Homemade Cookie Dough Protein Bars (gluten & dairy free)
These cookie dough protein bars are the perfect homemade protein bar made without any whey protein or dairy! They’re easy to make and require zero cooking.
Eating enough protein totally changes your satiety level, and some days, we need a little extra help from something like a protein shake or a bar! I always have a hard time finding protein bars that aren’t filled with junk and have ingredients that I would actually eat, so I decided to make my own!
These cookie dough-flavored bars will give you cookie dough vibes but with lots of protein! They’re dairy-free and don’t have any soy or mystery ingredients!
Why you’ll love these cookie dough protein bars
- They are a great boost of protein! Protein is so key to feeling great and these bars give you a little extra help fitting protein into your diet.
- They are a protein bar without fillers and junk. Protein bars are convenient, but most have some not so great ingredients. I was glad to make one filled with wholesome ingredients.
The Ingredients for cookie dough protein bars
- Protein Powder. We’re a big fan of the Flavcity Protein Smoothie Powder in our house, and if you tolerate dairy, this is the one I recommend buying! My husband has it daily and it tastes so good that my toddler always asks for it! If you want a dairy-free protein, Be Well by Kelly is another option for this recipe.
- Coconut Flour and Almond Flour. Coconut flour is a low-carb way to bind these bars together and the almond flour adds a nutty flavor and lightens the texture.
- Almond Butter. You can use other nut butter of your choice too!
- Maple Syrup. You can also use honey or another liquid sweetener.
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips. I like using Enjoy Life chocolate chips, but you can use other chocolate that you like!
How to make cookie dough protein bars
- Step One. Whisk the coconut flour, almond flour, and protein powder together.
- Step Two. Add almond butter, almond milk, maple syrup, and chocolate chips to the dry ingredients.
- Step Three. Spoon the mixture into a mold or parchment-lined baking pan and transfer to the fridge to set.
- Step Four. Make the chocolate drizzle.
- Step Five. Remove the bars from fridge and drizzle with melted chocolate and return to fridge.
- Step Six. Enjoy the bars chilled!
Tips & Tricks
- Use a bar mold if you can! These really help make uniform shapes! If you don’t have one, you can also use a parchment-lined baking pan and simply slice bars.
- Mix up the flavors. You can use different flavored protein powders like chocolate protein powder if you want more of a chocolate flavor.
How to store these bars
Store the bars in the fridge to keep them together. If you’re taking them on a go, simply keep them in a lunch box with an ice pack. To keep them longer, simply pop them in the freezer!
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Homemade Cookie Dough Protein Bars (gluten & dairy free)
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 cup vanilla protein powder, I use this for dairy free
- ¼ cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup almond milk
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Optional chocolate drizzle
- ⅓ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Using a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond flour, and protein powder. Whisk well to combine.
- Add almond butter, almond milk, maple syrup, and chocolate chips and fold to combine. The mixture will get harder to work with as you stir.
- Spoon the mixture into a mold like this for uniform bars. Press down to even. You can also press it into a small, parchment-lined baking pan. Transfer to the fridge for 1-2 hours to allow to set.
- To make the chocolate drizzle, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together with a method of your choice (I prefer a double boiler method). Melt until fully liquid.
- Remove the bars from the mold and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or large plate. Drizzle with melted chocolate and return to the fridge to set.
- Serve the bars chilled, or transfer to the freezer for up to a month.
Notes
Suggestion for a flour to replace coconut?
I haven’t tested anything that can be subbed for the coconut flour
I tried these but they were very dry and powdery. I couldn’t achieve the consistency of the ones in your photos. Do you think they need more than 1/3 cup of almond milk?
Thanks for your help.
Coconut flour varies quite a lot in absorption, so if you used a different coconut flour (I use Anthony’s) then you may need additional almond milk. You can also try adding the coconut flour bit by bit until you get the right texture.
I feel like something is missing here. I made these exactly as the recipes states but they were very dry with only 1/3 cup milk. Is that correct or is there another ingredient missing? I continued adding almond milk until they were moist enough to press into the pan. Thanks for you help.
Coconut flour varies quite a lot in absorption, so if you used a different coconut flour (I use Anthony’s) then you may need additional almond milk. You can also try adding the coconut flour bit by bit until you get the right texture.
I just made these and they are so good. They are much cleaner than any protein bar I’ve found, and they were easy to make and they taste great! They were a little sweet for my taste (normally everything is), so next time I think I’ll cut back a little on the maple syrup when I make them again!
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Thanks so much for the protein bars as well as info on the Protein shake info. I have spent LOTS of money on protein shakes. Then finding out the hard way they had pea protein or vanilla extract which I can’t eat.
Will try this recipe for sure. The vanilla shake by Kelly
sounds terrific!! Thx again.
Hope you love the recipe!!