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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
Cookie Dough Brownie Bars
Ingredients Â
For the Base Batter
- 1/2 cup red lentils, masoor dal
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3/4 cup ground raw sugar , or other sweetener
For the Cookie Dough and Brownie Layers
- 1/4 cup oat flour divided, divided, or use coconut flour for grain free
- 5 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
InstructionsÂ
Make the base batter.
- 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 the cooked lentils and all of the remaining batter ingredients to your blender. Blend for 1 minute, then let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. Blend again for 30 seconds. Continue blending and resting until you have a smooth mixture. Divide this mixture between 2 bowls.
Make the cookie dough and brownie batters.
- In one bowl, add 2 tablespoons oat flour and 2.5 tablespoons coconut flour, and mix well. Add 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips and mix. Taste and add more sweet, if needed. This is your cookie dough.
- In other bowl, add 2 tablespoons oat flour, 2.5 tablespoons coconut flour, and the cocoa powder and mix well. Add the remaining chocolate chips and mix in. Taste and add sweet, if needed. This is your brownie batter.
Layer and bake.
- Press brownie layer into parchment-lined pan, then press cookie dough on top. Chill for an hour or freeze for half an hour, then slice and serve. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days, or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*Coconut Flour
*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 8Â inch brownie pan.
* Red Lentils can also be found online like these Bob’s Red Mill Red Lentils
* Vegan Chocolate chips options Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips
These bars are being shared at VVP
So I was pretty excited about these just from the photo, but THEN I saw the lentils. Lentil cookie dough is the most amazing invention ever! These treats are pure health food- Instead of making excuses to eat a second, you would have to make excuses why NOT to eat a second! I’m in love!
Just made these, using cashews instead of hemp and just 2/3 of the sugar. The taste is really good and hopefully it will stiffen up some in the fridge. I made a double batch and it still wasn’t enough for an 8 x 8 pan though – wish I’d known that because I’m taking it to a party tomorrow.
Awesome! they do set a bit in the refrigerator. So glad you like them!
the recipes says 9 by 5 pan, so you would have to double it for a 9 by 9 brownie pan
D’oh! I read the recipe twice and didn’t see the pan size at the top. But there’s no way a single recipe fills a 9 x 5 pan unless you make them much thinner than in the photos! A double recipe wasn’t really enough for an 8 x 8 pan. It did stiffen up some overnight and looks and smells so good!
Probably because you used less sugar. You have to add more of the other ingredients to get the same volume as in the original version.
These look so pretty and delicious. I love your photos. I am not sure why I am just now seeing that you are in Seattle. Yay! I am going to go outside and wave. 🙂
Wow Richa! I kid you not, I actually wrote down on my recipe scribble pad several months back to try using lentils in brownies for a lower calorie version and just never got around to it. You beat me to it and now I don’t have to! The look amazinggggg!!!
I kid you not Richa…I have on my recipe scribble pad to test brownies using red lentils to try and create a lower calorie brownie! Now, you already beat me to it! LOL. These look soooo amazing!!!
Amazing recipe and awesome photos.
They actually look baked! Love the layers, Richa :-)!
What a wonderful recipe Richa – I love how versatile lentils are and can’t believe you snuck them in this cookie dough! Can’t wait to try them! 🙂 Pinned!
Oh wow Richa! These look phenomenal! Love that they’re no-bake and use coconut flour! I make a raw brownie with coconut flour and absolutely adore the texture it gives.
Pinned!
Do you mean split red lentils or what you refer to as red lentils elsewhere (brown lentils or “whole red lentils”)?
yes, the split ones – masoor dal. They are called red lentils. the whole lentils are called indian brown lentils or whole red lentils