These gluten-free cookie bars are quick to put together and simple to make. The thing I love most about these healthier cookie bars is that they’re reminiscent of the ooey-gooey Magic Cookie Bars I remember from my childhood.
I made them my way, though, and instead of being drenched in sweetened condensed milk and lots of sugary chocolate and butterscotch chips I opted for more nutrient-dense ingredients.
This recipe is my contribution to Diane’s (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang) 30 Days to Easy Gluten-Free Living.
What do Magic Cookie Power Bars have to do with living gluten-free the easy way? Well….learning to cook gluten-free gave me to freedom to drop conventional cooking guidelines and be as creative as I want. Once I let go, gluten-free cooking became easy. And fun.
Here’s what I did to transform a traditional sugary cookie into a slightly sweet snack that could pass for a breakfast bar:
- Using quinoa flakes in the crust adds protein, manganese, magnesium, and iron.
- Coconut oil is a healthy fat that is readily converted to energy as opposed to being stored. It’s also thought to have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties
- Walnuts not only add great flavor and texture but are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, potassium, and manganese, have been shown to decrease LDL and total cholesterol, and can help increase bone health.
- Instead of sweetened condensed milk, I blended almond milk with dates and thickened it with chia seed meal. Chia seeds are a superfood that contain omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein and antioxidents.
They’ve got all the right ingredients to give you a mid-day boost without a sugar crash. Cooking gluten-free and refined sugar-free has taught me that when there’s a will, there’s a way. You can make anything you want, any way you want.
Diane’s got an entire month of Easy Gluten-Free Living to share with you – each day will be hosted at a different blog. Make sure to check out Diane’s site for the master calendar.
Other Easy Gluten-Free Living Ideas
- Shredded Chicken Tortilla Soup from SS&GF
- Raw Date Truffles from SS&GF
- Grilled Fruit Cobbler from Silvana’s Kitchen
- Gluten-Free CrockPot Bread from A Year of Slow Cooking
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 grams) unsweetened almond milk
- 3 large (50 grams) medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) chia seed meal
- 1/2 cup (70 grams) juice-sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 cup (90 grams) quinoa flakes
- 3/4 cup (88 grams) Amy’s Basic Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1/4 cup (40 grams) coconut palm sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup (55 grams) water
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) unsweetened carob chips
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) toasted, chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup (60 grams) unsweetened, shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist an 8×8-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Put the almond milk and dates in a blender and puree. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the chia seed meal. Set aside. Put the cranberries in a bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the quinoa flakes, flour blend, coconut palm sugar, xanthan gum, and salt. Mix in the melted coconut oil and water until a crumbly dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Put the carob chips on top of the crust, followed by the chopped walnuts. Drain the cranberries and layer them on top of the walnuts. Pour the almond milk mixture over the top of the cookie bars and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the coconut over the top and lightly press it into the almond milk.
- Bake for 40 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through, until the coconut is light golden brown. Let cool completely before cutting. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
Make these completely dairy-free with your favorite dairy-free chocolate chip.
Alta
posted on May 9, 2011 at 10:13 am
Amy, these look absolutely divine. I love magic cookie bars. A sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free version just sings to me!
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Shirley @ gfe
posted on May 9, 2011 at 10:45 am
Oh, Amy, I do love your condensed milk substitution! I made a version of Magic Cookie Bars using oatmeal that we love, but hadn’t subbed the condensed milk yet. I will next time for sure! These look fabulous!
This is such a great event that Diane is hosting. I truly hope folks will see how easy living gf can be.
Belated happy 2nd blogiversary wishes! Time really does fly in our blogging world, doesn’t it?
Shirley
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Debi
posted on May 9, 2011 at 11:05 am
I so want to try these! I’ve never had magic cookie bars before. Never even heard of them! I feel a little deprived.
Great post as always, Amy. I’m loving the ramped up nutritional value of these!
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Megan Hassen
posted on May 9, 2011 at 11:12 am
These bars look mouthwatering! What a beautiful creation!
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Jessica
posted on May 9, 2011 at 11:14 am
WOW! These look amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
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Kim @ Cook It Allergy Free
posted on May 9, 2011 at 11:26 am
Yum! These look divine! I have a recipe for magic bars that I have converted to be gf and over the years have also started to convert it to be a bit healthier as well. But I love your version of the sweetened condensed milk. What a great idea!
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
@Kim @ Cook It Allergy Free, That’s quite a compliment coming from the Queen of Cooking Alternatives.
Hugs,
Amy
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Alisa Fleming
posted on May 9, 2011 at 12:25 pm
No one healthifies dessert recipes better than you Amy! These look AWESOME!!
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
@Alisa Fleming, You’re so sweet, Alisa. Guest posting on Go Dairy Free has forced me to think outside the box even more than I would have before. Thanks for including me in Sweet Sundays!
Hugs,
Amy
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Ricki
posted on May 9, 2011 at 1:21 pm
These were one of my childhood favorites! Now as soon as I can eat dates again, I can try out your new recipe. Yay!
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
@Ricki, I’m sure you could use something besides dates – stevia would work I think.
Hugs,
Amy
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Chris
posted on May 9, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Amy, these look scrumptious! Since cherries are in season, I may try using them to make the magic cookie power bars. Yummmm!
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Katie
posted on May 9, 2011 at 2:46 pm
YUM! I am going to put these on the list of things to try very soon. Any ideas for a substitute for the palm sugar? I am supposed to be relatively refined and natural-sugar free right now (not even dates, I fear!). I am going to do some experimenting though because these look too good not to try! Thanks for sharing
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
@Katie, Stevia?? Just use a gentle hand…it can overpower quickly. The texture won’t be the same but it should be close.
Hugs,
Amy
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Maggie
posted on May 9, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Fantastic Amy! I love the ingredients you used
These babies are right up my alley.
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
@Maggie, I was thinking of Callum when I made them. I’ll have to be able to cook for him when you guys come to Dallas.
Hugs,
Amy
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Kimberly
posted on May 9, 2011 at 5:37 pm
This looks wonderful. Hello, I am new to your blog and I was wondering what brand of carob chips you used that is safe?
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
@Kimberly, I get unsweetened carob chips from the bulk section at Whole Foods. They don’t have any barley or malt in them. They don’t cause a problem for me – if it doesn’t work for you and you can eat a small amount of white sugar (I can’t….) you might try an 85% chocolate.
Hugs,
Amy
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Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen)
posted on May 9, 2011 at 8:01 pm
These sound amazing! I love that you used almond milk, dates and chia instead of sweetened condensed milk! Thanks Amy!
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Sue K
posted on May 9, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Can flax seed meal be substituted for the chia seed meal??
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
@Sue K, Yes, but you’ll need to use about two times as much.
Hugs,
Amy
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Heather @Gluten-Free Cat
posted on May 9, 2011 at 8:51 pm
I LOVE your substitution for sweetened condensed milk! Brilliant!!! You are getting me closer and closer to committing to go sugar free!
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Pat @ Elegantly, Gluten-Free
posted on May 9, 2011 at 9:19 pm
I’ve wished for something like a Magic Bar without much hope of finding, till I saw these…they just might do the trick! Thanks, Amy!
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Gigi
posted on May 10, 2011 at 4:58 pm
Amy,
Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for sharing this amazing sub for sweetened condensed milk. I’m going to try it with an alternative milk (nut allergy). Can’t wait!
xo,
Gigi
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glutenfreeforgood
posted on May 11, 2011 at 6:27 am
I remember these little magic cookie bars, but we called them “Nummies” back in the day. I used to love these, but rarely made them because of the unhealthy ingredients, especially the sweetened condensed milk. Your alternative of the dates, almond milk and chia is brilliant! I can’t wait to try that. You’re so right, adopting a GF diet prompts you to have more fun with your food. Experiment and enjoy new options! Great post, Amy.
Melissa
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
@glutenfreeforgood, Thanks, Melissa. It’s fun to remake recipes…..I can’t seem to stop playing alternatives through my mind until I come up with something that works.
Hugs,
Amy
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Iris
posted on May 11, 2011 at 9:37 am
I’ve been working on a cookie bar recipe, and needed some tips on how to perfect it. This recipe showed me what to do. Thanks!
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
@Iris, Can’t wait to see your cookie bar recipe, Iris.
Hugs,
Amy
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Cara
posted on May 13, 2011 at 2:48 pm
I love those magic bars too – so thrilled to see this “recipe makeover!” I’m really intrigued by your substitute for the sweetened condensed milk. I’ll have to give this a shot!
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Amy Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
@Cara, Have fun, Cara! Would love to know if they feel ‘healthier’ to you when you eat them…I think our palates are about the same.
Much love,
Amy
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Katie
posted on May 16, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi Amy! These look so delicious! I’m wondering about the chia seed meal – I have chia seeds, can I turn them into meal somehow? Or, what brand and where do you get chia seed meal? Chia is new to me.
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Amy Reply:
May 16th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
@Katie, Hey Katie!! Great to hear from you! Just throw your chia seeds into your coffee mill and grind them up. They take no time at all so be careful you don’t get chia paste.
Hugs!
Amy
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Linda
posted on July 12, 2011 at 11:40 am
HI Amy,
Several of your recipes call for quinoa FLAKES…I have not been able to find these. Where in Dallas can they be purchased?
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kathy Reply:
August 13th, 2011 at 9:14 am
@Linda, I bought them at Whole Foods, I’m sure you have one in Dallas.
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kathy
posted on August 13, 2011 at 7:32 am
I made these yesterday. They are awesome! Love the chia seeds. Can’t wait to try them in other recipes. Thanks!
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Amy Reply:
August 13th, 2011 at 9:06 am
@kathy, Thanks for coming back to share, Kathy!
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Greta
posted on May 15, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Wow! I just made these and they turned out fantastic! I have to admit that I usually want to “tweak” every recipe that I find. But this one is perfect, as is. It was easy and came out exactly as advertised.
My daughter is gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free + peanut and almond free, among a number of other things. (I used unsweetened hemp milk) So I rarely find a recipe that fits the bill. I will be trying many more recipes from your site. Thanks for all the effort you’ve put into it.
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