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.
Hi just wondering if you have nutritional facts for each serving
My grandson said, “These are the best things you’ve ever made, Nonna.” Pretty high praise. But when my husband said the same thing, I knew I really had a winner! Thanks for sharing, Sue. I’m not sure I’ll even bother with the peanut butter/chocolate frosting I’ve seen on other versions.
Has anyone tried this with canned coconut milk? Just a thought…..I don’t do dairy- but these look amazing.
I’m thinking about making these for my stepdaughters bday party this wkend, but it’s outside and will be mid 70’s. I’m going to look into a different frosting so the chocolate doesn’t melt away, but do you think the rest of the bar will hold up?!
I found it was best eaten fairly cold, Rachel. If you can keep it cold and then maybe bring it out from the fridge when ready to eat, that would probably be best.
I just made a pan of these and mine are doughy as well! I followed all the ingredients and directions. Also, mine came out tasting a little flour-y. Can I add something next time that won’t make them taste like flour?
Well, the thing about these is that they are a ‘play’ on cookie dough, so the flavor is going to be different from a regular blondie or brownie type dessert. I would say make sure you added the vanilla, and also you could try making them in a slightly larger pan so they are thinner, with a bigger frosting to bar ratio. I also would say they are best eaten in small pieces, even though in the photo they look on the large size.
Am I missing something? I made these last night. The dough is still gooey I only used 12oz of the evap milk Even turned fridge temp Down to make cooler. Then when I cut into it the topping breaks in sections and dough still gooey… Please help. Thanks
The dough shouldn’t be gooey, Rebecca – did you get the right amount of flour in?
I put 2 cups
Sue it’s more like a texture if u leave cookie dough out in the open for a couple hours
But I had it in fridge for 20 hours on high and topping was too hard as well it broke in pieces when trying to cut it
For me, it was soft at room temperature, but firm when it was cold. I let it sit out for maybe 15 minutes before cutting. I don’t know what could account for your gooey texture, so sorry!
And only brown sugar goes in this? No white sugar, right?
Rebecca, sweetened condensed milk is Eagle Brand, not evaporated milk.
Thanks Mary – that must have been the problem!
Thank you!
I obviously can’t read! Lol
That’s what it was
hi was just reading the notes and noticed you had an issue….you wrote evap milk in your reply. Did you use evap milk because that is different than condensed which is what the recipe calls for?
You said you used evaporated milk when the recipe calls for sweetened condensed !! Could be the culprit for gooey dough.
I made these today, am just waiting for the frosting to harden before having a sample. I am looking forward to biting into one.
Oh my goodness, those are so mouthwatering! I too love that they are eggless. Will definitely have to give those a go soon..
You’ve outdone yourself with these bars, they look absolutely incredible!
Looks sinfully delicious! Wonder what it would be like if you added a little flake coconut?
I say the more the merrier 🙂