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These 5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies…
Watch the How-To Video Here:
Originally, these cookies were supposed to be Friday’s post, but when I sat down to write today’s post, I really just wanted to write about cookies. Granted it’s currently very, very cold, and very, very snowy outside, so talking about a green salad, just didn’t seem right. Snow days need cookies, and hey, at least these cookies are healthy…ish!
Real talk for a second? Well I’ve loved creating some seriously bright recipes this January for our Healthy January, the one thing I have struggled with is healthier desserts. I always find healthier desserts a little harder than say, just throwing a whole bunch of extra vibrant food in a bowl and calling it a day. Unlike savory foods, desserts usually need a little sugar, and if there’s one thing all health experts agree on, it’s that sugar is pretty bad for us.
UGH. But what about our chocolate sweets, you know?
I’m not one to give up on a good challenge, so I had to start getting a little creative when it came to healthier sweets.
Enter these cookies. They are flourless, butterless, and contain no processed sugar.
So basically, they’re health food. Cookies for breakfast?
Um, OK.
And now you’re probably wondering how on Earth these cookies taste even remotely good without any of the usual ingredients cookies contain. Well, I have a secret ingredient.
DATES.
Yup, just dates. Chewy, incredibly sweet dates. I swear, for those of you who think dates aren’t any good, think again because they are a miracle ingredient when it comes to naturally sweetening food, and I love using them in place of processed sugars whenever possible.
Major bonus? Even though dates are incredibly sweet, they actually provide nutritional benefits and are high in antioxidants, potassium and magnesium. Just one serving of dates provides about fifteen percent of your daily fiber.
Cool. Cool.
Double major bonus? Dates are not only sweet and can replace sugar in recipes, but they’re also super sticky and moist, eliminating the need for binders like butter, oil, and sometimes eggs in vegan baking.
You see, you see? Miracle ingredient. I am a little bit obsessed…but moving along now.
PS. I sent about a dozen of these cookies over to my parent’s house for them to try. I wasn’t sure how they’d react because my mom is one of those people who thinks she doesn’t like dates…well, she loved these cookies, as did my dad. When you get mom’s approval on a cookie, you know it’s a good cookie.
Aside from the dates, these cookies are made up of four other ingredients: peanut butter, vanilla extract, an egg, and a generous amount of dark chocolate.
The peanut butter is the key flavor here and I LOVE it…but I’m sure you guys could have guess that. Peanut butter and chocolate are definitely one of my favorite combos. That said, if you’re opposed, or want to switch things up, these work with just about any other nut butter. I’ve made them with almond butter and they are equally delicious and cashew butter sounds like a genius idea.
A few notes.
I use organic, salted peanut butter that has no added oil or sugars. Just be sure whatever you are using is salted. If it’s not salted, make sure to add a pinch of salt to the dough.
If your dates are feeling dry, soak them in warm water for fifteen minutes or so to plump them up again. Drain the water off before using.
As for your chocolate, mine was only seventy-two percent dark. I could have definitely used a darker bar, but I just didn’t have any hand. You can use whatever percent chocolate you’d like. Milk, semi-sweet, or extra, extra dark, it all works. Just depends how healthy…ish you want to be.
Most important tip? Do not over bake these cookies…always under bake. Guys, there is no butter, no sugar, and no flour, if you over bake you are going to get a dry, burnt tasting cookie, and that’s not good. So set a timer when you put these in the oven and watch closely. Got it? Good.
Now that we have all the details, can we all agree to go home tonight and bake up some healthier peanut butter cookies?
I think our Tuesday needs a cookie…dunked in chocolate!
5 Ingredient Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies
Servings: 15 cookies
Calories Per Serving: 156 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
- 8 ounces pitted medjool dates (1 cup packed dates) (see notes for subs)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces melted dark chocolate
- roasted peanuts, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the peanut butter, dates, and vanilla. Pulse until well combined and no large chunks of dates remain. Add the egg and pulse to combine. Roll the dough 14-15 balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Using a fork, gently press down on each dough ball to flatten and create a cross hatch pattern. Transfer to the oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. It's important not to over bake these cookies, so set a timer!3. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool. To make dipping easier, freeze the cookies for 10-15 minutes. Then drizzle or dip the cookies in chocolate and sprinkle with peanuts. Eat...or let the chocolate harden and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Date Substitute: you can use 3/4-1 cup granulated sugar in place of the dates. Work wonderfully!
YES. IT. DOES. <–all caps are needed.
Hi! I was just wondering what you might suggest using instead of the egg. Thanks so much, these look great!
Thank you so much Isabel! xTieghan
I made these today and they did NOT disappoint!!! They are delicious! It’s amazing how good they are considering they are only these few ingredients and no flour or sugar! I’ve cooked with dates before, but this is my new favorite way to include them in place of sugar. Big thanks for this one!!
Thank you for trying this Natalie! It is crazy how good things can come out and be so healthy! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Thank you for your tip on cross hatching. After reading through all the reviews and carefully reading your explanation of the process, I believe that I over processed the peanut butter and dates. Regardless, the cookies were FANTASTIC! Thank you for the fantastic recipes and beautiful photos. I look forward to all of your Instagram posts. Your recipes are my go-to.
Best,
Sandra
So happy to hear that you loved these cookies, Sandra! xTieghan
Hi,
Any tips for cross hatching … dough is very greasy making it hard for fork to not stick. Thanks.
Hi Sandra, your dough should be pretty dry and not oily. Was there anything you changed about the recipe?
For cross hatching, you want to firmly press down, then gently slide the fork off the cookie to release. Alternately, you can just flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand instead of using a fork. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
My dough was super greasy, too. In my case, I was using a small food processor and I think I over-processed the dates & peanut butter (Whole Foods brand) trying to get the dates smaller. As soon as I added the egg, all the oils separated. Still came out tasty!
Can you make ahead and freeze? Thanks.
Hi there! You can bake and then freeze these cookies! That works really well! Thaw on the counter for a few hours. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I love these cookies!! Thank you for existing!! I can’t believe how well the dates compliment the peanut butter. The best part? They won’t make me sick!! Thank you!!!!!!!
That is so great! Thank you so much Katie!! xTieghan
These are amazing! I have never baked with dates before, and it was a pleasant surprise! The cookies are super easy to whip up, and it feels like magic that only three main ingredients can make such a delicious result. I will definitely make these again. Thanks for the crazy good recipe!
I am so glad these turned out so amazing for you, Maddy! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I was bummed by these and felt like I wasted perfectly good ingredients. Clearly it’s a winner for some, not for our house.
Hi Beth! I am sorry these did not turn out well for you. Are there any questions I can help you with? xTieghan
These were easy to make and SO GOOD! And I love that there was no sugar or flour! Will definitely make these again;)
Tasty and healthy cookies are the best! So glad you loved these, Jennifer! Thank you! xTieghan
Thanks for a great recipe, will definitely be making on my day off.
Could you recommend a substitute for the egg to make these vegan?
Also, is this all natural creamy peanut butter?
Thank you for the daily food inspiration.
Hi Ester! I am so glad you like this! I have not tried a vegan egg, but I have heard that a flax egg or chia seed egg would work great! Also, I do use natural PB! I hope you love these! xTieghan
SO simple…yet everything I love in one place…haven’t made…but yummy, yummy.
Love your photoshoots…everything always looks way too good ?
Thank you so much Sherri! I am so glad you loved these cookies! xTieghan
First time date baker here! These were easy .and delicious. I had a container of Medjool dates bought on a sale whim back in early December. Thank you for the help in making something with them before letting expire out of defeat..
I am so glad you loved these cookies! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Love these. My cookies were a bit sticky too so I dipped my fork in powdered PB to make the cross hatch.
I am so glad you loved these Patricia! Thank you so much!
Are these cookies supposed to be squishy after cooked? I baked them for 9 minutes but they still feel doughy to me! Is this how it is supposed to be? The dough is delicious! Love all your recipes.
HI! They should soft, but you can bake them longer if you want a firmer cookie. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
How do you think these would turn out with dried figs instead of dates?
HI! I think figs will be a little too dry and the cookies might crumble. I am also not sure of the flavor. That said, I have not tried it so I am really not sure! Let me know if you do give it a try!