No Bake Caramel Cookie Dough Cups

Caramel cookie dough cups are an easy no-bake dessert recipe! They are vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, and made with 8 ingredients. Edible cookie dough surrounds a smooth caramel center, creating a delicious sweet and salty treat! The recipe is secretly healthy and easily customizable with keto, paleo, and nut-free options.

If it weren’t already obvious, I have a major sweet tooth. Three things at the top of my constant cravings list? Chocolate, cookie dough, and caramel. (Add peanut butter and it’s basically heaven!) In pursuit of satisfying my craving for all things sweet, I decided to combine these components into one glorious treat. However, I wanted it to taste ridiculously indulgent while maintaining a secretly healthy and guilt-free ingredients list. I am thrilled to say this was a big success!

My favorite thing about this no-bake dessert is that the flavors, textures, and appearance are actually realistic. The healthy cookie dough genuinely tastes like cookie dough, and the vegan caramel sauce is mysteriously similar to real caramel. (We have all tried healthier desserts that claim to be one thing but taste absolutely nothing like it, ya know?) Well, I feel 100% confident calling this dessert by it’s name.

Similar to my No Bake Peanut Butter Brownie Cups, these cookie dough cups are a delicious combination of sweet and salty flavors. The silky-smooth caramel filling is surrounded by soft edible vegan cookie dough. If you wish, you can add a drizzle of chocolate chips and a sprinkle of flaky salt on top.

These caramel cookie dough cups are:

• Vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and grain-free
• Quick and easy to make // a 30-minute dessert recipe
• Made with healthy ingredients
• Refined sugar-free & sweetened with real maple syrup
• Easily adjustable for a keto or paleo diet
• Kid-approved, non-vegan approved, and loved by everyone!

Ingredients needed

• Almond flour: Almond flour is blanched ground almonds. I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour for the best results, or another superfine variety.
• Cashew butter: Cashew butter is used for the edible healthy cookie dough. If you do not have cashew butter, you can use peanut butter instead. However, I highly recommend using it because it has the most realistic cookie dough flavor. It can easily be made at home – just follow my homemade cashew butter recipe.
• Maple syrup: These dessert cups are made with no refined sugar. Instead, they are naturally sweetened with real maple syrup.
• Peanut butter: Peanut butter is the main ingredient in the healthy caramel sauce. Check the bottom of this post for peanut-free and nut-free recipe variations.
• Coconut oil: A dash of coconut oil helps to create a perfectly smooth caramel sauce. We are only using a spoonful, so there should be hardly any coconut flavor. However, you can use refined coconut oil for a completely flavorless option.
• Chocolate chips: I love using mini chocolate chips for the cookie dough, but regular chocolate chips can be used instead.
• Vanilla: A dash of vanilla extract is required for an authentic cookie dough flavor.
• Salt: Add a pinch of salt to the vegan cookie dough in order to balance the sweet ingredients. Additionally, you can add a sprinkle of flaky salt on top at the end. This not only acts as decoration for the caramel cookie dough cups, but it also enhances the overall flavor.

How to make no bake caramel cookie dough cups

For the full ingredients list and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the recipe card.

Prepare the healthy cookie dough

First, add all of the cookie dough ingredients – except chocolate chips – to a mixing bowl. This includes almond flour, cashew butter (or peanut butter), maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix together until evenly combined.

Once a dough has formed, fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Prepare the vegan caramel

Second, prepare the vegan caramel by combining all ingredients into a bowl. This includes peanut butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Mix together for about 2 minutes, or until the caramel is smooth and creamy. It is important to keep mixing; the caramel will thicken as air is incorporated.

Assemble the dessert cups

Next, divide the cookie dough among 6 slots in a silicone muffin pan. If you do not have a silicone pan, line a regular muffin tin with muffin liners. Press the cookie dough across the bottom of the pan. Then, press a tablespoon in the center to create a well. Spoon the vegan caramel sauce into the well.

Store the caramel cookie dough cups in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until the caramel sets. Remove from the freezer and enjoy! If desired, drizzle melted chocolate and a sprinkle of flaky salt on top. The chocolate should set quickly since the cups are cold from the freezer.

Recipe variations

There are several ways to customize these vegan caramel cookie dough cups. Read my recommendations below for paleo, keto, nut-free, and peanut-free versions.

How to make this a paleo dessert: use almond butter instead of cashew butter and peanut butter.

How to make this a keto dessert: use your favorite keto-friendly ingredient swaps, like stevia-sweetened maple syrup and stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.

For a nut-free dessert: these vegan cookie dough cups can easily be made peanut-free and nut-free. You only need to make a couple adjustments.

• Peanut-free: replace the peanut butter with another nut butter, like cashew butter or almond butter.
• Nut-free: replace both nut butters with a nut-free option, like sunflower seed butter or tahini. Also, replace the almond flour with oat flour. Since oat flour has less moisture, you may need to use extra maple syrup for the cookie dough (or add a dash of melted coconut oil).

Flour alternatives: If you do not have almond flour, feel free to substitute with oat flour. Almond flour contains more moisture, which means the cookie dough will be a bit drier. If this is an issue for you, you can add extra maple syrup, extra cashew butter, or a small dash of coconut oil to the cookie dough.

For a low calorie dessert: This recipe makes BIG cups. If you want a smaller treat, you can create 10-12 smaller cups instead of 6 larger cups. Alternatively, you can use a mini muffin tin for bite-sized cups.

How to store them

Store these no-bake caramel cookie dough cups in the refrigerator or freezer. They will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. If you are freezing them, I recommend placing a piece of parchment paper between each cup to ensure they do not stick together.

If you try these No Bake Caramel Cookie Dough Cups, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Instagram and YouTube!

Print

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use, trust, and love!