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. 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?
- 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 8×8 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.
This is splendid, I’m going to have to try making it this week. I can imagine it being very popular with my daughter and her friends.
I love how you described them as dalmatian-patterned 🙂 These will be perfect for the chocolate chip cookie dough fanatics in my family!
Thanks Susan – I think we all must be hardwired to respond to chocolate chips!
i don’t know how you manage to do it… you blog so frequently and it’s always so fresh and gorgeous and beautiful… so many ideas. These are stunning (and probably worth a little e-coli…)
Haha, first, thanks! And second – there aren’t any raw eggs in these bars, so relax :)))
I don’t think that eating raw flour is a good idea.
According to the New York Times:
One study that looked at commercial wheat flour samples found almost 13 percent contaminated with E. coli. The investigators also pointed out that wheat flour can also be contaminated with Salmonella, and that flour-based mixes have previously been implicated in outbreaks of food-borne illness.
Read this: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/beware-of-raw-cookie-dough/
I’ve never heard of this, Pamela, I’ll look into it.
Put your flour in the microwave for 2 to 5 mins then let cool. That will kill all bacteria. I store flour in the freezer which I believe also kills bacteria.
Hi Pamela, the brand King Arthur Flour is the oldest flour brand in the ocuntry and does not bleach or bromate their flour. They also work with mills that do not use pesticides when sourcing their organic flour. This should solve all problems when dealing with E. Coli and other bacteria
Sinfully alluring to me for 4 Littles:)
Summer or not, these would be delicious any time of the year!
Okay. it’s official. I am ready for my sugar fix intervention ! This brings eating raw cookie dough to a new level!
I figured it was the least I could offer you after a week of healthy stuff 😉
Oh my goodness, amazing! And legal too, that’s a wonderful combination, for sure!
Just when I need to go on a diet – you post this gorgeous treat. No bake – cookie dough, chocolate? I am in love! Pinning and sharing!
Like I said, I NEVER sneak cookie dough, so these are a special treat for me 🙂
Oh my! I love this idea and no-bake is perfect for summer 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks jennifer, have a great weekend!
I seen this recipe made with oat flour. You can buy it or make your own by putting 2 2/3 cups of old fashioned oatmeal in high speed blender and pulse until it becomes like fine flour.. It will yield 2 cups.
I’m going to try that Gigi, someone else mentioned that and I love oat flour.