These cookies use date paste in place of refined sugar and make a delicious teatime treat. Thank you to True Food Member Carsten for sharing this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup date paste
- 2/3 cup creamy unsweetened peanut butter
- 2 tsp ground flax meal
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1/3 cup flour (more if needed for consistency)
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted flaked sea salt, for topping
Method – for the date paste
- Soak your dates. This makes them easier to blend and easier to remove the date pits. To do this, place 1 cup of tightly packed dates in a glass jar and cover them with warm water and leave to sit for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the pits. Once your dates have been softened, you need to remove the pits. Drain them but reserve the water to make your paste. You may be able to break open the date with your fingers to remove the pit, otherwise slice gently with a knife.
- Puree. To a food processor or high-speed blender, add your softened pitted dates with about 1/4 cup of reserved water from your soak. Blend for about 1 minute until very creamy.
Method – for the cookies
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- Blend together the date paste, peanut butter, flax meal, baking soda, vanilla extract and vinegar together until well combined. Add in the flour and mix together— it should be fairly sticky when held together but not too tacky.
- Roll mixture into ~2 tablespoon balls, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with rest of the dough, then dip a fork into flour and gently press onto the cookies to make a hashtag pattern.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until just set. The cookies will be chewy!
- Remove from oven and let cool, then drizzle on chocolate and top with flaked sea salt, if using.