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These vegan Cookie Dough Brownies have a secret ingredient. Lentils! Free of dairy, egg, soy and gluten. They come together quickly for the chocolate chip cookie dough fix. Use coconut flour to make grain-free
I know right. I am currently going through a Cookie dough phase. the other day, I was hit with the cookie dough craving again and I wondered if I could do something about all the flour and nuts in it and also the reduce the oil and amp up te cookie dough to something more. Enter lentils! Lentils and chickpeas can pretty much do everything. I also added a brownie layer to the bars, you can as well make the brownie layer into cookie dough too. Make a lot of cookie dough balls and freeze them till you need them, if any are left that is. So lets add some protein (lentils!) to these fudge bars.
There are cooked lentils, hemp seeds, a bit of oat and coconut flour for added volume in this recipe. Sub the oat flour with coconut flour to make the recipe grain-free. I use raw unrefined sugar in the recipe. The dry sugar is not adding any volume to this so you can use any sweetener of choice like stevia, dates, coconut sugar etc. A liquid sweetener might not work as well as there is already enough moisture from the lentils.
I know they sound unusual. Give them a go! If you don’t like them much, no fear, just blend them up into milkshakes or cookie dough blizzards!
Make these awesome Vegan Cookie Dough Brownies! Lentils = Protein!
More goodies from the blog.
The original Chocolate chip Cookie dough with oat and almond flour or use any flour. No Bake. You can use this to make these bars as well. Make a double batch, add cocoa powder to one batch, layer, chill and slice.
Cookie dough blizzard milkshake – No Bake
Baked Chocolate chunk Cookie, Date Caramel, Brownie bars
Vegan Cookie Dough Brownies. Gluten-free No Bake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red lentils, masoor dal
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup hemp seeds
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 3/4 cup ground raw sugar , or other sweetener
- 1/4 cup oat flour divided, or use coconut flour to make grain free
- 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp mini vegan chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- In a pan, add washed lentils and water. Partially cover and cook for 13 to 14 minutes on medium heat or until very tender. Drain if needed. Cool to room temperature and add to blender.
- Add hemp seeds to the blender and blend. Blend 2 or more cycles to smoothly blend the hemp seeds and lentils.
- Add salt, vanilla extract, sugar, coconut oil and blend to combine. Divide the blended mixture into 2 bowls.
- In one bowl, add 2 Tbsp oat flour, 2.5 Tbsp coconut flour and mix well. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and mix. Taste add more sweet if needed. This is the cookie dough.
- In other bowl, add 2 Tbsp oat flour, 2.5 Tbsp coconut flour, cocoa powder and mix well. Add 2 Tbsp chocolate chips and mix in. Taste and add sweet if needed. This is the brownie.
- *Coconut flour thickens up the dough, so add less or more depending on the moisture content. During mixing, you will know after a minute if the dough needs more or not.
- Press brownie layer into parchment lined pan. Press cookie dough on top. Chill for an hour or freeze for half an hour. Slice and serve. Keep refrigerated for upto 4 days, frozen for longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*Coconut Flour
is not desiccated coconut. It is ground from dried defatted coconut. It absorbs liquid like a sponge and does not feel oily or flaky.
*Use quick cooking red or pink lentils here, not brown or whole red(Indian brown) lentils.
*Use finely ground nuts instead of hemp seeds for variation
*This makes half a 8 by 8 inch brownie pan.
* Red Lentils can also be found online like these Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
. They make amazing soups/dals.
* Vegan Chocolate chips options Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips
or chop up Theo Classic Organic (70% Cacao) Dark Chocolate bars
These bars are being shared at VVP
This is my new favorite recipe! My husband and 4 year old love it too. Usually I make a chickpea cookie dough bar as a healthy treat, but I love that this recipe has lentils and hemp seeds! Thank you 🙂
So glad the family loves it!
Can I substitute applesauce for the coconut oil?
Yes, you can. But note that this will likely change the flavor and texture a bit.
This is one of my favourite recipes from your site. They taste amazing a pack a great nutritional value.
Question: if I cook them thoroughly, can I use whole brown lentils for this recipe?
Yes but the color of the cookie dough will be brown
Hi, Richa, your recipe looks delightful! I’ve had a ton of success with legumes in baked goods; they make for a great texture.
I’m considering testing this recipe sometime with almond butter in place of the coconut oil and dates in place of the sugar to make it oil free and more whole-food-centered. (Obviously still a treat food with all the flour and the chocolate chips, don’t know if I’d want to consider a substitute for the chocolate chips to make it free of refined sugar.) Just curious if you’ve ever tested the recipe this way. Perhaps tahini or cashew butter would work better with the flavor than almond butter? I’m assuming the coconut flour is preferred for texture over other flours?
Eh, sorry, did not mean to reply to another comment but to make a comment in the general thread!
I have not tested the recipe in that way, but sounds like you’ve got some good swap ideas. Oat and coconut flour have the best texture and taste for this no-bake recipe. Cashew butter would be best for the consistency and taste, I believe. I look forward to hearing your feedback!
The flavor is good but the texture of mine is off. I wish there was a little more direction as to what texture I was looking for when mixing. I sort of expected it to firm up in the fridge and it didn’t. But I will most likely try again use what I learned from my mistakes in the next round.
Prob had too much moisture is it didn’t firm up a bit. It won’t firm up a lot but should settle. You can add in more flours
Is there a substitute for the coconut flour?
Add oat flour. You’ll need more flour as coconut flour absorbs a lot kore moisture than other flours
Thank you, @veganricha, for this creative and wholesome spin on a beloved treat!
glad you loved it
They look delicious. Is it possible to leave out the coconut oil or substitute it with something else to make it oil-free?
Yes leave it out
Hi Richa,
These sound so intriguing! I made fudgy black bean brownies last week that were a big hit!
I’m just wondering what you would substitute for coconut oil? Would maple syrup work (cutting out some sugar) & adding more coconut flour?
Just omit it