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Gluten-Free Cowboy Cookie Bars

These chewy, gooey cookie bars feature delicious goodies like chocolate chips, oats, pecans and shredded coconut for a kitchen sink approach to classic cookie bars. Warning!: These bars are so addictive!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
37 mins
Servings: 16 Bars
Calories: 324 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 13 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ⅔ cup raw pecans chopped
  • ⅔ cup quick oats or rolled oats
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 ½ cups chocolate chips*

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8” x 8” cake pan with parchment paper.
  2. Add the softened butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until the butter sugar mixture is fluffy. Note: if you don't own a stand mixer, use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer.
  3. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until the wet ingredients are well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, stir together the gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt (dry ingredients).
  5. Leaving the mixer on medium-low speed, slowly pour the flour mixture into the mixer with the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined.
  6. Add the pecans, oats, shredded coconut and chocolate chips and mix until everything is well-distributed throughout the dough. Note: if the dough seems overly greasy, refrigerate it for 20-40 minutes. Otherwise, proceed to the next step without refrigeration.
  7. Transfer the cowboy cookie dough to the prepared baking dish and use a rubber spatula to press dough into an even layer. If you’d like, sprinkle the top of the dough with extra chocolate chips, shredded coconut, flaky sea salt, and/or chopped pecans.
  8. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden-brown around the edges. I bake mine for 22 minutes, which results in a crispy edge and a very gooey center. For chewy, underdone cookie bars, bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 168 to 178 degrees F. For cookie bars with a golden brown crisp that have set up but are still gooey, 22 to 25 minutes. Harder, crispier cookie bars, 28 to 30 minutes.
  9. Allow cookie bars to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. The longer you wait to slice the bars, the cleaner the slices will come out.
  10. To slice bars easily, Pull on the edges of the parchment paper and lift the full batch out of the baking dish and transfer it to a cutting board. Be sure to use a sharp knife to cut the bars in order to get clean slices.

Notes

  • *use semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, sugar-free chocolate chips, or a combination of chocolate and butterscotch chips
  • *use semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, sugar-free chocolate chips, or a combination of chocolate and butterscotch chips

Nutrition Information

Serving 1Bar (of 16) Calories 324kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 34g (11%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 11g (55%) Monounsaturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 37mg (12%) Sodium 110mg (5%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 18g (36%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16Bars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 324

% Daily Value*

Serving 1Bar (of 16)
Calories 324kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 34g 11%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 37mg 12%
Sodium 110mg 5%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 18g 36%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.