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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.
Amazing
Thanks so much Shari!!
Cracked some salt on these while the chocolate was still wet. Helped enhance flavors other than dates. Yum!
Hey Jamie,
Amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
This was my first HBH recipe I’ve made so far and unfortunately, it was a fail. Don’t know if I used the wrong kind of peanut butter but these were so wet and oily they never really firmed up. I love dates and thought this would be a nice addition but the dates are overpowering as well.
This will not deter me from trying your other recipes, so many of them look great!
Hey Diane,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
Could you freeze these before baking or after cooking and save the chocolate dipping step for when you defrost?
Hey Andrea,
Sure, I would freeze the dough and then bake and dip when ready to serve:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I feel like these are kinda healthy with the dates so it makes me feel better when I eat all of them!! Definitely cook for 9 mins. I overcooked a second batch. I used the wrong kind of chocolate so I will fix that for next time! All in all a good simple cookie!!
Hey Ashley,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Would it be ok to use figs instead of dates for the 5 ingredient cookies? Thank you!
Hey MJ,
Sure, I bet figs would also work well for you here! Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope it’s amazing! xTieghan
So I totally messed these cookies up and realize when I was putting them in the oven.
I put the melted chocolate in the food processor with everything and blended it up and then baked the cookies. I was so sad because I thought they would turn out runny and burnt but they came out sooo good! I just lowered the oven temperature slightly and cooked them for longer.
You are such an amazing chef and baker and this was such a fun little mistake. I recommend trying them the way I made them for fun cause they are so yummy but I can’t wait to make them the correct way lol. Thank you Tieghan you are the best !!
Hey Jannaka,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, so sorry you had a little mess up! Let me know if you give them another try. I appreciate your kind message and following along:) Have the best week! xx
I love these cookies! I’ll confess the first time I made them I foolishly thought my dates were pitted(first time date user) and I had to pick the pits out! They were still excellent. I’ve made them so many times now I cut out a few steps now and just put the chocolate pieces on top as soon as they come out of the oven. Then I swirl it with a spoon once the chocolate looks shiny. They aren’t as pretty as yours but I can whip them up so fast.
Hi Diane,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
My favorite peanut butter cookie ever! My biggest issue with peanut butter cookies is that they’re normally dry. NOT THIS COOKIE!!! It is melt in your mouth, soft and chewy and addicting!!
Hey Julia,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit!! xTieghan
Sorry to say that this recipe didn’t work for me. I used all natural peanut butter from Trader Joe’s and it was fairly soupy. I mixed in the dates (which I had soaked, so they ended up pretty soft), vanilla and egg and I still have soup. There’s no way I can roll these. I’ll try adding some oats to see if I can salvage the batter.
Hi Diane,
So sorry to hear the recipe was not enjoyed. I would checkout the video posted above, if the peanut butter was super oily that may have been your issue. Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT COOKIE. So easy and addicting. Will be making again and again.
Hi James,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xxT
Delicious and Definitely a ‘keeper’! Peanut Butter cookies are my Husband’s Favorite. As a diabetic he enjoyed very very much. I used no sugar added semi-sweet chocolate chips inserted on top when hot out of oven. Thank You again for another wonderful recipe!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
I wondered how to use up my giant Costco container of dates, then I saw your recipe. Easy, Quick, Delicious, and I ALWAYS have these 5 ingredients on hand, thank you!
Hey Elizabeth,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
I made these today and they turned out soooo great! The right amount of sweet and savory.
Hi Melinda,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Hi Half Baked Harvest,
I made these cookies following the easy directions and they tasted like dried up peanut butter. The dough was very dry when using the fork to make hatch pattern and that should have been a telling sign when no where in your instructions did it describe the consistency the dough she be.
Although the recipe was not very time consuming, I still have to say it was not worth making them. I ended up throwing them away as they tasted dryer than the Sahara.
Hi there,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe. Was there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Maybe it was her peanut butter?
The video is great!