Chocolate Chip Katie Bars – (Healthy Snack Recipe!)

These healthy chocolate chip Katie Bars feature wholesome ingredients and taste like chocolate chip cookie dough at the same time!

What are chocolate chip Katie Bars?

My homemade answer to packaged energy bars.
No bake, no sugar added, plus gluten free, dairy free, and vegan options.
Made of real foods you can pronounce, with just 5 ingredients!
Less expensive and more environmentally friendly than packaged bars.

Back in college, I went through a huge chocolate energy bar phase. Bars were easy to eat, needed no refrigeration or cooking, and offered a quick grab-and-go snack choice that I could throw in my backpack before class.

Two of my favorite options were Luna Bars and Larabars. And of course I liked the chocolate flavors best.

The summer after freshman year, with plenty of free time on my hands, I felt inspired to play around in the kitchen and create my own energy bars.

I made dozens of flavors, including chocolate brownie, chocolate cherry, peanut butter cup, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

My friends took to calling them “Katie Bars.”

The cookie dough was one of everyone’s favorite flavors. We decided that it tasted like an unbaked Toll House chocolate chip cookie.

I must have made over a hundred homemade Katie Bars that summer, and I’ve been making them ever since!

I also love these Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Full recipe video

Ingredients for the homemade energy bars

Dates – The recipe calls for pitted dates. Just like with my Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies, I recommend dried Medjool dates for their soft texture and caramel flavor.

You may experiment with other dried fruits, such as raisins, figs, or apricots. A low carb option is also included in the recipe box below.

Nuts – I like raw, unsalted nuts. Cashews, walnuts, and pecans are my favorites, and you can mix and match the types of nuts to create different flavors. Raw or roasted almonds, pistachios, or macadamia nuts all work too.

Chocolate Chips – No need to measure these. Throw in a handful of semi sweet or dark chocolate chips. Or two handfuls! Obviously two handfuls are better than one.

Feel free to sub carob chips, raisins, white chocolate chips, Vegan Peanut Butter Chips, or other add-ins of choice. For a raw dessert, substitute raw cacao nibs.

Vanilla Extract – Pure vanilla extract is best. It gives the bars a classic chocolate chip cookie dough flavor.

Salt – You need just a fourth teaspoon of salt for the chocolate chip energy bars, but it makes all the difference in taste.

Homemade Katie Bars (Food Processor Energy Bar Recipe)

How to make chocolate chip Katie bars

Be sure to remove the pits from the dates if they are not already pitted. Your food processor will thank you.
Add the pitted dates, nuts, pure vanilla extract, and salt to a high quality food processor (I use and love this Cuisinart Food Processor). I recommend including about half of the chocolate chips now too. Process until fine crumbles form, stopping to scrape down the sides of the machine as needed.
You can smush the dough into bar shapes with your hands. Or roll it out in a large Ziploc bag with a rolling pin, then open the bag and cut into bars or squares.
Press remaining chocolate chips into the bars, and enjoy for snack or dessert.
Store leftover date bars in a covered container on the counter for up to two weeks. Or refrigerate for up to two months. They also taste great if you freeze the bars in an airtight container and eat them frozen.

*While you can technically use a blender to make Katie Bars, it yields a much stickier dough. For the best texture, go with a food processor.

Katie’s favorite variations

Instead of bars, use cookie cutters to make different shapes.
Add a drop or two of maple, peppermint, or almond extract before blending.
Swap semi sweet chocolate chips for peanut butter, butterscotch, or dark chocolate chips.
Cut the dough into circles, and add Coconut Ice Cream or Almond Milk Ice Cream to the centers, for your very own healthy Chipwich ice cream cookie sandwiches.
Dip at least half of each bar in melted chocolate, then refrigerate to set the coating.

Health benefits of chocolate chip Katie Bars

High fiber. Each energy bar provides 20% of the RDA for fiber and 5 grams of protein.

Added sugar free. The snacks are naturally sweetened with dates instead of white sugar, honey, or maple syrup. And there are no artificial sweeteners, stevia, erythritol, or monk fruit.

Low calorie. Just 130 calories per bar, including the chocolate chips.

Plant based. The recipe is nondairy, egg free, and fully vegan as-is.

Homemade Energy Bars With Nuts And Dates

1. Process the pitted dates, nuts, vanilla, and salt in a high quality food processor. I sometimes like to add half the chocolate chips as well.
2. Blend until fine crumbles form, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the machine. (It is best to use a food processor, because a blender will yield overly sticky results.)
3. Form the dough into bars with your hands. Or roll it out in a large Ziploc bag, then open the bag and cut bars or squares.
4. Press a few chocolate chips into each bar, and enjoy the homemade energy bars for dessert or a healthy snack.
5. Store leftovers in a covered container on the counter for up to two weeks or in the refrigerator or freezer for up to two months.