These Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Bars have a dense cookie base with chocolate and coconut on top! They are gluten free, vegan, nut free (except for coconut), and lower in sugar than the original recipe.
Hey guys, I think I’m on a roll this week with recipes: 2 recipes in 2 days! That doesn’t happen very often 😉 I’ve actually hit upon a great way for me to get more recipes onto the blog: create several recipes on the weekend, photograph them all at the same time (big time saver!), and then publish them here and there according to my schedule.
I don’t do this all the time, but this method helps a ton! This past weekend I created and photographed several recipes, including today’s recipe for this month’s Recipe Redux:
December Recipe Redux – Grab a Book & Cook: We’re playing a little party game at the end of 2016: Grab your nearest cookbook and ReDux the recipe on page 201, 16, 216 – or any combination of the number ‘2016.’ (Of course, please don’t forget to credit the original recipe and change enough of the recipe to make it your very own.)
For this Recipe Redux, I got out my Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookies book and went to work. I decided to re-create the Aunt Ownie’s Chocolate Bar recipe on page 102 (submitted to Gooseberry Patch by Wendy Lee Paffenroth).
For this redux, I increased the batch just a bit, reduced the amount of sugar, and made these gluten free and vegan, and I replaced the chopped nuts with coconut on top. It took me a couple batches to get the new recipe just right, but these bars turned out amazing! My kids dove right into these, and my picky husband liked them, too.
If you’re not a big coconut fan, you can always use chopped nuts if you can have them, chopped seeds (like sunflower or pumpkin seeds), or leave the toppings off altogether and just enjoy the bar itself. I like the slightly crunchiness of the coconut on top, but you can leave it off if needed!
In case you don’t want to use stevia in this recipe (some people like my sister are actually sensitive to it), you can skip the stevia and use all sugar in these bars with good results.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Bars (Vegan)
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon vegan butter I use Earth Balance Soy-Free
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup baking Stevia in the Raw
- 3 Tablespoons ground golden flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup gluten free quick oats
- ¾ cup Authentic Foods superfine sorghum flour
- dash salt
- 5 ounces allergy-friendly chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside
- In a medium bowl, beat together the vegan butter, brown sugar, baking Stevia, flaxseed, and vanilla with a hand blender until mixed well
- Add the oats, flour, and salt to the butter mixture and beat again until well blended and a thick dough forms
- Spread the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan evenly
- Bake for about 23 minutes
- Allow to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes, then gently press down on the cookie base evenly with a spatula (this helps it to stay together better and not crumble later when the bars are cut)
- In a small microwaveable bowl, add the chocolate chips and the coconut oil and melt in the microwave by heating for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is completely melted
- Spread the chocolate evenly over the cookie base and sprinkle the coconut on top of the melted chocolate
- Allow the bars to cool completely and let the chocolate completely set up before cutting into bars
- Once the chocolate is set, cut into 16 bars
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition

Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie which she founded in 2011. Sarah is based in Wyoming and has been managing food allergies for herself and her 2 children for over 20 years. Sarah was also a certified personal trainer for 12 years, as well as a group fitness instructor, health coach, running coach, and fitness nutrition specialist.
But how do you make them without any sugar at all?
Hi Sarah, you can make these sugar-free by using a sugar-free brown sugar replacement (like Truvia brown sugar) and using sugar free chocolate on top.