My cookie dough protein bars are my go-to snack when I want something satisfying, wholesome, and actually tasting delicious. Each bar packs in 20 grams of protein and has no refined sugar.

When I used to live on store-bought protein bars, I’d always reach for the cookie dough flavor. It was (usually) the least artificial-tasting and kept me satisfied between meals. Today, I’m going to share my homemade recipe that looks and tastes like real cookie dough, minus all the junk you get in packaged bars.

This recipe combines two of my most popular recipes: my homemade protein bars and my protein cookie dough. They turn out thick, chewy, and just the right amount of soft. I swap the brown sugar and butter in traditional cookie dough for almond butter and vanilla protein powder. You get the sweetness and the richness without the added saturated fat or sugar.

Table of Contents

1. Arman’s Recipe Highlights
2. Key Ingredients and Tips
3. How to make
4. Expert tips
5. How to store leftovers
6. More protein bar recipes
7. Cookie Dough Protein Bars (3 Ingredients!) (Recipe Card)

Key Ingredients and Tips

• Almond butter. Smooth almond butter with no added sugar or salt. This gives the protein bars some thickness, while also adding an extra 7 grams of protein per bar. If you want them to be nut-free, I like using tahini or sunflower seed butter.
• Protein powder. opt for a vanilla-flavored protein powder with no added sugar or carbs. My go-to brand and blend is Optimum Nutrition Casein.
• Oat flour. Skip the expensive store-bought kind and make my homemade oat flour. Alternatively, I tested this recipe with almond flour, and the bars turned out great. You can also use Medjool dates, but the bars will be softer and more pliable.  
• Water. To thin out the batter. You may not even need this, especially if your protein powder isn’t thick. Start with one tablespoon at a time until the mixture is thick and workable.
• Chocolate chips. No cookie dough tastes as good as chocolate chip cookie dough. To keep the bars low-sugar, use sugar-free chocolate chips. 

How to make

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1- Prep. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

Step 2- Make the batter. In a food processor, combine the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Pulse until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 3- Refrigerate. Transfer the batter to the baking dish and press it into the pan. Refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up.

Step 4- Slice. Remove the bars from the fridge and slice them into 12 bars.

Expert tips

• No food processor? No problem! Use a blender or a large mixing bowl instead. Again, please scrape down the sides as needed.
• My #1 tip for slicing protein bars is to use a warm, sharp knife. To get clean cuts, run a sharp knife under hot water, dry it, then slice. Repeat between each slice to get the perfect-shaped bars. 
• Adjust the sweetness. These bars rely on sweetened protein powder and chocolate chips for sweetness. If it isn’t sweet enough, taste the batter as you’re mixing, and add a little maple syrup or honey as needed.

How to store leftovers

To store: These bars will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you want to meal prep them or keep for longer, refrigerate them for up to one month.

To freeze: Place leftover bars in a freezer-safe bag and freeze them for up to 6 months.

More protein bar recipes

Protein Granola Bars

Coconut Protein Bars

Chocolate Protein Bars

Oatmeal Protein Bars

Snickers Protein Bars

Vegan Protein Bars