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“Raw” Peanut Butter Cookies

06/01/2013 by jamieanne 44 Comments

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I don’t have any New Year’s resolutions.  I’m not sure whether that portrays me as lacking initiative or rather being happy with where I am.  I’ve enjoyed reading and hearing about other people’s resolutions, however; check out Google Zeitgeist to read resolutions from all over the world.  “No junk food”, “Propose to Dawn”, “Quit Facebook”, “Get into shape”, “Tell my family every day that I love them”, “Play better golf”, and heaps more.  Good luck to those of you who have resolutions!

With today’s post, I hope to encourage those of you who have goals of eating healthier, eliminating junk food, and perhaps going vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free.  I have a friend who is vegan; she eats some crazy food, but the photos she posts on Instagram look spectacularly delicious.  It appears that it’s actually quite easy to achieve a healthy and balanced diet without using refined sugars, processed foods and meats.  She inspired me to try out a recipe I found for healthy peanut butter cookies via La Mesa that uses no sweeteners except medjool dates and almond meal instead of flour.

rawpbcookies3

This simple recipe, which results in a cookie dough-like texture, uses only 4 ingredients and can quickly be prepared in your food processor.

You’ll need almond meal (whole almonds, raw or dry-roasted, will also work), pitted medjool dates, natural peanut butter (although you can use any type of peanut butter, or other nut butter such as almond, cashew, etc) and pure vanilla extract.  The ingredients are processed in a food processor, then formed into balls.  You could probably leave them as balls and call them “bites” instead of “cookies”, or you could flatten them with a fork for that classic peanut butter cookie look.  And that’s it.  That’s all there is to it.  You don’t even need to turn on your oven.

A quick note about using almond meal vs. whole nuts – almond meal will result in a smoother texture without the appearance of nut chunks.  I used almond meal for this blog post, and you’ll see how the texture looks smooth in the photos.  When I made these cookies again, I used a mixture of whole cashews and whole peanuts, which resulted in the appearance of small nut chunks, and also giving the cookies a bit of crunchier texture.

A word of warning on the dates… processing the dates can put a bit of strain on a food processor, so process the mixture with caution.  If you have a strong processor, you should be fine, but if you have a cheaper brand or if it’s just not a good processor, well, you’ve been warned!  Remember to remove the pits from the dates before processing.

rawpbcookies2

As I mentioned, these cookies have a cookie dough-like texture, and I’m sure they’d be perfect to use as cookie dough truffles, or buckeyes, if you formed the dough into balls and dipped them in chocolate.  You could even add some chocolate chips to the dough, if you felt so inclined.  I’d suggest mini ones, as the cookies themselves aren’t very large.  They’re not the type of cookie you’d want to make large anyway as the cookie would just fall apart if it were any bigger, and the texture is very chewy; it’s best that the cookies are formed into a smaller size.

I admit, I was a little bit scared of tasting these because I’m not real keen on dates.  But, I love peanut butter, so I had to give it a go.  I fell in love with these little cookies and couldn’t get enough of them.  The taste of the peanut butter overpowers the taste of the dates, so the cookies basically tasted like raw peanut butter cookie dough.  I was so excited and immediately proclaimed my love for them!  This is one recipe I’ll be making again and again, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

These particular cookies may or may not be labelled as “raw”, depending on the ingredients you use.  If you prefer raw food, just make sure the ingredients you use are raw.  In my case, I used store-bought almond meal and peanut butter, so I doubt I’d be able to officially call these “raw”!  However, these cookies are perfect for vegetarians, vegans, people with a gluten/sugar-free lifestyle and those just simply looking to eat healthier.  Here’s to eating right in 2013!

rawpbcookies1

If you loved these peanut butter cookies, visit Megan at La Mesa for more delicious healthy and vegan-friendly recipes!

4.5 from 8 reviews
"Raw" Peanut Butter Cookies
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Total time
5 mins
 
A quick and easy recipe for healthy peanut butter cookies that is suitable for vegans, vegetarians, gluten/sugar-free and anyone looking to eat healthy.
Author: Megan, from La Mesa
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 20 cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw, or dry-roasted, whole almonds (or almond meal)
  • 1 cup pitted medjool dates
  • ½ cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)
  • 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. If you're using whole almonds, process them until they resemble a coarse meal.
  2. Add the dates, peanut butter and vanilla; if you're using already-prepared almond meal, just toss all the ingredients into the food processor together. If the nut butter isn't salted, you may add a few pinches of salt.
  3. Process the ingredients until the mixture starts to form a dough, about 2 minutes. If it doesn't seem to come together, add another tablespoon or two of peanut butter and process again.
  4. Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Press each ball gently with a fork to make the classic peanut butter cookie criss-cross pattern.
  5. Store in the refrigerator.
3.2.1596

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Filed Under: Cookies, Top Comments Tagged With: Cookies, dates, healthy, peanut butter

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin King

    06/01/2013 at 7:00 AM

    Could you use date sugar instead of dates?

    Reply
  2. vespa woolf

    06/01/2013 at 7:55 PM

    I can’t get enough peanut butter and these little raw cookies sound delicious. Although I love medjool dates, we can’t get them here so will have to substitute prunes. I’m sure the peanut butter will make up for it. : )

    Reply
  3. zosia

    06/01/2013 at 11:44 PM

    it wouldn’t make sense to use date sugar in place of actual dates, because they add bulk to the recipe! (plus you wouldn’t have the added benefit of it’s nutrients and fibre)

    Reply
    • Gewlr

      27/03/2016 at 3:43 AM

      Date sugar is simply dried pulverized while dates, however they are difficult to rehydrate, sowould still not make a good substitution.

      Reply
  4. Kristy @ Southern In-Law

    07/01/2013 at 3:46 AM

    Yum! I love doing things like this!

    I also make similar raw cookies by using different nuts (try walnuts, pecans, pistachios, etc or even seeds like pepitas) and nut butters and different dried fruits (raisins, prunes and apricots work best – but you can also combine them with drier fruits like dried apples!)

    Reply
  5. Allie

    11/01/2013 at 1:41 AM

    Will these keep outside of the fridge? I’d like to make them for my clients and hand them out in little baggies.

    Reply
    • Jamieanne

      11/01/2013 at 11:04 PM

      Hi Allie, I think they would last outside of the refrigerator for a while, as long as it isn’t a warm day. There’s no milk, eggs, butter, etc. so it should be fine. I’m sure the cookies would be eaten up quickly anyway!

      Reply
  6. Molly

    14/01/2013 at 10:37 PM

    The way to not break your food processor is to add the dates to the almond meal one at a time while it is running.

    Reply
  7. Natalie

    11/03/2013 at 9:02 PM

    I was wondering if there was any nut substitution for the almonds? I have Pecans… lol.
    Thank you! These look DELICIOUS!

    Reply
  8. sheila

    18/03/2013 at 2:57 PM

    What a fantastic idea! I love that there’s no added sugar (the sweetness is from dates and vanilla). can’t wait to try it, i bet they’d be good with a little cocoa powder too.

    Reply
  9. keegan

    05/04/2013 at 3:26 AM

    these cookies are so delish and easy!! thank you!

    Reply
  10. Dorie @ Brooklyn Salt

    17/05/2013 at 4:24 PM

    I just made almond milk for the first time yesterday and was looking for something to do with my almond meal. I can’t wait to make these cookies. I’m kind of curious what would happen if you baked them a little bit. I might experiment with a few and report back.

    Reply
    • Dorie @ Brooklyn Salt

      20/05/2013 at 7:20 PM

      So the baking didn’t work, haha. But I ended up making the cookies into little ball shapes and then took it a step further by dipping them in chocolate. They were like buckeye candies. I brought them to a baby shower and everyone loved them. Thanks for the great almond meal recipe!

      Reply
  11. Amy

    18/08/2013 at 12:31 PM

    I can’t find medjool dates or any kind of dates here in my area. Can I just use honey or raisins?

    Reply
    • jamieanne

      20/08/2013 at 3:13 AM

      Hi Amy, medjool dates are usually with the fresh produce. If you can’t find them, I might suggest using dried dates and soaking them in water overnight to make them softer. I definitely would not suggest using honey, as this would ruin the consistency of the cookies, although raisins could possibly work.

      Reply
  12. Miri

    20/08/2013 at 2:27 AM

    Loved these! the only thing I did differently was soak the dates overnight, it made them a bit easier to process.

    Reply
  13. Emma C.

    29/10/2013 at 1:43 PM

    Do you have an Indian grocery store?

    Reply
  14. Tami

    04/11/2013 at 4:06 PM

    Can’t wait to make these! About how many dates are in a cup?

    Reply
  15. victoria

    22/03/2014 at 2:56 PM

    I made this recipe as written soaking the dates. The end result is cookie dough. It is not even possible to make a cross hatch pattern with a fork because the dough just sticks to the fork.

    Reply
    • Ella

      05/05/2016 at 11:11 AM

      you didn’t have to rate this review one star, though. it was your mistake, not the recipe’s.

      Reply
  16. Robert

    28/06/2014 at 5:22 PM

    these sound great. do they need to sit in the fridge for awhile or can I eat them right away? also, do I have to use parchment paper? is there an alternative?

    Thanks,

    Robert

    Reply
    • jamieanne

      01/07/2014 at 6:40 AM

      Hi Robert, you can definitely eat them straight away. You can use baking paper, or waxed paper, or aluminum foil. Or even just a plate! Hope you like them if you make them! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Tam

    24/09/2014 at 7:37 PM

    These are so good. I am on WW and I was wondering if you know the nutritional values of these cookies. calories, fat, protein, carbs, fiber??

    Reply
  18. Sabrina

    07/11/2014 at 3:36 AM

    These were really yummy! My boyfriend and I loved them. I think they are even better than regular sugary peanut butter cookies! They were a lot darker than in your photo though – not sure why.

    Reply
  19. krystal

    09/12/2014 at 3:56 AM

    I didn’t have dates at home, so I just used extra almond meal with agave mixed in it, and they came out delicious!!!#

    Reply
  20. Gina

    13/12/2014 at 1:11 AM

    I have almond flour. Can I use this? It’s a little pricey, so I’d rather know before starting. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  21. Debby

    03/01/2015 at 2:57 AM

    These are SOOOOO good, I’ve eaten three just while typing this comment! Dates are a wonderful whole food way to create a wholesome treat, they blend/process easier if they are soaked for half an hour and squeezed dry and/or cut into small chunks prior to blending/processing.

    Reply
  22. Cris

    05/06/2015 at 8:50 PM

    Brilliant! Thanks so very much for the recipe. I just finished making them. They are healthy, easy, oh so cute, and delicious!

    Reply
  23. Ryan Noelle

    07/07/2015 at 2:41 PM

    These are perfect! They taste amazing and satisfy my sweet craving! Taste just like my butter and flour filled peanut butter cookies! I am telling everyone about these!

    Reply
  24. Chloe Fairchild

    12/11/2015 at 10:25 PM

    I like these because they were simple and indeed tasted like peanut butter cookie, with a fudge consistency. They should harden up at least a little more in the fridge. I wondered if I could get the crumbly baked consistency in a dehydrater.

    Reply
  25. Wendy

    02/03/2016 at 6:14 PM

    I’ve made these many times. Love them. How long will they keep if stored in the fridge? Usually they are gone in a few days but I’ve been sick and have some left (made them about 12 days ago). Are they still ok?
    Thank you,
    Wendy

    Reply
    • jamieanne

      11/05/2016 at 7:00 AM

      Wendy, I’m not exactly certain, but I wouldn’t eat them past 5-7 days, just to be on the safe side.

      Reply
  26. Cindy

    15/05/2016 at 8:51 PM

    Unfortunately, these did not turn out for me…and I tried the recipe two times. Expensive little experiment I wished I hadn’t tried. Not sure what went wrong. Too dry so added peanut butter and more peanut butter. Still too dry. “Cookies” just fell apart. Soaked the dates next attempt and squeezed out. This batch was way too moist and oily. So then I combined the too batches in hopes they would balance each other out. Result was too crumbly. At this point, I didn’t want to waste more peanut butter. The flavor is good but no where near traditional peanut butter cookie dough. Similar to a Larabar in flavor but not in consistency since these fell apart. I LOVE Larabars so will just stick to those.

    Reply
    • jamieanne

      15/05/2016 at 11:54 PM

      Hi Cindy, I’m sorry to hear they didn’t work for you. I’m not sure what could have went wrong – the only thing I can think of to ask is if you used fresh dates or dried dates? I have always used fresh medjool dates and have never experienced a problem. If you’ve been using dried dates, maybe give fresh ones a go??

      Reply
  27. Chauncey

    14/09/2016 at 5:07 AM

    I’m 38 weeks pregnant and have been trying to incorporate more dates into my diet. These cookies were delicious, even my husband liked them. Thank you!

    Reply
  28. Kelly

    09/05/2017 at 3:20 PM

    These were lovely, but didn’t keep their shape. So I thought of a coating and ground up some coconut ‘candy’ from a Hawaiin gift. I rolled them into 1 inch balls and coated them in the sweet coconut/chocolate dust. They are wonderful !

    Reply

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Meet Jamieanne

Jamieanne is a Pisces and mum of 4 young children. She is originally from a small town in Indiana but currently resides in Sydney, Australia. She enjoys thinking about food, reading about food, writing about food, and photographing food! She is the writer, publisher and photographer of Sweetest Kitchen, a blog which features her most favorite recipes she's tried and tested in her very own kitchen. Read More…

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