Ohh, baby. I have been meaning to share this recipe for a quite a while now. I am actually not sure how this idea came about to stuff my favorite cookie dough bar with peanut butter cups. I think I was making peanut butter cups for Halloween when thinking to myself: ‘why not combine a few of my favorite desserts? – which is peanut butter, chocolate and cookie dough! And the Cookie Dough Bars Stuffed with Peanut Butter Cups were born!
Even as a kid I used to eat tons of cookie dough. My grandma used to be shocked when realising that half of the cake batter had already disappeared into MY mouth before we could pour it into the baking tin. You remember, how every grandma tells you that eating raw cookie dough would give you a stomach ache? Let me tell you this: I never had a stomach ache and if I did, it was worth it. And if I would have known that something like a peanut butter cup exists I would have eaten it on top of the cookie dough. So cookie dough love (in form of a big fat bar) + PB cups = Peanut Butter Cups Stuffed Cookie Dough Bars, yaaaas!
The cookie dough bars are adapted from a recipe by the one and only Chocolate Covered Katie. To me she is one of the pioneers of healthy baking and I have been following her blog for years now. I think, what makes her recipes very special is that she uses really simple ingredients and transforms them into tasty and straight forward treats – always making sure they are vegan and as nutritious as possible. So while I give a big shout out to my fellow Blogger Katie I am sharing my version her cookie dough bars stuffed with peanut butter cups with you. Start by preparing the PB cups:
Cookie Dough Bars Stuffed with Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Cups (makes 8-9)
- 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
- pinch of salt
- pinch of ground vanilla
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp ground coffee (optional but enhances chocolate flavor)
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Taste – if you feel it needs more sweetness add more maple syrup. Fill half of the melted chocolate in silicone mini cupcake shapes and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes. Spread half a teaspoon of peanut butter into every shape then add the remaining melted chocolate on top. Transfer to the fridge for another 15 minutes.
Cookie Dough Bars (Original Recipe adapted from the Chocolate Covered Katie)
- 1 can chickpeas or white beans (200g after draining)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or agave
- oatflour from 1 cup rolled oats
Line a bread loaf pan with baking paper. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add all ingredients to a food processor/high speed blender and blend until smooth. (A blender will work, but you should stop the blender from time to time and stir to make sure all ingredients blend well.) Smooth half of the dough into the pan. Grab your peanut butter cups from the freezer and lay them out on the cookie dough layer. Then take the second half of your cookie dough and cover the peanut butter cups so you get an even top layer. Transfer to the freezer for 3 hours. Take it out and slice as desired. Store in the fridge or freezer. If storing in the freezer give 20 minutes to thaw.
If you loved my Cookie Dough Bars Stuffed with Peanut Butter Cups, I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram or Facebook @whensweetbecomeshealthy so I don’t miss it ♥
For more healthy bars, check out my Coffee Peanut Butter Crunch Bars and my Peanut Butter Fluff Bars!
