These homemade chocolate chip cookie bars are packed with wholesome ingredients and fit perfectly in a lunchbox, giving you a delicious and healthy snack on the go!
Whether you’re looking for a wholesome vegan snack to pack in your child’s lunchbox, or if you don’t have any kids at all and are just interested in healthy snacks for yourself (hi, that’s me too), these gooey chocolate chip cookie bars are one simple recipe that’s loved by both kids and adults.
The chocolate chip snack bars can be dairy free, vegan, gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and completely oil free.
And because there are no eggs in the recipe, young children can feel free to sample the cookie dough as they help you in the kitchen.
Also try this Whipped Coffee Recipe
I have no children, so all of the cookie dough sampling when I make these must be done by me.
I know… it’s a tough job.
The bars can be customized to fit your own family’s taste buds – for example, I like to add raisins and chocolate chips, but you can choose to add dried cranberries, dates, coconut, crushed walnuts, or whatever else you have on hand and want to try.
While I’ve never tried a non-chocolate version (for obvious reasons related to my blog title), perhaps you can swap out all the chocolate chips for dried fruit. Be sure to report back if you try it.
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To make the bars, start by lining an 8-inch pan with parchment paper or just greasing it well. Set this pan aside.
Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, and stir well to combine. Transfer to the prepared 8-inch pan, and smooth the batter down with a spatula or a second sheet of parchment. If you wish, sprinkle on some extra chocolate chips or toppings of choice.
Bake 13 minutes on the oven’s center rack (or 15 minutes if using almond flour). The bars should look underdone and gooey after this time, which is what you want.
Let them cool, and they will begin to firm up. For extra gooey bars (my preference), serve after a half hour. Otherwise, let them sit loosely covered overnight, and excess moisture will evaporate to give you the perfect firm-yet-soft cookie bar texture.
Chocolate Chip Lunchbox Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup nut butter of choice, or allergy friendly sub
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup or keto syrup, or honey, or agave (Or here's a sugar free version: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars)
- 1/2 cup flour (spelt, white, oat, sorghum, or almond work)
- 2-3 tbsp regular or mini chocolate chips
- 2-3 tbsp raisins, chopped dates, or additional mini chips
- optional 2 tbsp shredded coconut and/or crushed walnuts
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, or grease well, and set aside. If not easily stir-able, gently warm the nut butter to soften. In a bowl, stir all ingredients very well so you won't get a clump of baking soda in the final results. Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth with a spatula or second sheet of parchment over top (then remove the second sheet). If desired, you can press some more chocolate or dried fruit into the top. Bake 13 minutes on the center rack (increase to 15 minutes if using almond flour). They should look underdone – let them sit a half hour for extra gooey bars, or overnight if you want perfect firm-yet-soft cookie bars.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
More Healthy Lunchbox Snacks:
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Or these Keto Peanut Butter Cookies)
(Or this Healthy Banana Bread)
Safe to eat cookie dough comes from baking the FLOUR. It’s not the eggs.
That aside, I have got to get these in my oven 😭
Hi Katie!
this recipe looks really delicious. my one request is when posting recipes for lunchbox desserts and snacks, make then nut free or have better nut free options. many schools have nut free policies, and i would not like to purchase something like alternative but butters as they are filled with processed ingredients.
thank you
You could use sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) as a nut free alternative.
We manage nut allergies in our home and use sunflower and soy nut butter exclusively. I have never seen any that are full of processed ingredients.
Fantastic! I used half almond butter and half peanut butter, so good with a scoop of vanilla iceceam. I love this EASY recipe.
1 side note: Use a wooden spoon to stir the dough.