Cookies and Cream Protein Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My cookie and cream protein bars are one of my favorite high-protein snacks, packing 14 grams of protein each. They are soft, chewy, and have real sandwich cookie pieces in every bite.
Not to brag, but, well… I’m going to. I’m quite an expert on homemade protein bars, having tested so many recipes and built quite a collection. During college, I had a full-fledged love affair with Quest Cookies and Cream protein bars, so of course, I’ve decided to try making them from scratch. These thick and chewy bars have the same base as many of my other bar recipes- coconut flour, protein powder, and maple syrup. The difference here is that I add finely crushed sandwich cookies. I know they’re not the healthiest (okay, not even remotely), but I’m only using two for the entire recipe, so it barely counts.
Table of Contents
Arman’s recipe highlights
The shortlist of ingredients. No corn syrup, hidden sugars, or “natural flavor.” What you see is what you get. Don’t even get me started on what was in those Quest ones…
Stable at room temperature. I developed the ideal combination of ingredients to make sure the bars travel well and do not need refrigeration. Saying that, I do keep them in the fridge for long-term storage.
Actually high protein. Many recipes labeled ‘high protein’ have just 4 or 5 grams per serving. These pack in at least 14 grams each, and I’ll also include a trick to increase them even further.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- 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 don’t want to use this, extra oat flour works just fine.
- Protein powder. I typically use vanilla casein, as it yields the best texture and adds sweetness. Vanilla brown rice or pea protein is also great. I don’t recommend whey, as it can be quite wet and difficult to shape into bars.
- Almond butter. Smooth and drippy with no added sugar or salt. Any nut or seed butter will work as long as it is smooth (my partner loves these with cashew butter).
- Maple syrup. Gives the protein bars sweetness and holds them together. Honey or brown rice syrup is a great alternative.
- Chocolate cookies. Oreos or other Sandwich cookies work well. They do need to be crushed, so throw them into a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin (or your hands, I don’t judge) to crush them up.
- Milk. Depending on the protein powder you use, the ‘dough’ may be a little crumbly. If that happens, add milk (or water), one tablespoon at a time, until it’s workable.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to make
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 it into place. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
Expert tips
- Pick the right protein powder. Aka use a protein powder you like the taste of. You’ll be able to taste subtle notes of it throughout.
- 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.
- Adjust the mixture as needed. If you notice your bar mixture is crumbly/thick, slowly add milk or water to loosen it and make it workable. If it’s too wet, add a little extra oat flour or protein powder.
- Add even more protein. If I have some extra time, I like to whisk 1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder with some milk and one tablespoon of powdered sugar. It makes a mock ‘icing’ that I drizzle over the bars, and chill until they set.
Storage notes
I like to keep leftover bars in the fridge, covered. They will keep well for about 2 weeks (although good luck having them last that long). You can also freeze them in a Ziploc bag for up to 6 months.
I mentioned them being room temperature stable– just keep them covered in parchment paper or in a grease-proof bag.
More homemade protein bar recipes
Cookies and Cream Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup coconut flour can sub for more oat flour
- 1 cup vanilla protein powder
- 2 chocolate sandwich cookies crumbled
- ½ cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter
- ½ cup maple syrup can sub for honey or brown rice syrup
- 1/4 cup milk ** See notes
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut flour, and protein powder. 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 forms. Gently fold through the crumbled cookies. .
- Transfer to lined baking dish and press firmly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
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 🙂
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 🙂
I don’t know how these would turn out with other flours as I have not tried that yet, but I just wanted to give you a tip! Oat flour is very easy to make. You can take oats of your choice and blend them into a powder (flour). I have done this is in a coffee grinder and in a nutribullet and both have worked perfectly. It also blended super fast (in seconds!) So if it saves you any money to buy oats and blend it yourself, i recommend trying at least once. 🙂 I know this comment is old but I thought I’d at least try to reach you!
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.
Hi there- Add more flour 🙂
Arman, Is there a substitute for the protein powder?
Hi Joan- you can just leave it out completely and skip the milk step- the bars will still hold up well. I would taste it first, as protein powder adds sweetness, so you may need to add a tablespoon of sugar. Let me know how you go!
Sorry! Just saw someone else posted the same comment. You can delete my post!
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!
Of course 🙂
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!
Yes! that is correct.
Do the cookies you linked to for this recipe taste like oreos? Would you consider a healthy- but still tastes true- take on Oreo biscuits? I miss them the most and want to put it into vegan ice cream, bars like these etc? Thank you.
Hi Dil! I’ve amended the recipe to use real-deal sandwich cookies 🙂
How many did these make? 🙂
I get 10-12 bars!
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!!!!
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately, whey protein won’t work- It’s just too sticky to hold up well
Would Vanilla Rice protein work? Or vanilla Soy protein? Also, about how many bars does this make?
It should with the rice! I made around 8 bars 🙂
Hello! I wanna try your recipe, but do you mind telling me how much portion is 2 T? Or 1 T? Please. Thank you!
Hi Abby! T stands for tablespoon, so 15 mls 🙂