An easy recipe for soft and chewy healthy monster cookie bars- No flour and no peanut butter! Made using sugar free candy buttons, these cookie bars are keto, paleo, low carb, and vegan-friendly!
Monster Cookie Bars Recipe
We love our healthy cookie and cookie bar recipes on here. We’ve had peanut butter cookie bars, strawberry cookie bars, and my favorite peanut butter jelly cookie bars.
After making keto monster cookies, I knew I had to try making them into bars!
Before you roll your eyes and say ‘M & M’s aren’t sugar free, low carb, paleo or any of those diets’ friendly, think again.
Unlike traditional monster cookies and monster cookie bars, this recipe doesn’t use any M & M’s at all. Instead, I used sugar free candy buttons which look and taste JUST like M & M’s…. minus the sugar and carbs!
To even amp up the chocolate flavor, I added some chopped sugar free chocolate and chocolate chips throughout!
Not only are these monster cookie bars keto-friendly and low carb, but they can also easily be made vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly too!
Keto Monster Cookie Bar Ingredients
You only need 8 ingredients to make these healthy monster cookies- No butter, no flour, and no peanut butter needed!
Almond Flour
Almond flour, when combined with the coconut flour, produces a soft and chewy texture. I used blanched almond flour, but traditional almond meal works just as well.
Coconut Flour
Do not replace the coconut flour, as it helps bind the bars together, without the need for any butter or eggs! If you worried about these cookie bars tasting like coconut, I promise you there is no coconut taste at all!
Flax Egg
A flax egg replaces the need for any egg in this recipe.
How to make a flax egg- Combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 10 minutes, until a gel is formed.
I haven’t tried other egg replacements, but if you can tolerate eggs, you CAN replace this with 1 large egg.
Granulated Sweetener of choice
Keep these monster cookie bars sugar free, by using monk fruit sweetener. You can also use another zero-calorie sweetener, like Splenda or baking stevia. Be sure that the kind you use is a cup for cup replacement (e.g. NOT stevia drops).
If you aren’t strictly keto, you can use coconut sugar or another granulated sweetener of choice.
Almond Butter
Almond butter provides a rich flavor, and added healthy fats! You can replace the almond butter with cashew butter or a nut-free spread, like tahini or sunflower seed butter.
Coconut Milk
Any milk of choice can be used. I prefer using coconut milk as it goes the best with any of my chocolate recipes!
M & Ms (Candy substitutions!)
As mentioned earlier, I use sugar free and low carb candy buttons. These yield less than 1 gram net carbs and taste like the original.
If you follow a vegan or gluten-free diet, replace these with vegan candy buttons.
For my paleo friends, use a mix of both mini dairy free chocolate chips and dairy free chocolate morsels.
How to make healthy monster cookie bars
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare your flax egg by combining your ground flaxseed with water. Let sit for 10 minutes to form a gel.
- In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and mix well. In a seperate small bowl, add your prepare flax egg with the almond butter and milk of choice.
- Combine your wet and dry ingredients. Fold through your candy buttons and/or chocolate chips, reserving a few to add to the top of the bars.
- Transfer the mixture to the pan and spread out in an even layer. Top with extra chocolate buttons and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan completely, before slicing into bars.
Storing monster cookie bars
Room temperature
If you intend to enjoy the healthy monster cookie bars within 2-3 days, you can keep them at room temperature. Ensure the bars are in a sealed container or covered in plastic.
Refrigerator
Store the monster cookie bars in the fridge to allow them to last at least a week. They will also have a thick, gooey and chewy center. Refrigerated bars should be kept covered at all times.
Freezer
Healthy monster cookie bars are freezer friendly and can be stored in the freezer. Ensure each bar is wrapped in parchment paper and stored in either a shallow container or ziplock bag.
To enjoy cookie bars from the freezer, allow thawing at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Healthy Monster Cookie Bars (Paleo, Vegan, Keto)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 cup granulated sweetener of choice
- 1/2 cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter of choice
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 cup healthy M & Ms see post for options
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips of choice Optional
Instructions
- Prepare your flax egg by combining your ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Allow sitting for 10 minutes, until a gel is formed.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine your flax egg, almond butter, coconut milk, and vanilla extract and mix very well.
- Combine your wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix well, until fully combined. Fold through your chocolate buttons/chocolate chips, reserving a few to top the cookie bars with.
- Pour the cookie bar batter into the lined pan and spread out evenly. Top with extra chocolate chips and chocolate buttons and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out the center 'just' clean.
- Remove cookie bars from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely, before slicing into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
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Are the texture of these supposed to be gooey no matter what? I cooked them for 30 minutes and they are pretty much batter still with a crisp top. When i put the fork in it came out “just clean” They taste amazing i just wish it was more cookie like. Also i would not use parchment paper because it just sticks to the cookies.
Huh… All the monster cookies I’ve ever had have coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, and m&ms. I feel like your recipe is missing some key ingredients. Would it be possible to add them in without changing the texture? Or would it make this too dry?
Also, would peanut butter be a problem instead of almond butter which is really expensive where I live.
It should be fine!
Delicious!!