the batter as needed. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and PRESS FIRMLY as this will help hold the bar together. Then place bars into the refrigerator while you prepare the ganache. Placing the dough in the refrigerator for a half hour (or cheat, freezer for 15 minutes) is a good way to get the dough ready for the warm ganache topping. You can do this while you are preparing the ganache topping.
Chocolate Ganache Topping:
- Melt the chocolate chips.
- Microwave option: Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Put the bowl of chocolate chips into the microwave for 30 seconds on high power. Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate. Place the bowl back for another 30 seconds on high power. After this, keep microwaving the chocolate chips on high power for 10-second increments, stirring in between every time until the chocolate is smooth and fully melted.
- Stove option: To melt chocolate on the stovetop, place the chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. This method keeps the chocolate away from direct heat, which allows it to melt at a low enough temperature to prevent scorching and separating.
- Add the melted coconut oil and whisk until combined. Once melted, you can stir in the remaining coconut oil.
- Pour the melted chocolate over the cookie dough and refrigerate for a few hours (2-4), or until the ganache is hard enough to be sliced. Take the cookie bars out of the refrigerator and top it with the ganache mixture. Allow this to sit at room temperature for five minutes and then return to the refrigerator until set.
Finishing Touches:
- Cut into 9 bars.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container and if in layers, use wax or parchment paper between the layers.
Tips for Cookie Dough Perfection
- Butter Consistency: Ensure the butter is semi-soft at room temperature for easy mixing.
- Pan Size: Using a smaller baking dish (6 X 6) will yield a taller cookie bar. Using a square pan ( 9 by 9") is the suggested pan size to use. However, a smaller pan, such as 8 by 8", will give you a thicker bar.
- Parchment Paper: Also, using parchment paper that overlaps the edges of the pan will make it easier for you to remove the bars for cutting. Prepare a square baking dish with parchment paper that overhangs the edges of the pan.
- Refrigeration: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm. Chilling helps the bars firm up and makes them easier to slice. If you skip this step, the dough will be too soft to hold its shape.
- Adjust Sweetness: Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts as needed. Feel free to sub in another sugar free liquid sugar alternative that measures the same (or adjust as needed).
Variations and Creative Twists
There’s room for some creative freedom with these Cookie Dough Bars.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
- You could even throw in some heath or toffee bits.
- Skip the chocolate chips and add white, or butterscotch chips.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter to the dough for extra flavor, or swirl some into the melted chocolate before it sets. I have a recipe for how to make your own sugar free peanut butter that you can use. However, combining this with or using unsweetened peanut (or another nut butter) can be a more flavorful choice.
Storing Your Keto Cookie Dough Bars
- Refrigerator: Store bars in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Keep them chilled for the best firm texture and clean slices. Let me first mention that these no bake cookie dough bars should be stored in an airtight container and if in layers, use wax or parchment paper between the layers.
- Freezer: Freeze bars in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Store for up to 2 months.
Keto-Friendly and Diet-Conscious
These cookie dough bars are a dessert bar recipe that is friendly to vegan, sugar free, and low carbohydrate diets. This is a dessert bar recipe that is friendly to vegan, sugar free, and low carbohydrate diets. The coconut oil and full fat milk are both important for keeping the fat content of your bars high. Consuming full fat dairy also provides you with numerous other benefits, such as improved digestion and a lower risk of developing diabetes. Thanks to all of the carefully selected ingredients, these keto protein bars satisfy the three key components of any good keto meal. They are high in healthy fats, provide a moderate amount of protein, and contain little to no carbs.
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