Caramel Cookie Dough Protein Bars

Chewy chocolate chip cookie dough (grain-free!) layered with gooey salty-sweet dairy-free caramel and dark chocolate. This easy no-bake snack packs 10g of protein per bar!

How To Make Caramel Cookie Dough Protein Bars

Since the whole flavor theme here is cookie DOUGH, of course this is a no-bake recipe. And the caramel requires zero cooking too, so it’s really just a mix > layer > mix > layer > mix > layer type of recipe that you can prep in 30 minutes or less. Let’s break it down by layer…

Grain-Free Protein Cookie Dough

This layer could be its own standalone protein bar recipe. In my opinion, cookie dough is perfect just as it is and doesn’t need caramel and chocolate on top per se…but it definitely isn’t worse with them. I tested a couple different versions – one with almond flour and one with oat flour, and the almond flour definitely won. Plant based protein has a tendency to be a bit dry already, so the oat flour in combination just became even drier. But almond flour is naturally moist and worked wonderfully here, no funky chalky protein bar mouthfeel. And it makes these bars grain-free too! The ingredients are:

Almond flour. It’s the best flour for the job, if you want to try oat flour use a lot less (about half) and even then I can’t guarantee they won’t turn out a bit crumbly.
Protein powder. I always like to use a simple unflavored/unsweetened protein powder for baking and recipes, but you could use a vanilla protein too.
Maple syrup. Or any liquid sweetener you like.
Natural SunButter. SunButter is my seed butter favorite, and this variety in particular is my go-to for recipes. It’s just a little bit sweet, adds a delicious “nutty” flavor, helps the bars hold together and firm up when chilled, and brings lots of moisture. Any creamy variety will be fine here.
Vanilla extract and salt.
Chocolate chips. Minis or full size, whatever texture you prefer. And make sure they are dairy-free if you want to keep this recipe vegan.
Almond milk. What type of protein powder do you use will affect the wet/dryness of the dough, so add some almond milk slowly while you’re mixing until you achieve that perfect cookie dough texture (for me that was about 3 tablespoons).

Simple SunButter Caramel Sauce

My favorite seed butter comes in clutch again as the base for the easiest no cook caramel sauce. Just five ingredients and a whisk and you will have your new favorite salty-sweet drizzly sauce. There are about a thousand uses I can think of for this stuff off the top of my head, but for now let’s stick to layering it into a protein-rich snack between cookie dough and chocolate. Those five ingredients are:

Natural SunButter. No butter butter needed with this versatile stuff in the mix!
Maple syrup. Again, any liquid sweetener will be fine, but I really do like the maple flavor in this caramel equation.
Coconut oil. Just a couple tablespoons creates the perfect thick-but-still-pourable texture when warm and firm-enough-to-slice texture when chilled.
Vanilla extract and salt. It’s a caramel, you have to.

Chocolate Topping

Now you could just melt some chocolate chips, spread it on top, pop ’em in the fridge, and call it done for this layer. Or! You could make a simple two ingredient dairy-free chocolate ganache, and then have a MUCH easier time slicing your protein bars without all that chilled chocolate shattering and cracking. So I opted for the second, and I promise the extra mini step is worth it. You just need dairy-free chocolate chips and coconut milk (or almond milk will be okay). The ratio and method is important though, otherwise your ganache might seize up or turn out too thin.

Caramel Cookie Dough Protein Bar FAQs

Can I replace the almond flour with something else?

You could grind your own nut or seed flour – from cashews, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. – but I don’t really recommend a grain-based flour here.

Can I skip the maple syrup if my protein powder is sweetened?

I haven’t tested with a sweetened protein powder, but you could try it. I’d recommend adding more SunButter and almond milk to make up for the moisture difference.

How long will these protein bars last?

If stored well in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they can easily last a week or two.

Can I skip the protein powder?

Sure, just substitute more almond flour. Or you could use my powder-less cookie dough protein bar recipe as the base instead (they have 12g of protein per serving naturally from hemp seeds!)

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