Easy Monster Cookie Bars (Vegan + Healthier!)
These amazingly easy monster cookie bars are like a vegan monster cookie in bar form! With all of the classic flavors of creamy peanut butter, oats, and gooey chocolate, these candy loaded cookie bars are undetectably eggless, gluten free, and dairy free, and perfect for a quick and easy healthy dessert!
What are monster cookie bars?
Have you ever heard of a monster cookie? It’s typically a deliciously rich chocolate chip cookie loaded with peanut butter, oats, and M&M’s. They’re absolutely delicious, and I have a whole vegan version in my cookbook!
We’re basically taking one of the best cookies around and turning it into a cookie bar!
Why is it called a monster cookie? Because apparently it’s like Frankenstein’s mash-up of a cookie! All of the most delicious ingredients combined into one amazing treat.
A cookie bar is much like a blondie, only the texture is closer to an actual cookie. You can think of these vegan monster cookie bars as almost the lazy version of baking cookies 😉 No need to chill the dough, nor scoop the dough!
These easy monster cookie bars are hassle free, naturally (and undetectably) vegan, eggless, dairy free, and gluten free, and are perfect for both kids and adults!
The only note here is that monster cookies do contain peanuts, so if you’re serving these to guests where allergies may be present, be sure to note this!
Simple vegan + gluten free ingredients:
Here’s what you need to make these unbelievably easy vegan cookie bars:
- Flour: You can use either gluten free 1:1 baking flour or all purpose flour if you don’t need gluten free.
- Rolled oats: Make sure that they’re gluten free if you need that. You can also use quick oats, which might provide more binding in the cookie bars!
- Peanut butter: I use creamy salted peanut butter, and then you don’t have to add salt to the flour!
- Vegan butter: For the best tasting vegan butter, I use Miyoko’s.
- Sugar: Use a combination of granulated sugar and coconut sugar (or brown sugar) for the best texture.
- Applesauce: This replaces the eggs found in typical monster cookie bars- but don’t worry, if this is your first time using applesauce in place of eggs, the result is quite literally identical!
- Vegan chocolate gems: In a classic monster cookie, you’d use M&M’s. Unfortunately, M&M’s are not vegan (and they don’t have the best practices anyways), but there are similar vegan candies for you to use! I like Unreal Chocolate Gems, which I get at Whole Foods. They have some milk chocolate versions, so be sure that you’re buying the vegan version.
- Chocolate chips: Because we could all use a bit more chocolate! For vegan chocolate chips, I recommend Pascha Chocolate.
How to make monster cookie bars (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
For these vegan monster cookie bars, you really only need one bowl, a square baking pan, and 5 minutes of your time to make the dough 😉
How to make easy monster cookie bars:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
This is your flour, oats, and baking powder.
- Cream together the vegan butter and sugars.
Use a hand mixer to cream together until they’re just fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the applesauce and peanut butter, and cream again.
Just until everything is combined!
- Fold in the dry ingredients.
It’s important to fold them in almost until the dry is fully incorporated. We’re then going to stir in the chocolate chips so that you don’t over mix the dough.
- Add in the chocolate gems and chocolate chips.
Fold together until the gems and chocolate chips are evenly distributed and the flour is just combined.
- Bake!
Spread the dough into your baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes!
Then slice and enjoy!
Monster cookie customizations:
You’re going to love these easy vegan monster cookie bars as is, but if you want to ever switch it up, here are a few options:
- Use almond or cashew butter for a different nuttier flavor
- Swap in sunflower seed butter for a nut-free monster cookie
- Switch up the colors of your vegan candy coated chocolate gems
- Add in crushed pretzels for a kitchen-sink-style cookie bar
- Spread a layer of vegan caramel sauce between the layers of dough for a caramel cookie bar!
You’re just going to love these easy and decadently gooey vegan monster cookie bars! They’re a total crowd-pleaser, and absolutely delicious!
More vegan cookie bars recipes:
Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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Print
Super Simple Monster Cookie Bars (Vegan + Healthier!)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These amazingly easy monster cookie bars are like a vegan monster cookie in bar form! With all of the classic flavors of creamy peanut butter, oats, and gooey chocolate, these candy loaded cookie bars are undetectably eggless, gluten free, and dairy free, and perfect for a quick and easy healthy dessert!
Ingredients
- 150 grams all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 90 grams rolled oats, gluten free as needed
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 115 grams vegan butter, room temperature
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 100 grams coconut sugar
- 80 grams unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 240 grams creamy salted peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan candy gems
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Please read all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Measure out all ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the vegan butter, sugar, and coconut sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the unsweetened applesauce, peanut butter, and vanilla extract, and cream together until combined. Add in the flour mixture, and use a rubber spatula to fold almost until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Fold in the add-ins: Add the chocolate gems and chocolate chips to the bowl, and fold them into the dough just until they are evenly distributed, and the flour mixture is just mixed in.
- Bake the monster cookie bars: Use the rubber spatula to spoon and spread the dough into the prepared baking pan. Place the pan into the oven to bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Slice and serve: Remove the cookie bars from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to slice and serve. Enjoy!
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Gluten free: Use gluten free 1:1 baking flour here to make this recipe entirely gluten-free. If you’d like to use oat flour, you can check out my oatmeal cookie bar recipe and add in the chocolate gems. It won’t have the peanut butter combination, however.
Vegan chocolate gems: I used Unreal vegan candy coated chocolate gems. If you’d just like to use chocolate chips that’s fine as well.
Vegan chocolate chips: I recommend Pascha chocolate for the best tasting vegan chocolate chips, as well as the best brand in terms of Fair Trade/Organic. They also have stevia-sweetened and 100%.
Vegan butter: The best flavor vegan butter and most consistent with regular butter is Miyoko’s. Highly recommend! For nut-free, I recommend Flora Plant Butter.
I made these for a 4th of July party. I have a cottage bakery but don’t typically attempt to make vegan or gluten free treats. I used gluten free flour and oats, dark chocolate and peanut butter morsels and I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar. I was trying to make something my cousins could enjoy given her dietary restrictions. Everyone loved them and did not notice they were gluten free. I highly recommend this recipe!!