– vegan – gluten free – grain free – oil free – refined sugar free –
No baking required! Makes in one bowl and just 6 simple ingredients. If you like these raw cookie dough bars, you will love these baked cookie dough cookies.
Cooking Essentials:
A mixing bowl (microwave safe)
Parchment paper
A 7 x 10″ or 9 x 9″ baking dish
See below for a breakdown of nutritional information and substitutions.
[mpprecipe-recipe:86]
For these raw cookie dough bars, you will need:
- Almond flour: a healthy, gluten-free alternative to grain-based flours. It is void of refined carbs and lower calories. Therefore, it is also a great alternative for those trying to lose weight.
- Almond butter: has similar calorie and fat contents compared to peanut butter. 2 tbsp of almond butter has 6.6 grams of protein, 50% of your daily recommended vitamin E intake, 37% of your manganese, 32% of your copper, 28% of your magnesium, 23% of your phosphorous, 27% of your vitamin B2, 13% of your zinc and 11% of your calcium. I recommend choosing a natural almond butter that only contains almonds and maybe salt. Substitutions: you can use peanut butter or any nut butter, but it will change the flavor slightly.
- Vanilla extract: I recommend choosing a higher quality vanilla extract, as cheap vanilla extract often has artificial flavors and caramel coloring that disrupts digestive health. Stay away from extract that has propylene glycol, which is essentially just antifreeze. Pure vanilla extract is actually a great antioxidant and can reduce inflammation.
- Pure maple syrup: although high in sugar, is loaded with 24 antioxidants that help protect against free radical damage. It also contains anti-inflammatory properties that help to protect against chronic diseases, brain inflammation, intestinal inflammation, and nerve inflammation. Therefore, pure maple syrup is a great natural sweetener when used in moderation. Fake maple syrup is made with high fructose corn syrup and provides zero health benefits.
- Sea salt: a natural alternative to table salt, which is more heavily processed and contains additives.
- Dairy-free dark chocolate (organic): although normally brought up with negative connotations, dark chocolate in moderation has many health benefits, as it is loaded with minerals. Just 2 ounces (1/3 cup) provides 100% of your daily copper intake, 37% of your iron, 42% of your magnesium, 61% of your manganese, 25% of your phosphorus, 23% of your zinc and 16% of your potassium. Not many other foods can boast this many minerals! There are also many dairy-free dark chocolate options for vegans. I recommend buying high quality, organic dark chocolate that is free from vegetable oils and artificial colors & flavors that disturb the digestive system. Furthermore, look for chocolate that is made with cacao rather than cocoa, since cacao is richer in magnesium, iron, potassium and calcium. For this recipe, I used dark chocolate made with 72% cacao. Anything above 70% cacao will provide you with the healthful benefits in chocolate. Remember to check the serving size of your chocolate, as very little is needed to get its benefits and over-consuming is not good for health.
