Peanut Butter Date Cookies
a soft cookie infused with rich, sweet dates and nutty peanut butter, these peanut butter date cookies are a fun twist on the traditional peanut butter cookie
vegan • gluten free • no refined sugar • grain free • low waste • easy
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Direct quote from my husband: "These are some of my favorite cookies you've made recently." Enough said. (Kidding, of course.)
These peanut butter cookies are sweetened with Medjool dates, making each bite luxurious and satiating, especially with the addition of some of my favorite touches like unsweetened shredded coconut. Each bite is flavorful, satisfying, and comforting...all wrapped in an easy-to-make cookie that's completely plant-based, gluten free, dairy free, grain free, refined sugar free, and egg free (can you think of any other "frees" - ha). I can't wait for you to make some for yourself!
📝 quick recipe overview
- Skill level: Easy
- Taste: Sweet and nutty
- Waste: Low
- Sustainability: Highly sustainable between sourcing ingredients to waste generated
- Cleanup: Easy
- Ingredients: Common, easy to source
- Equipment: Common, easy to source
- Time: Low-moderate, the final recipe is ready in just under 30 minutes
- Consistency: Chewy and dense with added texture from peanuts and shredded coconut
- Kid-friendly: Yes, but less sweet than some cookies that contain added sugars
🤝 similar recipes
If you're a fan of peanut butter, dates, or the classic combination, here are some other recipes I think you'll enjoy!
❤️ what makes these cookies unique
Texture. Peanut butter date cookies are naturally dense, soft, and chewy. While that's part of their appeal, I like adding a little texture to really make the experience "pop." Here, we add some additional roasted peanuts and a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut to give them more of a luxurious feel and flavor.
Depth of flavor. I'm a big fan of recipes that minimize ingredients, but I also think some opportunities present themselves to make cookies a little more comforting. Between the vanilla extract and ground spices, we have a little extra warmth in these cookies that just enhances the more prominent dates and peanut butter.
🥣 ingredient notes
🥜 Foundation: Peanut butter and dates
We're using homemade peanut butter, but any variety should work well here. I'm a big fan of natural peanut butter. At least, try to avoid any that have lots of additives as those can impact the final result. Medjool dates are preferred for their sweetness, and they're the only source of sweet in this recipe.
🥥 Texture: Raw peanuts and unsweetened shredded coconut
Roasted raw peanuts and unsweetened shredded coconut are pulsed in the food processor to break them into smaller pieces, but stay intact enough to add texture to otherwise dense cookies. Besides creating wonderful texture, they infuse the cookies with delicious flavor!
🥄 Leavening: Baking powder
Some recipes call for an added acid and baking soda combination, but I keep it simple here and just include a little baking powder for structure.
✨ Seasoning: Pure vanilla extract, salt, ground cinnamon and ground ginger
Vanilla is a classic choice to give these depth of flavor, but we also get a little balance from salt and ground spices. While the spices are optional (and customizable), I think they really enhance the peanut butter and dates.
🔪 equipment notes
🥣 Dough prep
- Food processor: efficiently combines sticky ingredients. A blender was not tested for this recipe, but you should be able to carefully substitute. Watch the texture of the dough carefully.
- Measuring cups and spoons: I recommend weighing the dates to measure, but you can also gently flatten and press into a cup measurement.
- Spatula: Helps to manipulate the dough, especially if you need to scrape down the sides while processing.
🍪 Cookie design
- Bottom of a glass: Easier to press the balls of cookie dough into their flat shape. If the dough sticks to the bottom of a glass, you can use a knife or spatula to gently pry it off.
- Fork: For those who want the classic criss-cross shape on top, you can use the tines of a fork.
♨️ Roasting and baking
- Baking sheet: used to roast the peanuts and bake the cookies.
- Parchment paper: I use a compostable parchment paper for the cookies. You don't need parchment to roast the peanuts.
🧑🏽🍳 instruction notes
🥄 Prep
- Make the flax egg to serve as the binding agent. I place in the refrigerator for a few minutes to encourage thickening.
- Raw peanuts are too bitter, so roasting brings out their flavor and gives us a little more nuttiness.
🥣 Make cookie dough
- Blend all ingredients together (excluding roasted peanuts) until you reach the desired consistency, which should not take more than a minute.
- Add the remaining peanuts and pulse to break up larger pieces and distribute throughout the dough. I like waiting until the end to add these so we have more texture throughout the cookie.
🙌 Shaping and Baking
- Shaping: Press into round cookies, aiming for a thickness no more than one-half-inch thick. I find the bottom of a glass is helpful. You can use the tines of a fork to create the criss-cross pattern on top, if desired.
- Baking: Make sure these are baked on the center rack of your oven and check after about 13 minutes. They should start to turn a light brown color and show some tiny cracks on top.
- Cooling: When hot, these are sensitive. Let them rest for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Recipe
Peanut Butter Date Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Create your flax meal egg by mixing flax meal and water in a small bowl. Place in the refrigerator.2 tablespoon flax meal, 6 tablespoon water
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add raw peanuts to baking sheet and roast on the center rack of the oven while preparing the remaining ingredients, no longer than 10 minutes. Give the baking sheet a shake after several minutes to prevent over-browning and allow to cool for a few minutes after removing from the oven.½ cup raw peanuts
- To the bowl of your food processor, add all ingredients except the roasted peanuts. Process until the mixture is relatively uniform, no longer than a minute. A dough ball may form, which is fine. Texture can have small crumbles, but sticky enough to be rolled into balls.1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup dates, ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
- Add the peanuts to the dough in the food processor, pulsing until the nuts are broken into smaller pieces and evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Using your hands, scoop dough and roll between your palms until a ball forms. Repeat this 16 times and place on your parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Gently press on the tops of the balls to flatten them to a thickness of ¼ to ½ inch thick. I use the bottom of a small glass. If desired, use the tines of your fork to press into the tops of the cookies in a criss-cross shape to create a grid on top of the cookies.
- Bake for 14 minutes on the center rack of your 350-degree Fahrenheit oven, or until the cookies start to turn a golden brown color.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. When hot from the oven, the cookies will be fragile, so wait until you can handle them before transferring to the cooling rack. Enjoy warm or store in an airtight container for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition
Notes
- *Save date seeds to make date seed coffee, or add to your home compost.
- Source organic, fair trade ingredients when possible.
- I use compostable parchment paper.
- It's easy to make peanut butter at home, especially if you have a food processor or powerful blender. Try making your own to reduce packaging waste (though, not required).
- This recipe is low-waste as written.
- Over-baking, resulting in a dry cookie with dark button
- Over-mixing the dough in the food processor. It won't ruin the cookies, but the texture will be different.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!🧊 storage
Short-term: Leave at room temperature for a few days, or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Long-term: Place in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to three months.
✅ acceptable substitutions and variations
These substitutions have not been tested, but should be possible without issue:
- Chia egg: The ratio of ground chia to water is the same as the flax meal egg.
- Type of peanut butter: I prefer natural or homemade peanut butter. Try to avoid peanut butter with additives in case they interfere with the taste. You are welcome to try crunchy peanut butter, but keep in mind the bits of peanuts will pulverize when blending (which is why I add roasted peanuts at the end).
- Spices: Cinnamon is a classic and ginger just adds a little more depth. You can try other spices that go well with sweet recipes, like allspice, nutmeg, and others.
- Additives: Of course, you can get creative with additives. Perhaps reduce the amount of coconut and add some dried fruit pieces, vegan chocolate chips, or other types of nuts. Or, experiment with a topping like some coarse sea salt or drizzle with melted chocolate.
♻️ sustainability profile
🔍 sourcing
Choose organic when possible. None of the ingredients in this recipe are on the Dirty Dozen list, but shopping for organic ingredients is usually a best practice to be safe (and support companies who are kinder to the environment). Check out our guide to the EWG's lists.
Opt for spice companies that support fair labor and sustainable farming practices. This is true for all companies, but sourcing items like spices and vanilla bean can be quite ugly behind the scenes. Companies that use better practices are usually transparent about this on their packaging, like the Vanilla Bean Project (my affiliate link, if interested).
These ingredients (as written) are largely considered sustainable. While all ingredients need to be sourced responsibly, some ingredients serve multiple purposes and contribute to sustainability efforts globally. Take a peek at the research cited by the Food Revolution Network surrounding dates and date palms, as well as promising options for biomass use, pulling toxic metals from the environment and more!
🗑️ waste
Repurpose date seeds. Save them for some homemade date seed "coffee" and any other discarded bits can be composted.
Compostable parchment paper. I use the If You Care brand and recognize that not everyone is comfortable adding this parchment paper to their compost. Use your judgment with this, or see if it's something your local recycling or compost facilities can take off your hands.
Consider making your own peanut butter. This is incredibly simple to do and helps decrease store-bought packaging.
❓ frequently asked questions
Can I mix dates with peanut butter?
Absolutely! Dates have delicious caramel-like sweetness that is a wonderful companion to nut butters of all types, including peanut butter. Given the texture of dates, you can fill or top them with peanut butter, blend together (like we do in this recipe), and experiment with all sorts of customizations.
What do dates pair well with?
Dates are versatile and can be incorporated into a number of delicious culinary creations, both sweet and savory. Here are some pairing ideas to make the most of your dates:
- Sweet: Nuts and nut butters, melted chocolate or chocolate chips, maple syrup, pieces of dried or fresh fruit (like bananas), and blended with other ingredients to create cookies, pie crusts, no-bake desserts, and more.
- Savory: Vegan cheese, nuts and nut butters, herbs (such as thyme or rosemary), mushrooms, and breadcrumbs when used to make savory stuffings.
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