Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cassava Cookie Bars
These cookie bars have a rich, buttery flavor, and they come together in one bowl and one pan. AND they’re naturally gluten-free and grain-free. Yesssssssssss (please)!! The bars are made with cassava flour, which lends the cookies a fluffy texture with a light but rich crumb. They’re irresistible when warm, and they freeze beautifully. The cookie bars are naturally sweetened with coconut sugar (also labeled coconut palm sugar), which has a more complex and less sweet flavor than regular sugar, but you could swap in ⅔ cup (125 g) of packed light brown sugar instead (the bars will have a softer texture). I love making cookie bars because they’re so much easier and quicker than cookies, but check out the notes below for how to make drop cookies instead! *NOTE: If you don’t have a kitchen scale, be sure to measure the cassava flour by spooning it into the measuring cup instead of scooping it (if the flour is too compacted the bars will be crumbly).
Servings: 12 bars
Ingredients
- Cooking spray, for pan
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ¾ cup (115 g) packed coconut sugar (sometimes labeled coconut palm sugar)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (130 g) cassava flour (I prefer Bob's Red Mill brand)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips, divided
- ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Spray an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray, then line it crosswise with parchment paper (this will make it easy to pull the cookie bars out later).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter and coconut sugar. Mix on high until lightened in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, honey and vanilla, and mix on high until incorporated, stopping and scraping the sides as needed, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cassava flour, baking powder and salt, and mix on low until incorporated (the batter will be thick). Scrape the sides, and add 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the pecans. Mix on low until just combined.
- Spread the batter in an even layer in the prepared pan (it will be quite thick so will take a bit of work to get it into the corners—a small offset spatula works great). Sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips. Bake until golden brown on top, about 24 to 26 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool. Remove the cookie by pulling on the parchment handles. Cut it into bars using a sharp knife, cleaning the knife between slices (you can cut into 9 large bars or smaller bite-sized squares). If you’re anything like me, you’re going to want to serve these with cold milk or ice cream (yesssss)!!
Notes
Do Ahead: The cookie bars are best the day they’re made, but they freeze beautifully! Pack them in an airtight container or ziptop freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Tips:
- This dough can be made into cookies instead of bars. Scoop 1 tablespoon balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (I use a mini ice cream scoop) and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. They will be lightly crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Like the bars, they are best the day they’re made, but they freeze fabulously!
- You can make these dairy free by swapping the butter for softened coconut oil.
- I naturally sweeten these cookie bars with coconut sugar, but you could use light brown sugar instead (cut back to ⅔ cup, as it’s more dense than coconut sugar). The texture will be softer and the cookies will be sweeter.
- I use my stand mixer for this batter, but you could also use hand beaters instead.
- I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale. It’s much more accurate than using measuring cups and it’s also easier! (No messing with cups!)
- I prefer to bake cookie bars and brownies in a metal pan as opposed to glass, as you get better edges (and I loooooove the caramelized edges!).
- For another gluten-free and paleo treat, you have to try this easy, one-bowl banana bread!!