These 6-ingredient No-Bake Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are decadent and rich, yet healthy and easy to make! These 2-layer vegan bars are perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
This post was sponsored by NOW Foods, but the opinions and text are fully my own.
A salted caramel cookie bar mixture combined with mini chocolate chips, followed by a rich and decadent layer made up of dark chocolate and salted caramel cashew butter swirls.
Oh, and did I mention that they’re:
- easy to make
- healthy
- 6 ingredients
- no-bake
- gluten-free
- vegan
- refined sugar-free
Yep. That’s right…let that all sink in for just a minute before you keep reading.
Nut Butters Are So Versatile
I love incorporating different nut butters into my recipes, this one included.
I typically alternate between using peanut butter and almond butter, but also use cashew butter to make sauces. They’re just so creamy, delicious, and versatile!
- Spread on toast, top with fruit and seeds
- Drizzle on oatmeal
- Stuff into dates
- Dip into with apples
- Make sandwiches
- Blend into sauces for a tofu stir-fry, pra ram, or lettuce wraps
- Add to curries
And of course my ultimate favorite…EAT WITH A SPOON! When you see me and my daughter digging into the jar with a spoon, you know it’s a good quality delicious nut butter!
Delicious Nutty Infusions
That’s exactly what happened with the first batch of NOW Foods’ new Nutty Infusions™ , especially the Salted Caramel Cashew Butter! I love the simple ingredients, and the creamy cashew butter combined with molasses gives such great flavor.
How can something so simple be so delicious? When you try a spoonful and realize you can’t stop digging in, then you’ll know!
I also love their unique Mango Chili Cashew Butter, and Ginger Wasabi Cashew Butter infusions!
I couldn’t resist the temptation of using the Salted Caramel Cashew Butter and pairing it with chocolate to make a delicious no-bake bar that can serve as a breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Why I Love No Bake Recipes
They don’t require any oven, usually take less effort and are easier to make! Plain and simple.
There’s less accuracy needed since you’re not counting on a baked good to rise and have the right amount of moisture. And the waiting steps, if any, consist of letting them set in the fridge!
As much as I love baked goods like pastries, donuts, and brownies, there’s just something quick and fun about making no-bake recipes, especially ones that serve as sweet snacks or desserts!
Why You’ll Love These Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
I’ve made so many batches of these Chocolate Chip Cookie Salted Caramel Bars because they are quick to make.
The only downside is that they’re even quicker to disappear.
I mean salted caramel + cashew butter + chocolate. What’s not to love right?
Salted Caramel Recipes Made Easy
I’ve always loved the flavor of Salted Caramel. That sweet taste that brings pleasure and comfort coupled with the flavor-enhancing abilities of salt.
When I first tried the Nutty Infusions Salted Caramel Cashew Butter , I knew it’d be the perfect way to get that salted caramel flavor into a healthy delicious no-bake bar without having to go through too much effort!
Healthy Ingredients
There are only 6 main Ingredients in these salted caramel bars.
- coconut flour
- Nutty Infusions Salted Caramel Cashew Butter
- maple syrup
- chocolate chips
- non-dairy milk
Coconut flour is produced from dried coconut meat. It’s fairly high in protein, fiber and fat, and relatively low in carbohydrates by comparison to other flours. So I chose to use it as the base because of its rich texture, natural sweetness, and natural gluten-free properties.
2-Layer Vegan Bar Recipe
This no-bake vegan bar recipe consists of two separate layers that come together pretty quickly.
The first layer is the thicker base and consists of coconut flour, Salted Caramel Cashew Butter, maple syrup, non-dairy milk (if needed), and mini chocolate chips.
The second layer is a basic combination of poured melted dark chocolate marbled with Salted Caramel Cashew Butter.
Using Coconut Flour And Substitutions
Coconut flour and almond flour are two of the most commonly used flours in grain-free baking and each has its own unique delicious taste.
For this particular recipe, I recommend using coconut flour, but if you need to substitute with almond flour, you’ll have to adjust the amount of flour and liquid (cashew butter & maple syrup) with the first layer until you get a dough-like consistency (i.e. too dry, add more liquid, too wet, add more flour).
Coconut flour is particularly absorbent and sucks up a lot of moisture. A general rule of thumb is to replace every 1/4 cup of coconut flour with at least 1 cup of almond flour and decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe. I have only tested this recipe using coconut flour.
Even if you’re not a huge coconut fan, don’t worry because the salted caramel and chocolate flavors come through well.
How To Make No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Salted Caramel Bars – Step By Step
Whisk together the Salted Caramel Cashew Butter and maple syrup in a bowl.
Add the coconut flour and combine. You may need to use your hands for this step to form a dough-like mixture. Use a little non-dairy milk as needed to get the right consistency.
Add in the mini chocolate chips and combine once more.
Firmly press the dough-like mixture into a small parchment-lined pan so that the first layer is about 1 to 1.5 inches thick. Place in the fridge to set while you prepare the second layer.
Melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave in 30-second increments or stovetop using a double broiler. Add a little coconut oil while melting.
Pour the melted chocolate over the first layer, quickly dollop on a few spoonfuls of the salted caramel cashew butter, and drag a small butter knife through the layer horizontally and vertically to create a marbled pattern.
Place in the fridge until the chocolate layer solidifies, cut into squares, and serve! Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge!
Looking For More Easy No-Bake Recipes?
- No-Bake Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Oatmeal No-Bak Bites
- No-Bake Chewy Chocolate Date Cookies
- No-Bake Protein Packed Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites
- Easy No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Pie
- No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Caramel Bar with Pistachios
No-Bake Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
INGREDIENTS
First Layer:
- 1/2 cup Nutty Infusions Salted Caramel Cashew Butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 4 teasp non-dairy milk , such as unsweetened almond milk (see notes below)
- 2 tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips
Second Layer:
INSTRUCTIONS
For First Layer:
- Whisk together the cashew butter and maple syrup.
- Add the coconut flour and combine using your hands into a dough-like mixture.
- Feel free to add a tiny bit of non-dairy milk (1 teasp at a time) to the mixture until you get a good dough-like consistency. If the mixture is too dry, add non-dairy milk, if the mixture is too wet, add a tiny bit more coconut flour.
- Add the mini chocolate chips and combine using your hands.
- Line a small square or rectangular tray with parchment paper.
- Spread and press the coconut flour mixture into the bottom of the pan into an even layer (about at least 1 inch thick, more is fine).
- Place in the fridge to set while you prepare the second layer.
Second Layer:
- Add the dark chocolate chips and coconut oil in a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, mixing in between, until all the chocolate chips are fully melted. Alternatively use a double broiler to melt the chocolate chips.
- Remove the first layer from the fridge. Pour over the melted chocolate chips on the first layer and gently tap or spread with a spoon to create a uniform layer of chocolate. It should cover the entire first layer.
- Quickly add dollops of salted caramel cashew butter on top, and drag a small butter knife through the layer horizontally and vertically to create a marbled pattern.
- Place in the fridge until the chocolate layer solidifies, cut into squares, and serve! Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge!
Rashmi Asharam
This looks absolutely heavenly.
Reshana
Oh such an awesome and decadent recipe Anjali 🙂
Perfect as a summer snack when the cravings creep up on you.
anjali
Thanks Reshana! It’s sooo good…that nutty infusions makes it easy to get that salted flavor in these bars! We’ll probably be enjoying them all year long.
Dusti
Where am I supposed to find that nutty butter?
anjali
The Nutty Infusions by NOW foods can be found at Jimbos, Sprouts, on Amazon, or on the NOW foods site you can order it online (links for last two above in post). I love the salted caramel Nutty Infusions (it’s sooo good!), but if you cannot find them, you can use another salted peanut butter, almond butter, or cashew butter and this recipe should work well.
Ann M Miner
Can you be more specific about the size of the pan?
anjali
sorry about that! I left that part out. I’d say any glass rectangular pan you have SMALLER than a 9×13. Something like 8.75″x 6.75 or 7.5″x 5.5. Let me know how it turns out!