Cookie Dough Bars (flour and egg free)

I have no shame in saying the best part about making cookies is eating the cookie dough.

Now we all know that at the moment it is a little harder than usual to find flour and eggs in the shops

. But have no fear, you can still make delicious things. You can whip these up in minutes and either make them into bars or just eat the dough straight from the bowl (guilty!). Alternatively pop some in a bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds for a gooey treat.

The texture isn’t the same as a normal cookie dough but I quite like the extra bite from the ground oats. The only thing I will say is you

do really need brown sugar to get that cookie dough, caramel-like flavour.

Coronavirus has stopped man things, but it can’t stop the British eating cake.

Cookie dough bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients

Base

• 220 oats

• 200g butter

• 280 g soft brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

• 80g chocolate

Chocolate topping

• 150g chocolate

(see notes for ingredient replacement and store cupboard substitutions below the method)

Method

1. Put the oats in a food processor or a blender (e.g Nutribullet or similar) and pulse until they resemble a coarse flour.

2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add in the ground oats and beat to combine. (Alternatively you can do this all in a food processor)

3. Stir in the chocolate chips. Then press into a lined baking tray (8x8 inch cake tin or one of similar size).

4. Melt the chocolate for the topping and spread it on top.

5. Pop in the freezer for 45 minutes and then cut into squares. These are best stored in the fridge.

Notes, variations and substitutions

• Oats: any oats work since you are grinding them up anyway. Alternative you can use flour, but use 280g flour.

• Sugar: brown sugar does really give that cookie dough flavour, but if you haven’t got it you can use white sugar, it just won’t have that depth of flavour.

• Chocolate: use as much or little as you like

Variations

• Alternatively roll the dough into balls and dip in melted chocolate to make cookie dough truffles or just eat it with a spoon!

• Place a large spoonful in a mug and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds and its like a cookie has married a flapjack. Golden, oat-y, caramel decadence.