These cookie dough bars are one of my favorite sweet treats to use for energy or to satisfy me at the end of a meal. If you swap out peanut butter for almond butter they taste great as well and more like a traditional cookie dough rather than peanut butter. Enjoy!

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

Recipe by Stacy Lundstedt, adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 cup whole oats (GF as needed)
• 1 cup of pitted medjool dates
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter (or almond butter)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• *optional ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Add cashews, walnuts and oats to food processor and blend for about 30 seconds until a flour forms. Do not blend too long or you will start to make nut butter.
2. Add the dates and process until dates are finely chopped, about 20 seconds.
3. Add almond or peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, hemp seeds, ground flax seed (optional salt) and process to combine until the mixture sticks together when pressed. If too dry, add a little more nut butter and/or maple syrup.
4. Add chocolate chips and pulse until chips are slightly broken apart and mixed in.
5. Spread dough into a parchment paper lined 8 x 8 or 9×9 inch square pan and press until flat.
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then you can remove the bars from the pan and cut into the desired squares of your choice.

Notes:

*If you want thicker bars you can press the mixture into a bread loaf pan.

*if using natural nut butter, do not use the dry bottom layer. This will result in your bars not sticking together well

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I’m here to document my journey transitioning to a plant based diet and gather resources for delicious recipes, cookbooks and informative reading materials. A little about myself, I am a Family Medicine doctor based in Seattle, WA. This journey began for me during my fourth year of medical school when I read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I majored in Food Science and Human Nutrition as an undergraduate and I’m sad to say that only involved 5 nutrition classes. I do not remember learning anything about the benefits of a plant based diet in undergraduate or medical school courses.

When I read the China Study, I was amazed by all of the research documenting the harms associated with consuming animal products. Why had I never learned about this before? I was motivated to eat less meat and after trying to go full on vegetarian and being disappointed with my options when I was eating out I transitioned to eating vegetarian at home and meat out of the house. This is where I happily remained for the end of medical school, residency training and the first first years in medical practice. The thought of not eating cheese was more than I could contemplate! However, my journey to start eating less animal products began and it was 6-7 years later before I would become inspired again!

Recommended reading #1: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell

My favorite overnight oats recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/peanut-butter-overnight-oats/