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If you only try one healthy cookie recipe on my website, I hope it’s this one. My family fights over these cookies because they taste like a “regular cookie” that you’d buy from a bakery. Not a healthy cookie, but a really good, tender, flavorful cookie.
Yet, they’re magically gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and fruit-sweetened.
I love making this dough with my kids because it’s not a big deal if they want to taste-test the raw cookie dough. (Since there are no eggs!) There’s also no butter or oil required, and they come together in one bowl in about 10 minutes. I can’t wait for you to try these!
Date Cookie Recipe Ingredients
- Medjool Dates. Shop for these in the fresh produce section of your grocery store so they are as fresh as possible. (Not in the bulk bin section, where they tend to be drier.) They should look juicy and easy to split apart with your fingers to remove the pits.
- Peanut Butter. Use all-natural peanut butter that needs to be stirred when you first open the jar. I usually buy unsalted peanut butter, but if you have salted on hand, you might want to use half the salt this recipe calls for.
- Oat Flour. This is a recent addition to this recipe, because my family wanted cookies that tasted a little more like the “real thing.” Just a small amount of flour (which is just ground oatmeal) makes these taste more authentic.
- Baking Powder. After making these cookies for nearly 10 years, I realized that baking powder would make them brown slower than baking soda. These tend to brown fast, so using baking powder instead of baking soda prevents them from burning too quickly.
- Vanilla Extract. I add this to create a classic flavor, but if you’re out, it’s not a deal breaker.
How to Make Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. I can usually fit 12 cookies to a half-sheet pan, so you may want to prepare a second pan if you want to bake these all at once.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade, add 8 ounces of pitted Mejool dates. Secure the lid and process briefly. It’s okay if they form a ball when processed.
Break up the ball slightly with a spatula, then add 1 cup of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of oat flour, 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, 3 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt. (Use less salt if your peanut butter is salted.)
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Step 2:
Secure the lid and process the mixture until it looks uniformly crumbly. It should stick together when you press it between your fingers.
Use a tablespoon or cookie scoop to scoop the dough and drop it onto the prepared pan. It’s okay if it looks crumbly at first! Once you’ve made 12 scoops onto the pan, roll them between your hands to make smooth balls.
Then use a fork to flatten the cookies into a classic criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired, then bake at 325°F for 12-13 minutes.
Step 3:
The cookies won’t look drastically different after they have baked. In fact, they will probably still feel soft when they come out of the oven, but that’s okay. Let them cool completley on the pan, for at least 30 minutes.
Once the cookies have cooled, they should be easy to pick up and have a tender peanut butter cookie texture. Serve them at room temperature, or transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. My family loves eating these cold!
Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies (100% Fruit-Sweetened!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates , pitted (8 ounces)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds , ground
- 2 tablespoons oat flour (optional, but recommended)
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- In a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process the dates until crumbly. (It’s okay if a ball forms, too.)
- Add the peanut butter, ground flax, oat flour, water, vanilla, and baking powder. Process until a sticky, uniform batter is created. Be careful not to over-process the mixture, as the peanut butter will release excess oil when over-mixed, and that will make the batter feel very oily to work with. (Don't worry if this happens, though– the cookies still turn out totally fine!)
- Use a heaping tablespoon to scoop the dough into your hands, then roll the dough into a ball between the palms of your hands. Repeat with the remaining batter, making about 18 balls. Place each ball onto the baking sheet about an inch apart, then use your hands or a fork to gently flatten each ball into a cookie shape.
- Bake at 325ºF until the edges of the cookies start to feel dry, about 12 to 13 minutes. (The cookies will still feel fragile at this point, but that's okay.)
- Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet and serving. Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. (The cookies will soften if you leave them out on the counter overnight, so chilling them is best for texture and shelf life.)
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
Has anyone tried making these with PB2?
I had to add flour to my mix. It came out too watery and I could not handle it. Waiting for them to cool to taste. I used PB2! We’ll see!!!
Thank you
Delicious but I made them bigger and added date sweetened chocolate chips. I ended up with 6 cookies and only had them in the oven for 13 min but they still burned on the bottom. Would make again but would lower the oven temp and maybe bake them longer. Tasty but also a bit disappointing since they burned so easily.
Super easy to make! My only comment would be is they don’t melt down like a normal cookie does they ended up being round balls but they still taste really good!
13 minutes was too long! Mine were overdone, too dark on the bottom, but still good. Dough was very sticky, had to put butter on my hands. Overall very nice though.
I love this recipe for my gluten free family and have made it time and again! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Excellent recipe! Just made these. Kept the recipe as is, but added a few cheeky dark chocolate chips. It made 16 cookies for me, but mine were slightly bigger than a tablespoon anyway. Ended up baking them for 18 minutes, but that’s down to my oven! They’re still lovely and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Absolutely love them and thank you so much for posting this recipe. Definitely a keeper!
I apologize, I forgot to mention that I used an egg in place of the flax and water.
Great tasting peanut butter cookies! I didn’t have Medjool Dates, I used Sunsweet. I have Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter. I didn’t use Apple Cider Vinegar because my husband and I have to be watchful of acidity. They turned out great! A little on the darker side at 14 minutes, less dark at 13 but both very good and I’m very happy that it’s a healthier very tasty version of a peanut butter cookie! I didn’t get 20 cookies, I got 15 but I’m sure that has more to do with me not getting them uniformly the same size, close enough though for me! Thank you for the recipe!😋
I made these and added some oats and a bit of almond milk for moisture. They are delicious! Taste just like a peanut butter cookie with no guilt.
Victoria,
How much oats did you add?
Just made a batch of these and I was only able to make 13 very small cookies. Nowhere near a big enough mix. They look ok but as yet I haven’t tried one.