Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Gluten Free & Vegan)

I have been doing so much baking and cooking during this quarantine and I have been meaning to blog about it all for weeks! I am so glad to finally sit down and get a post up! Whenever I blog a recipe, I've made it (& enjoyed it) at least two times before blogging. Especially now that my recipes are mostly gluten free & vegan, I always make sure they work twice before committing to taking pictures and posting. For example on Saturday, I made a recipe called 'Drunken Noodles' for the first time and it was a huge hit in my house! The Bean said it was the best thing she's ever eaten in her life! So, I will definitely post the recipe. It's on our meal list for next week so it will probably go up soon after that.

In other news, my teacher resource and party game posts have been blowing up! I'm thinking that with everyone stuck at home (and in some cases home schooling!) we are all on the lookout for new sources of entertainment. I have a few teaching & young learner activities that I never shared from my teaching interneships. I made a note in my planner to get some boredom busters and educational resources up a.s.a.p.

But, today I'm sharing chocolate chip cookies bars that went over super well in my house! They are darn easy to whip up and they make a fantastic dessert! The recipe is from Cara Reed's Decadent Gluten Free & Vegan Baking cookbook.

Start by combining the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups of all purpose gluten free flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set the dry ingredients aside until later.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup of vegan butter, 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk (I use oat milk) and 1 cup of coconut sugar. Mix until completely melted and well combined. Set the mixture aside for 5-10 minutes to cool.

While the mixture is cooling, prep 1 egg replacer (I use Bob Red Mill's egg replacer). Then, mix the egg replacer and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Once the wet ingredients are combined, add them to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Next, fold in 3/4 cups of dairy free chocolate chips. Again, mix until they are just well distributed, being careful not to over mix. Line an 8x8'' baking pan with parchment paper and pour the batter into the baking dish. Use a spatula to spread the batter into the baking dish. I added a little extra dark chocolate to the cookies bars - I chopped up a piece of a dark chocolate bar and just sprinkled it on top.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, bake the cookie bars for 30-35 minutes. The bars should have risen quite a bit and be slightly browned on top. Let the bars cool on a wire cooling rack until they are cool enough to touch, then slice them into 16 bars. When the bars are completely cool, store them in a air tight container.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS
[Gluten Free & Vegan]
yield 16 bars

ingredients
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup coconut sugar
1 egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips (plus additional for sprinkling on top)

directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten free flour, the baking powder, the baking soda and the salt. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, non-dairy milk and coconut sugar together. Whisking frequently to combine. Set this mixture aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
3. Prep the egg replacer. When the butter mixture is mostly cooled, mix in the egg replacer and the vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the dairy free chocolate chips.
5. Prepare a 8x8'' baking pan with parchment and pour the batter into the baking dish. Use a spatula to spread the batter, making sure it's evenly distributed in the baking pan.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once preheated, bake the cookie bars for 30-35 minutes until the top is slightly browned.
7. Let the bars cool on a wire rack until they are cool enough to touch, then slice the bars into 16 bars. Store the bars in an air tight container once they are completely cooled.

Happy baking!