Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Mint chocolate chip has always been one of my favorite go-to flavors. These mint chocolate chip cookie bars use Beth Blends Grain-Free flour blend along with a few other ingredients to make a fantastic minty treat. I debated on whether to call these cookie bars or blondie bars as the texture is kind of a mix between the two.

I always test these things out on my kids (and husband) because I know they’ll be honest and they also eat “normal” non-paleo non-AIP treats, so their palates are accustomed to those things. Anyway, my teenage son ate 6 cookie bars in about 5 minutes. Ha! So I feel confident in saying these are delicious and your non-paleo friends will love them too. 

If you're in search of additional cookie recipes, you may also want to check out these Orange Pumpkin Cookies and Snickerdoodle Cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These cookie bars gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, Paleo and AIP compliant (if using carob chips rather than chocolate chips).
• The texture is perfect- Many AIP baked goods have a gooey, stretchy or otherwise weird texture. That is just not the case here. 
• They're quick- just mix everything together and plop it in the pan, ready to bake.

Recipe Ingredients:

• Beth Blends Grain-Free Flour Blend (Pink Bag)- This is a blend of tapioca flour, coconut flour, and cassava flour, so it works really nicely to create the perfect texture.
• Gelatin Powder- This is really important in many AIP recipes because it replaces the egg and holds everything together. In many cases, I'll say it's ok to substitute an egg for the gelatin but it doesn't really work with this recipe.
• Sea Salt- Any sea salt is fine. Be sure to use a fine-grain one though. 
• Palm Shortening- This is another very important ingredient for good AIP cookies. Coconut oil would be the closest substitute but I have not tested this yet and it probably wouldn't produce quite the same texture.  If you’re not strict AIP, grass-fed butter should work fine (let me know if you try this).  
• Maple Syrup- Use maple syrup if possible. Normally I'd recommend using honey as a substitute but it did not work well at all when I tried it with this recipe. Seriously don't do it.
• Apple Cider Vinegar- This gives the bars a little bit of volume. 
• Vanilla Extract- Choose one with just vanilla bean extractive and alcohol. If you can find one without alcohol, great. However, it’s not entirely necessary to avoid the alcohol in AIP if you’re baking. It will cook off. Another alternative is vanilla bean powder but you’ll use a little bit less of it- about ¼-1/2 tsp vanilla powder to 1 tsp vanilla extract. 
• Peppermint Extract- For AIP, choose one without glycerin or peppermint “flavoring.” It should just be peppermint oil and alcohol. Again, don’t worry about the alcohol as it will cook off. Watkins and Nielsen-Massey are good choices.
• Mini Chocolate Chips- If you’re not strict AIP/Paleo, you can use something like Enjoy Life allergy-free chocolate chips which use three simple ingredients and are easy to find in most grocery stores. For Paleo, you can try Hu brand paleo chocolate chips. If you’re strict AIP, you can make carob chips. I know it’s another step but I don’t think any store-bought AIP carob chips exist yet (unfortunately).

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Grease an 8x8 square baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: grain free flour blend, gelatin powder, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. In another medium bowl or stand mixer bowl, combine the palm shortening, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract. Mix together preferably using an electric mixer. It will be a bit lumpy until you add the dry ingredients- this is normal.
4. Slowly add in the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Spread it out across the pan evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula.

7. Bake for about 18 minutes on the middle oven rack. Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes. Cut into 16 squares.

Recipe FAQ’s

Tips

• Try to use only the ingredients suggested in the recipe. Any change to the ingredients will drastically change the texture of the final product.
• Use an eclectic mixer for the dough if you have it. It’s just easier to get a smooth, even mixture this way.  Otherwise, a wooden spoon or whisk works fine too.
• Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them.
• Try eating them cold. They're amazing at room temp but also delicious out of the fridge. They remind me of mint thin girl scout cookies.

Conclusion:

I hope you love this recipe! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought!

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