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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.
These are super tasty! I put cacao nibs in half and left the other have plain. Mine turned out really crumbly tho – I wonder if anyone else had this issue? perhaps I baked them too long?
I made these but didn’t have flaxseed so I add fennel seeds and matcha powder (random I know) they came out so great crunchy edges and soft inside yum 🤤
I make this recipe all the time, it is such a healthy and delicious desert or snack. I love that it is not too sweet but my family likes them more with chocolate chips in them which makes them a little bit more sweet. Also make 2 batches at a time because they are quick and easy to make and you will see that they “disappear” very fast too ! Thank you for sharing!
Very easy and tasty recipe!
Can they be frozen?
Do you use all natural peanut butter or regular peanut butter?
I used natural peanut butter and yes the dough was very oily when rolling it in my hands, but it didn’t affect how they baked at all.
How long can they last in the fridge?
This is awesome….a keeper. I used “Fix & Fog – everything butter”, & 1 TBS nut flour to replace the flax seed since it was already in the Fix & Fog.
These were a hit with my kids and love that they don’t contain any cane sugar! Such a great “cookie” for snacks and school lunches.
Turned out really dark like molasses cookies. My husband (not a huge fan of substitution in baking) thought it tasted too obviously like dates. Since I was using older dates, I did soak them in boiling water for a few minutes. Maybe this recipe didn’t turn out because I messed it up, but I think the recipe would be better with some oat flour or something to give it another dimension beyond the dates and PB.
Love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.