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    Home » Whole Food Recipes » Best Desserts » Simple Cookies

    December 8, 2021 | By Jami

    Flourless Chewy Noels Bars - Updated Classic Christmas Cookie

    Jump to Recipe
    gluten free chewy noels Christmas bars pin
    Christmas Noels Bars without flour pin image

    Nutty, buttery, chewy noels bars, a classic Christmas cookie, have been updated to be flourless with the addition of almond flour. A great non-chocolate addition to your holiday cookie plates!

    flourless noels bar cookie

    Growing up my mom always made cookies at the holidays to go on plates that we would deliver to our neighbors.

    Helping her make and deliver them was one of the traditions I always looked forward to at Christmas.

    She would make different cookies, but there were always a few staples - peanut butter balls and peanut butter swirl bars were usually included (we're definitely a peanut butter-chocolate family!), as was some type of cut out cookie my sisters and I would decorate.

    The other staple cookie I remember making the most was a simple bar cookie called Noels.

    I'm not sure why they were called such a holiday name when there isn't anything really holiday-ish about their appearance.

    Christmas noel cookies on plate

    But these simple bar cookies had two things going for them:

    • They took about 10 minutes to make and 20 minutes to cook, so a lot less time consuming than other holiday cookies.
    • They had a wonderful buttery, nutty flavor with a nice chewy texture.

    It has been years since I made them, but I recently pulled out the recipe I copied from my mom's and decided to update them to be flourless since the original recipe only used 1/3 cup of flour.

    Since they are basically a nut bar, replacing the flour with almond flour seemed the best way to go.

    I had to adjust some of the cooking techniques because the bars are a bit more crumbly, but they still have the buttery flavor and great texture we loved in the original.

    And now I have a new cookie bar for my holiday treat bags that will work for the gluten free people in my life!

    Flourless Chewy Noels Bar Cookies

    noel cookies ingredients

    Ingredients

    You only need 5 ingredients along baking basics of salt, baking powder and vanilla:

    • Chopped nuts, either pecans or walnuts
    • Brown sugar
    • Almond flour (fine ground flour, not almond meal)
    • Eggs
    • Butter

    And powdered sugar for dusting the tops of the bars for the traditional Noels bar look.

    Though the powdered sugar can be optional, the bars are only slightly sweet (I decreased the sugar, too - I just always do with older cookie recipes!), so a dusting of some type of raw sugar would be nice if you didn't want to use powdered sugar.

    prepped pan with butter for noel cookies

    Directions

    This is where I had to adjust the original technique - the bars are stickier and too fragile to be dumped out warm on a cooling rack.

    Instead, you coat the pan with spray or oil and then line the bottom and two sides with parchment.

    Add the butter to the prepped pan to melt in the oven while mixing the dough together.

    pouring noel cookie dough into pan

    Then it's simply a matter of mixing the dry ingredients together before adding the wet ingredients.

    You do need to mix really well after adding the eggs and vanilla - at first it seems dry, but keep mixing until everything is incorporated well.

    Then carefully pour evenly over the melted butter in the pan and bake for about 20 minutes until nicely browned on the top.

    adding powdered sugar to Christmas Noel Cookies

    Dust with powdered sugar while warm. Then let cool in the pan.

    cut Christmas noel cookies above

    Use the parchment edges to transfer the bars to a cutting board and cut into 16 bars, dusting with more powdered sugar if you'd like.

    eating Christmas noel cookies

    All that's left is to enjoy that vintagey-Christmas goodness, updated so everyone can enjoy them!

    Chewy Noels Bars FAQs

    Can you freeze these cookies?

    Yes, you can freeze the cut cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

    Can the recipe be doubled?

    I haven't tried doubling the recipe to bake in a 13x9 pan - I prefer to make a couple batches of the 8x8-inch pan recipe to make them easier to handle. If you successfully double it, let me know in the comments!

    Have you tried other sugars?

    No, other than decreasing the original brown sugar from 1 cup to 3/4 cup I kept it the same. I find that coconut sugar acts very similar to brown sugar, so that may work. I don't think honey or maple syrup would without further adaptations.

    Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange

    For a number of years, I've been happy to join a group of food bloggers who share cookie and candy recipes during the holidays, called The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange.

    You can check out the other 42 cookies right here on this page - it's a great resource for finding new cookies to make!

    Christmas noel cookies on plate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Flourless Chewy Noels Bars

    Easy to make, flourless chewy noels bar cookies are an updated Christmas classic and a nice gluten free option for your holiday cookie platter.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Desserts
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free
    Yield: 16 cookies
    Author: Jami Boys

    Equipment

    • 8x8-inch baking pan
    • Parchment Paper
    • Medium mixing bowl & spoon
    • Sifter

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
    • 1 ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
    • 1/2 cup almond flour, fine ground (not almond meal)
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
    • powdered sugar for dusting

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with oil, then line with parchment paper so two ends hang over sides a bit.
    • Place butter in prepared pan and place in oven to melt. Keep an eye on it and remove when melted.
    • Meanwhile in a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, nuts, almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
    • Add eggs and vanilla and beat very well until it's thoroughly mixed.
    • Slowly pour batter evenly over melted butter in the pan - do not stir.
    • Bake 18-22 minutes until the top is golden. Remove from oven and sift powdered sugar over bars.
    • Let bars cool in pan and then lift bars from ban with parchment edges (loosening non-parchment edges with knife if needed) onto a cutting board. Cut into 16 bars, sifting more powdered sugar over if desired.*

    Notes

    *When I made these with my mom growing up, we would always roll the slightly warm bars in more powdered sugar. Feel free to do that, though with care as the flourless variety is more crumbly.
    Make Ahead: Can be fully baked and cut into bars and then frozen for up to two months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 77mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!
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    flourless chewy noels bars

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    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Linda Rabener Justice says

      December 17, 2021 at 9:05 am

      5 stars
      Made these yesterday, GONE! They are so good. We aren't a gluten free family, but no matter. Love them.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        December 20, 2021 at 1:07 pm

        Wonderful, Linda!
        We're not gluten free, either, but I like making things with less carbs sometimes. 🙂

        Reply
    2. dee says

      December 08, 2021 at 5:42 pm

      Do you still have the original recipe with regular flour to share? Probably won't buy almond flour just for one recipe. Thanks....they look really good.

      Reply
      • Jami says

        December 13, 2021 at 12:44 pm

        This one from AllRecipes is similar to what my mom used: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9520/chewy-noels/

        Reply
        • Dee says

          December 13, 2021 at 2:02 pm

          Thanks, these are going on the baking list for next week.

          Reply
          • Jami says

            December 15, 2021 at 12:31 pm

            I hope you enjoy them!

            Reply

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