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!
SPONSORED BY SUNBUTTER
I know we still have many many weeks to go until Halloween, but when I tell you these gave me major candy bar vibes at first bite. The sweet caramel squish when you bite in paired with the chocolate shell and the chewy nougat adjacent base…all the elements are there. But the ingredients and protein content both got a major upgrade!
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
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.
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.
If stored well in an airtight container in the refrigerator, they can easily last a week or two.
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!)
More Cookie Dough Themed Recipes You’ll Love
Caramel Cookie Dough Protein Bars
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chilling Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Yield: 10 bars 1x
Category: bars
Method: no bake
Cuisine: american
Description
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!
Protein Cookie Dough
SunButter Caramel
- 1/4 cup (65g) Natural SunButter
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 2 tbsps (25g) coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
Chocolate Topping
Instructions
For the cookie dough:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir with a spatula until evenly combined.
- The almond milk one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough holds together but isn’t too sticky.
- Press firmly into the bottom of a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
For the caramel:
- Whisk everything together until very smooth.
- Pour on top of the cookie dough layer, and smooth to evenly cover.
- Refrigerate 1 hour or until the caramel is firm to the touch.
For the chocolate:
- Microwave the almond milk for 1 minute on high.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, pour the heated milk over the chocolate chips.
- Cover with a piece of foil, and let stand for three minutes.
- Then whisk until completely melted and smooth.
- Pour on top of the caramel layer, spreading even to cover.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before carefully removing from the pan and slicing into bars.
Keywords: healthy, no bake, snack, chocolate, grain free, gluten free, dairy free, caramel, protein, easy