Cookies and Cream Protein Bars

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5 from 149 votes
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These cookies and cream protein bars are soft, chewy, and made with healthy ingredients. Ready in 10 minutes, I love how they pack over 14 grams of protein!

Need more protein bar recipes? Try my Snickers protein bars, and coconut protein bars next.

cookies and cream protein bars.

It’s no secret that I LOVE cookies and cream. Until recently, I was having a full-fledged love-affair with Quest cookies and cream protein bars, but in an effort to make more high-protein treats at home, I decided to try making them from scratch. 

Table of Contents
  1. Why I love this recipe
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to make cookies and cream protein bars
  4. Arman’s recipe tips
  5. Storage instructions
  6. More high-protein recipes
  7. Cookies and Cream Protein Bars (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

  • The shortlist of ingredients. No corn syrup, hidden sugars, or “natural flavor.” What you see is what you get. 
  • Perfect texture. Thick, soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate cookies in every bite. 
  • 14 grams of protein per bar. Making them the perfect snack in between meals or as a post-workout treat! 
  • Diet-friendly. Without even trying, these bars are made without wheat, gluten, egg, or dairy. You can even make them without tree nuts or sugar.

Ingredients needed

  • Oat flour. If I have rolled oats at home I’ll usually make my own oat flour, but you can buy them from the store instead. Use gluten-free oat flour if needed. 
  • Coconut flour. Works with the oat flour to keep the bars extra chewy. If you prefer, you can use extra oat flour.
  • Protein powder. I used a vanilla-flavored protein blend, but unflavored can also work. If you have cookies and cream protein powder, that’s even better!
  • Sweetener. Optional, but recommended if your protein powder is unflavored or unsweetened.
  • Almond butter. Smooth and drippy with no added sugar or salt. Any nut or seed butter will work as long as it has a smooth texture. 
  • Maple syrup. Gives the protein bars sweetness and holds them together. Any liquid sweetener will work. 
  • Chocolate cookies. For the cookie in cookies and cream, of course! I used my flourless chocolate cookies, but you can make any chocolate cookie or buy some from the store. They will need to be broken into small chunks. 
  • Milk. To shape the bar batter. I used unsweetened almond milk. 

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

How to make cookies and cream protein bars

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

Step 2- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, and sweetener. 

Step 3- Add the wet ingredients. Stir in the almond butter and syrup until a crumbly batter remains. 

Step 4- Finish the batter. Using a spoon, add milk one tablespoon at a time until a thick batter forms. Fold in the crumbled cookies. 

Step 5- Refrigerate. Transfer the batter to the pan and press into place. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

cookies and cream protein bars recipe.

Arman’s recipe tips

  • Pick the right protein powder. Make sure it has a flavor you love since it’ll play the starring role in this recipe. 
  • Add more chocolate flavor. Fold in 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder or a few handfuls of unsweetened chocolate chunks. 
  • Or dip the bars in chocolate. Melt dark or white chocolate in a bowl and dunk the bars or drizzle the chocolate on top, then refrigerate until firm. 
  • My #1 tip when slicing no-bake bars is to use a warm, sharp knife. I like to run hot water over the knife, carefully dry it, then slice. You might have to repeat this in between each slice, but it’ll help guarantee smooth, even cuts.

Storage instructions

To store: Protein bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep well for up to 2 weeks.

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

no bake cookies and cream protein bars.

More high-protein recipes

no bake cookies and cream protein bars

Cookies and Cream Protein Bars

5 from 149 votes
These cookies and cream protein bars are soft, chewy, and made with healthy ingredients. Ready in 10 minutes, I love how they pack over 14 grams of protein!
Servings: 12 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In large mixing bowl, combine the flour, protein powder, granulated sweetener and set aside.
  • Add the almond butter and syrup, and mix well, until a crumbly batter remains.
  • Using a spoon, add the milk of choice one spoonful at a time until a thick, firm batter is formed. Gently fold through the crumbled cookies.
  • Transfer to lined baking dish and press firmly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Notes

* I omitted the sweetener as my vegan protein powder was sweetened
** Depending on the flour/protein powder combination, you may need more or less. I used up to 3/4 cup milk.
TO STORE: Protein bars are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep well for up to 2 weeks.
TO FREEZE: Place the bars in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 162kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 14gFat: 9gSodium: 29mgPotassium: 166mgFiber: 4gVitamin A: 12IUCalcium: 68mgIron: 2mgNET CARBS: 9g
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These were so good! Thank you. I only had cookies and cream whey protein powder so that’s what I used. Because I read your comment about whey protein possibly making them too sticky, I only used half of the maple syrup and kept the 2T of monkfruit sweetener. I only needed 1/2c of unsweetened almond milk. They did not come out sticky (to me) and the bars formed well. I’m pleasantly impressed by how good these taste. My husband said these are “better than store bought,” and I agree.

  2. 5 stars
    Our two boys like these so it’s a win! I used a cookies and cream flavored nutrition/protein powder and left out the additional sugar. Nice to have a healthy option to grab for a quick snack! I made them into more like bite-size squares to savor them 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      My son Kullen is eight— and autistic. He is an extremely picky eater as his daily food intake consists of three distinct and specific food choices. He recently went through a traumatic knee injury and though he is already very thin and underweight for his age and height, this traumatic experience caused him so much stress that he lost over five pounds in a few months.

      His pediatrician first suggested vitamins— though we have tried regular, chewy, gummies, and powders you add to beverages (he also only drinks water, room temperature and from a specific water bottle)—and he just could not handle any of the flavors or consistencies. So his pediatrician recommended we buy a whey protein powder and use it as an ingredient in a shake or smoothie (Kullen is allergic to cow’s milk) and will not eat ice-cream or anything that is on the above average cold side. Knowing Kullen likes Oreos, I went online and searched for anything cookie’s and cream with protein recipe— and this one was one of the first I came across and so I gave it a chance and hoped for the best!

      Finally!!!! Something Kullen actually enjoyed and now has asked me to make more!!! I am so very thankful for your recipe and I only wish you knew how much I appreciate you taking the time to share it with all of us.

      I have one question, as far as the oat flour in this recipe — would any type of flour work—including basic white baking flour? Oat flour is hard to come by where I live and the two brands I have found are extremely expensive and therefore can only be purchased occasionally— also the amount you get is only enough for one recipe.

      I look forward to your response!! Thank you 🙂

  3. Heyyy!!! I made these for my family and they are absolutely amazing, everyone loved it!!!!! I just have 1 question, is there anyway to make it a tiny bit less gooey, even after over night refrigeration. I couldnt get a firm bar not as much as i wanted it to be, any suggestions on what to do, I followed your recepie to a T.

  4. These look delicious. Do you think it’s possible to add extra flour in place of the protein powder. I’d like to make these but don’t have any protein powder. Thx!

  5. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for posting! Quick question…if I omit protein powder, will I need to sub in more flour to keep the right consistency? Thanks!

  6. Hello! I hope I’ll still get a response even though this was posted a year and a half ago! 🙂 I do not follow a strict Paleo or Vegan diet but these look so incredible and I want a recipe to make my own protein bars. One question, will Whey protein work in this recipe?

    Thank you!!!!

      1. Would Vanilla Rice protein work? Or vanilla Soy protein? Also, about how many bars does this make?

  7. Hello! I wanna try your recipe, but do you mind telling me how much portion is 2 T? Or 1 T? Please. Thank you!

  8. So I am not sure what I did wrong, I made the bars but they turned out to be a cookie dough consistency rather than a bar… What makes yours look/taste like an actual bar???

    1. Hi Kathie! It might be dependent on the brand of coconut flour and/or protein powder you used- I’d continue adding coconut flour to make them formable into bars.

  9. Love the look of these, gonna try them later! Have you worked out how much calories/protein/carbs/fat are in each bar at all? And how many bars does the recipe make? Would be useful to know 🙂

  10. How many servings/bars is this supposed to make? What size pan-8×8 or larger? I’m trying to input all this for nutrition value to actually compare to the Quest bars, which I eat regularly.

    1. Hi Melissa! the beauty of these bars is that you can size them any way you like- You can make them flat in a large pan and cut them up to fit your macros! 🙂

      1. I just took them out of the fridge and they are a little tacky (putting one in the freezer to see how that works). I used ¾ cup almond butter, 2T maple syrup, and had to use almost ¼ cup skim milk to get the thick batter. It was super hard to get it to come together. I put it into Myfitness Pal for 12 bars (8×8 pan): 225 calories, 10.4 g fat, 2.8 g fibre, 21 g carbs, and 12 G protein. Overall more calories but less protein than a Quest bar. Tasty though!

  11. I can’t have any sugar in my diet. Can I leave out the maple syrup? Wondering if they would be too dry, could I just add more milk?

  12. These look delicious. Would anyone know the macros of these? Mainly protein, carbs and fat. ( and anything else ).

    Cheers everyone

    1. Hey Charlie! If you plug the ingredients into a calorie calculator it can provide the breakdown for you! Enjoy 🙂

  13. Wait, do you have the recipe for the homemade paleo nutella cookies? Because these sound like the bomb, and I would love to try them!

  14. I literally have no words. These look amazing. Do you ship to Canada? Better yet… do you deliver in person?

  15. Just wait until you’re using that blender to guzzle fruit smoothies. Mark my words, it’ll happen.

    I love the look of the frittata with cheese. Mmm.

    I made zucchini roll ups once. They were inedible. Maybe I should have busted out the blender instead.

  16. Someone made a ball gown out of Quest Bars? I think I might hurl.

    I like your sketch free version. Speaking of sketchy, in college, I lived on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and cheap beer.

  17. I’m not going to lie, most of my budget went on alcohol… Then food! But the legal age in the UK is 18 so at least it was all above board! Haha!
    Favourite grab and go snack is dates – although I have found these date rolls here that are either coated in coconut, almonds or pistachios! So addicted!

    1. Hahahaha YES team legal at 18! Ohhhh you’re in for a treat- I’m recreating the ‘Summer roll’ in a paleo style 🙂

  18. My money went to books. Not textbooks, books for pleasure I bought off Amazon because there was no fiction section in the library. I was still reading, so I told myself I could slack off on other studies.

  19. My college student is pretty pathetic in the cooking dept although I imagine he will learn at some point. Right now all he ever cooks is kale. I know, that’s a bizarre one, isn’t it? Anyway, I might just have to make these and send a care package!

    1. If I was your son, I would be bribing you to fedex some home goodies on a consistent basis! But KALE? Wow. That’s impressive!

  20. Well since I will eventually run out of quest bars, this could be a good option, although I own none of those ingredients. Not yet!

  21. I love this cookie and cream bars, and you used my favorite flour! 🙂 And, I have to admit I love the chocolate chip cookie dough Quest bars — they are always in my pantry.

  22. These look like healthy quest bars to me!! Cookies n Cream anything is a win in my book.. and when you take out any nasty ingredients – I’m all for it!

  23. Coming from someone who doesn’t like Quest bars, I am so excited to try these out! I’m going to be an incoming college freshman, so I don’t know exactly where all my “extra” money is going to go, but I have a suspicion it is going to all go to food 😀
    Thanks for the natural, high quality protein bar recipe! I have a feeling this is going to be one of my new favorite treats!

  24. Not in college yet, but my money usually goes into food and other knacks I find at the mall or online!
    My go-to snack is Greek yogurt with peanut butter or cacao powder and Stevia–but sometimes I go crazy and make a mini stack of coconut flour pancakes! If I’m out and about, I like a nice Quest bar or any healthy bar out there 😀

  25. Ahhh the college budget. I’m impressed with you saving up and not phoning your parents when times got a little tougher. I think I’m more on the same boat as your sis ;). But anywhooo, these look amazing! King of the No-Bake ANYTHING.

  26. I’m glad I didn’t really know about the delight of Quest Bars until recently. These creations you’ve come up with sound just divine … if only you could send me a batch! 🙂

  27. I might be in love with you right now over these. I still think back to when i took down my first no bake black bean fudge in my NYC hotel room and inspected where the keebler elves were coming from on HOW it could be so good.

    and quest bars are totally my snack of choice for “i dont know when the next time im going to eat is and if it i need something to hold me over this protein and fiber better WERK bitch” i also walk around everywhere with popcorn because it’s a serious addiction (i find it in my clothes and hair daily)

    add to the list of Arman recipes to make? CHECK

  28. Haha college budgets….otherwise known as mac and cheese and ramen noodle diets. I love quest bars, these protein bars look awesome. And cookies and cream is the perfect flavor!

  29. Oh man, I remember those days when I had to literally count every penny. I’d go digging around under the cushions of the couch in my dorm room for extra change. (I never found any…) I do remember “splurging” to go get cheese quesadillas at a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican place every Friday night. I’d get takeout and then chill out in my dormroom playing video games and watching sports until it was time to go out…or go to bed. Ah, those were the days…now I go to bed at 9pm. Haha! But these bars? Love them! Cookies and cream is one of my all-time favorites!!

    1. Right? Seriously, that 5 cent coin made a difference between brand name drinks and those of subpar quality! Haha how times have changed. I envision you may soon be experiencing the good old times again- Sending over a game boy 😀

  30. Confession: Even though dairy hurts my stomach, I love quest bars. Thank you for making a dairy free option!!!

  31. I can’t remember where my money went! That tells you how much I paid attention, haha.
    Crap.
    Where did my money go?

  32. I’ve never had a Quest bar buuuuut yours look way better. Also, we are the same–if I ever asked my mom for money she would 100% think I was joking. In fact I actually have no idea what she would say because I’m certain she would be so confused.

  33. I just started the school year again and I understand the college budget! I have a kitchen in my dorm room this year so I’m luckier, but you have to learn how to make your dining hall meal plan stretch! Thankfully my university has amazing options for a college (I’m talking salmon and quinoa some days). The text book prices do not help the budget though! These look so easy to make though. Could you switch out the cookies for freeze dried fruit or other add in to change the flavor?

    1. Right? I swear I should have written a text book myself- Think of how rich we would be! Definitely switch out the cookies for dried fruit 🙂

  34. Can you believe I’ve never had a quest bar? I see them everywhere, but never bought them. Your version looks really good though! Cookies and cream anything always sounds so good. Considering I just made homemade granola bars for the first time ever this past weekend, I figure I’m a pro now at the homemade snacks haha.

  35. You know what is totally insane!? I have NEVER had a quest bar. I KNOW!
    I tried to order a free sample online…and then they never showed UP. SO SAD.
    But whatever, I’ll make yours instead. Over it! Pinned!

  36. I wish I had this recipe in college when living on a student budget in Oxford and trying to cook with only a semi functioning oven! These look amazing, will be trying now I’m home in the heat again! Honestly in college I was not good at budgeting, now I’ve become better after law school.

  37. Admittedly, I have not gotten to try the cookies and cream bar but now why would I when I have yours?! These look fantastic, Arman. You did a great job with these..perfect for everyone. Have a wonderful day my friend, Catherine

  38. I think I spent more money on clothes than rent or food during uni. Those were the days haha but I agree with you – I’m completely stubborn and refuse to ever ask my mum for financial help.

  39. I just tried the cookies & cream quest bar for the first time and it was the first flavor I’ve actually enjoyed! That said, even though my budget is bigger than it was in college, those bars add up fast! It’s definitely cheaper making my own! I’ll have to give this a try!

  40. I’m sure most of my money went toward things that weren’t legal but can’t remember 😉

    I’ll be trying these since the fiber in those quest bars scares me! They look so good!

  41. Oh hi, you had me at Cookies and Cream – one of my favourite ice cream flavours at the scoop store in my hometown. And that in a bar? Yes, please. Coming from me as a non-bar fiend.
    I’ve never experienced that student-abroad/US student on a meal plan feeling but from hearing about it elsewhere already it seems tough business. I’m pretty sure you’ll make some college students happy they can prepare their own bars and save money for textbooks 😉 .