Low sugar, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie bars made with a small amount of maple syrup, oats, and your favorite nut or seed butter!
How to make low sugar cookie bars
I am the queen of cookie bars right now.
It’s the best way I’ve found to make a regular cookie recipe low sugar!
I’ve also become the queen of homemade nut and seed butters. Though I need to upgrade my food processor, it’s still wobbling through the makings of cashew, pecan, pumpkin seed, and brazil nut butters.
Sometimes, I even mix the nuts and seeds, making a uniquely flavored butter that can be used in any recipe calling for the creamy goodness.
These cookie bars are made with just such a concoction! I’ve tried them with raw almond butter and an aforementioned mix, and both ways are delicious.
As with most of my low sugar recipes, I’ve used naturally sweet ingredients, such as oats, cinnamon, applesauce, and vanilla to complement the small amount of added maple syrup.
Stevia option
There are two options for the maple syrup: One tablespoon or two tablespoons. I originally made them with two tablespoons, no stevia, and they were perfectly sweet for my taste.
The second option is to use one tablespoon of maple syrup with an extra tablespoon of milk. Add in a good dash of stevia to compensate for the lost syrup, making them even lower sugar.
I enjoy both ways!
After making these, they went into my little recipe book under the title of BEST Cookie Bars. While you may have had cookie bars sweeter or with more added fats, these are a darn fine version for those of you, like me, avoiding copious amounts of the addictive granules!
Maple Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1/4 cup millet flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
WET INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup nut or seed butter of your choice (choose a runnier variety!)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 6 Tbsp milk of your choice
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup (or one tablespoon maple syrup, plus another tablespoon of milk and a dash of stevia)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- chocolate chips or chopped dark or unsweetened chocolate for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Stir everything together until well combined.
- Pour batter into a well-oiled 8 x 8 baking dish.
- Bake the bars for 10-15 minutes, or until top is set and lightly golden. Don't overbake!
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
I like to use my Homemade Coconut Milk in this recipe, as it lends a natural sweetness.
This is my favorite whole plant stevia to use.
Some of the items I use in this recipe include:
Kathy says
This really sounds good. Do you put the chocolate chips on top before baking?
Lauren says
You can do that or mix them in – whatever you like! 🙂