Creamy White Bean Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Chunks (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

These soft and creamy cookie squares are made from canned white beans, white chocolate and a secret ingredient--sweetened condensed coconut milk! It's so easy to make, made all in the food processor, and great for those on a gluten-free, vegan diet.

If you're a fan of chickpea cookie dough and other chickpea based desserts, these delicious soft white chocolate cookie bars are for you! The creamy texture comes from white beans (either cannellini or white butter beans), as well as sweetened condensed coconut milk which adds the best kind of subtle, mellow sweet flavor that comes through each delicious bite. The white chocolate chunks are perfect with the rest of the ingredients, making this a perfect healthy treat.

What I love about this recipe

• Easy to make (made in the food processor)
• Vegan-friendly (egg-free)
• Gluten-free
• Full of fiber and nutritious!
• A perfect healthy treat

Ingredients Used to Make This

_{**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂}

• White Beans (cannellini or butter beans)– Rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals such as folate, iron, phosphorous, cannellini and butter beans have a satisfying nutty flavor and great additions to a healthy diet. I used canned beans, but you're welcome to use beans you've cooked yourself.
• Almond Butter - like this one. You can also use other natural nut butters like pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower. So many choices!
• Sweetened Condensed (Coconut) Milk - I love the flavor that Sweetened Condensed Milk adds to this recipe. You can use regular or a dairy-free one like this Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk.
• Coconut flour – Coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients unless you absolutely had to (2 Tbsp coconut flour = ½ cup almond flour). Unfortunately, you probably won’t get the same texture or mouthfeel as the original recipe.
• Baking White Chocolate Bar

Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:

• Use other beans, such as chickpeas, or even lentils.
• Love Miso? Add a tablespoon of sweet miso paste to the batter before baking. See this post for more ideas
• Try Dark Chocolate instead of White! You can also add 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder
• Coffee or mocha? Add either a teaspoon of coffee extract or espresso powder.
• Chai or Cardamom? Add 1 tsp of Cardamom or Chai Tea Powder.
• Add natural flavoring / extracts. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such as caramel flavoring, hazelnut extract or almond extract.
• Feel free to experiment on using different nut butters. Instead of almond butter you can also use pecan butter, walnut butter, cashew butter, mixed nut butter, or seed butter like sunflower or pumpkin seed butter.

How to Make this Healthier

• Add antioxidants: Did you know that cinnamon, matcha and turmeric are all good sources of antioxidants?  Add a teaspoon or two of some of these superfood powders to make this recipe even better!
• Increase fiber: Add a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed or coconut flour.. Add a handful of nuts, seeds and old-fashioned oats to add texture and nutrition to the cake.
• Reduce sugar: You can also reduce the sugar by half (to make this less sweet), or replace it altogether with a sugar-free substitute.

How to Store

• You can store this cookie in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

Final Tips

• Be sure to wash and rinse the canned beans before using to reduce the salt.
• While a food processor will give you the best results, you can also use a high-powered blender (such as Vitamix) that comes with a tamper. Use the tamper to push the ingredients into the blades of the blender to ensure the best consistency.

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