Vegan healthy date cookies are naturally sweetened with dates and feature simple ingredients like peanut butter, almond flour, and chocolate chips. This dairy free and gluten free recipe is a wonderful way to try baking with dates to enjoy a heart healthy dessert that will still satisfy your sweet tooth all while being low in added sugar.
I love finding ways to add more plant foods to just about any meal or snack, including desserts! It’s always so satisfying to figure out a new recipe that’s packed with extra nutrients while still tasting delicious. In the case of these healthy date cookies, dates provide plenty of sweetness in addition to fiber, potassium, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.
I’m a big fan of using dates in lieu of refined sugars because of their added benefits, especially when you don’t even realize the sugar is missing! These cookies really do taste similar to other peanut butter cookies. There are still some chocolate chips to give you that classic cookie feel (I’m not a monster, after all!), but the base is made from almond flour and peanut butter instead of butter and white flour.
So next time you’re craving a cookie but looking to maximize nutrition, consider this recipe your answer. Plus, they freeze great! If you’re looking for another date-heavy dessert while you’re here, don’t miss the Oatmeal Date Almond Butter Bars.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Dates: I recommend pitted Medjool dates. I really like the kind that Trader Joe’s sells, but you can use any brand. Other types of dates, such as Deglet Noor, also work. It’s helpful if they are already pitted to save time, but you can just remove the pits yourself if you can only find them that way.
- Peanut butter: Use a natural peanut butter made with just 1 or 2 ingredients — peanuts or peanuts and salt. You want it to be as runny as possible to help with the consistency of the batter. If you don’t have a natural peanut butter, you can add a little melted coconut oil to the batter to make sure it sticks together.
- Almond flour: Use a fine/extra fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal. I like to use Field Day Organic or Bob’s Red Mill brand.
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet or dark chocolate chips are phenomenal in healthy date cookies! Use the Enjoy Life brand if you need them to be strictly dairy free/vegan.
- Vanilla extract, baking soda, salt
Instructions
The full recipe card for how to make healthy date cookies is at the bottom of the post. Scroll down to see it. Here’s a preview of the instructions with photos to guide you in the kitchen, which may be particularly handy when assessing the texture of the batter.
Soak the dates in warm water to soften if needed, then pulse in a food processor.
Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the chocolate chips.
Pulse the batter until it just comes together. Do not over mix the batter. If it seems overly crumbly, add small amounts of melted coconut oil until it’s less crumbly.
Remove the blade from the food processor. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of batter and shape into a ball. Place on a lined baking sheet and gently flatten with your palm so it’s about 2 inches wide.
Bake until the cookies are lightly browned.
Storage
Healthy date cookies will last up to a week in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature. You can also keep them in the fridge to prolong the shelf life or even freeze them for up to 3 months.
More Healthy Sweets
Love these cookies? Check out some other sweets that are naturally sweetened and/or low in refined sugars:
📖 Recipe
Healthy Date Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates - approximately 9 to 10 large dates or 120 to 130 grams by weight
- ½ cup natural peanut butter - made with just peanuts or peanuts and salt; needs to be runny
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour - fine, blanched
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips - use Enjoy Life or another brand that is vegan/dairy free if needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/177 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- If your dates aren't very soft, soak them in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes to soften while you gather the other ingredients.
- In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, pulse the dates until a paste forms.
- Add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until the batter is just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter, since it may get too crumbly. It is supposed to be slightly crumbly but should come together easily when rolled into balls. If the batter does not come together easily when rolled in your hands, add a teaspoon or more of melted coconut oil to help it stick together.
- Carefully remove the blade from the food processor. Stir in the chocolate chips
- Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of batter. Roll into a ball with your hands and place on the prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten with your palm into a small disc about 2 inches wide and ½-inch thick. Repeat with the rest of the batter until you have about 12 cookies spaced about an inch apart on the baking sheet. The cookies will not spread much (if at all) during baking, so that's why it's helpful to flatten them.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Put in the fridge to extend the shelf life. The cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months!
- Note: use almond flour, not almond meal.
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