Husband made quinoa flour for pancakes a while back. We don’t use it all that often, but he made way more than he needed, so I figured I’d scour the internet search Pinterest for quinoa flour recipes. Vegan ones, of course. And I found a gem I wanted to try. It’s usually a gem if it includes chocolate and I have every single ingredient on hand (or know how to substitute the ones I don’t have).
Because I had everything for these cookie bars, (and happened to need a dish to take to a potluck) I gave this one a whirl, and I’m glad I did! It was delicious. It called for oil, but I subbed for applesauce like I normally do. Then I cut half of the coconut sugar and replaced it with my chocolate frosting. It worked perfectly. And it got rave reviews!
I mean, you can understand, right? Look at those babies! They’re so tender and fluffy on the inside. That soft cookie feel to these is incredible. They’re just as good as they look, if not better, seeing as I’m no food photographer. Haha. Definitely give these a shot. You won’t regret it.
The recipe I first tried didn’t originally call for peanut butter, but who doesn’t want peanut butter in their desserts? Okay, some people, and for good reason. If you’re allergic or don’t like peanut butter, feel free to leave it out or sub it with another nut/seed butter. I’m sure it’ll still be great!
If you want more dessert recipes, try my chickpea cookie bars, French toast cookies, chocolate sweet potato mousse, fluffy cupcakes, and chocolate donuts. Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this recipe! Comment below, rate it, or take a photo and tag me @fruitsohard on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations. Happy eating!
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (or a flax/chia combo)
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch (can sub with arrowroot)
- 3 tbsp powdered peanut butter*
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt (pink Himalayan recommended)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup date paste*
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life chunks)
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Add ground flaxseed and water to a small bowl and mix. Let sit for 5 minutes.
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In a medium bowl, add dry ingredients (flours through salt) and whisk to combine.
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In a large mixing bowl, mix coconut sugar, date paste, and applesauce well. Then add flax/water mixture and vanilla and mix well.
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Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three batches, stirring well between each batch.
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Fold chocolate chips into the batter. Then cover and chill in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Remove batter from refrigerator and let rest for 5 minutes before pressing into prepared 8x8 pan (either lightly greased or lined with parchment paper).
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Bake for 30-35 minutes or until browned but the center is still soft.
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Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes before cutting it into bars/squares. Then enjoy!
*If you're allergic or don't want peanut butter in these, simply leave it out or replace it with another nut/seed butter. You may want to up the quinoa flour by a tablespoon or two to balance out the moisture of an actual butter though. I have not tried it this way and cannot confirm the results. I have tried it without the peanut butter, however, and they're still delicious.
**You can use another 1/2 cup coconut sugar instead if you don't have/want to use date paste. I used this date paste.
***Inspired by Simply Quinoa.
