No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars ~ an easy no egg and no raw wheat flour recipe for cookie dough lovers of all ages. This stuff is safe and irresistible!
*NOTE: The FDA warns that while it is unlikely, eating raw flour can make you ill, therefore they recommend against eating raw cookie dough or other products made with uncooked all-purpose wheat flour. I have updated this recipe to use heat treated flour, oat flour, or fine almond flour for safety.
Eating cookie dough has gotten a bad rap lately, and for good reason. We all knew the risks of eating raw eggs, but did you also know that eating raw flour is dangerous? No treat, however delicious, is worth the risk of getting food poisoning, so I had to do some research to figure out a way to make a safe and delicious cookie dough bar.
raw flour facts:
Flour is classified as a minimally processed agricultural ingredient and is not a ready-to-eat product. Through the growing process, wheat can come into contact with harmful bacteria like E. coli or Salmonella via wild animal waste. If pathogens get into the wheat plant, they stay with the seed head in the milling process. When flour is used in baked products, the baking temperatures will generally inactivate any pathogens in the flour. However, harmful bacteria remain active in uncooked flour and when ingested will cause illness or worse. ~ source
how do we make cookie dough bars safe to eat?
- First we don’t use any raw eggs in these bars, so no worries there.
- We replace regular flour with one of three options: heat treated flour is flour that’s been heated to kill any potential pathogens. It’s not widely available, but if you love cookie dough, it’s worth tracking down. You can buy it here.
- You can also use non-wheat flours like oat flour, or finely ground almond flour, both of which are safe to eat raw.
what you’ll need for safe cookie dough bars
- butter ~ unsalted
- brown sugar ~ gives that great cookie dough flavor
- heat treated flour, oat flour, or almond flour
- sweetened condensed milk
- chocolate chips ~ both for the dough and the chocolate glaze
- vanilla extract
- salt
how to make cookie dough bars
- Cream the butter and sugar together with the vanilla.
- Blend in the flour alternately with the condensed milk until the dough is smooth.
- Fold in the chocolate chips;
- Spread evenly into a prepared baking pan.
- Chill until firm.
- Spread with melted chocolate to form glaze.
how to store cookie dough bars
The bars are best kept in the fridge until ready to serve, and best eaten while still chilled. The texture will be like fudge when cold, but will soften as it sits at room temperature.
Obsessed with cookie dough?
- Â No bake peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough bars
- Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream
- No bake cookies and cream cookie dough bars
- I want to marry you cookie dough bars.
No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heat treated flour, oat flour, or fine almond flour Note: regular flour is not safe to eat raw., Buy heat treated flour here.
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (no need to get out every last drop)
- 12 ounces or about 2 cups mini chocolate chips
frosting
- 12 ounce bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar and salt together until fluffy. I use my stand mixer, but you don't have to. Just beat it really good so it's light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Beat in the condensed milk and the flour, alternately, mixing after each addition.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Spray a 8x8 square baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper with long ends so you can lift out the bars for easy cutting later. You can skip the paper if you want to cut and serve them right out of the pan.
- Turn the dough out into the pan and pat down evenly with your hands. You may want to flour your hands as the dough is sticky. Smooth it out evenly, I used an offset spatula to finish the job.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm, (about 4 hours) or even overnight if you like. The texture will be similar to a fudge.
- To make the chocolate topping, put the semi sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup and microwave for one minute. Stir, and then return to the microwave for short bursts of 15 seconds until the chocolate is totally smooth and melted. Don't over heat.
- Let the chocolate cool for about 5 minutes, and then pour onto the dough. Spread out evenly. Return to the refrigerator until the topping is firm. Cut into 16 squares.
- Keep the bars in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Notes
I followed the recipe but the “bars” were just mush and the “frosting” was hard. At least they tasted good!
It’s kind of the nature of the beast here, Mat. The texture is meant to be just like cookie dough, and the oat flour work-around does make them soft. I’m glad you loved the flavor!
Can u put into freezer I’m trying to get them ready in couple hours
Yes, that will be fine.
I followed this to the T, used condensed milk, not evaporated milk, and it still won’t set after 8 hours.
The texture should be like a soft fudge, Melissa. It’s possible you used more condensed milk than I did, I purposely didn’t use the entire can. If you try them again, use a little less and your finished product should be firmer.
Can you make this without condensed milk?
The condensed milk is kind of central to this recipe Lola, not sure what else would work.
I just made these and then read the listeria posts, is there any truth behind that? I am 21 weeks pregnant so it worries me and now I’m afraid to eat them ?? and i want to soooo bad !
Unfortunately Amanda, there is a real risk, you can read about it here from the USDA. The risk is very small, but since you are pregnant, you should steer clear of uncooked flour.
Could you freeze these? I have a friend who loves cookie dough and I can talk until I’m blue in the face about the chance he’s taking. So I’d love to make these and mail them to him but they’d have to be frozen in order to survive a couple of days in the mail.
I think these would freeze well, Cheryl.
How about taking crushed chocolate chip cookies and adding the sweetened condensed milk? I know it’s an extra step, but it does solve the flour controversy.
That might just work, Rosemary ~ thanks for the idea 🙂 I’ve seen people make Oreo ‘truffles’ like that, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work here.
You used all purpose flour. Isn’t that dangerous? I have seen similar recipes made with the special pre baked flour because of all of the listeria in so much flour issue.
I’ve just updated with a warning about that, Mary. I think there may be some pasteurized flours coming out on the market, soon, and that would help!
The raw flour issue can be easily resolved … Just preheat oven to 350?F/175?C then evenly spread flour on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes prior to using in your recipe.
Hi Sue, thank you for the recipe……. I jst plan to make this good chocolate bars on the weekend , and I agree too bake the flour for couple minutes before mix in the chocolate cream…
Hope you like them, Sinar.