Peanut Butter and Date Cookies

Yields: about 36 cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

Much of the sweetness in these cookies comes from less refined sugar sources such as mineral and iron rich dates and molasses. Oats and peanut butter add a healthy dose of B vitamins and proteins, making you feel good about snacking on these cookies.

Ingredients

10 dates, pitted (soaked for at least one hour in water, if not overnight)

1 egg

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons softened butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup creamy natural peanut butter

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Soak dates covered in water at least one hour or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375.

3. Combine oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

4. In a food processor, add dates, egg, vanilla, molasses, brown sugar and softened butter and puree until well blended.

5. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

6. Spoon dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time into your hand and lightly roll into a ball. Place dough onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Using a fork (sometimes it helps to wet the fork with water so the dough does not stick), make a criss-cross pattern on the cookie while gently pressing. Or you can simply flatten a bit with your hand.

7. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let cookies cool completely.

Dates are one of my favorite additions to baked goods, or simply desserts as a whole. They are loaded with nutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, plus vitamin A. The list doesn’t stop there. Fiber is another excellent bonus of dates. So, when I can replace half of the sugar in a baked good with these nutritious dates, I’m on board!

Peanut butter is a favorite for my kids, and has a lot of protein as well. Peanuts are high on the allergen list, so I would be open to trying these with almond butter or maybe even sun-butter. However, I have not tried these modifications, so I make no guarantees!

And of course, chocolate chips. I pretty much add chocolate to everything. OK, not everything, but I really like it a lot. I have found that when I add it in small amounts to nutrient dense foods, I don’t find myself craving it or overdoing it. It’s all about balance, right?

Although, I am not an advocate of chocolate for breakfast, I have on occasion used these for a breakfast cookie of sorts. There is enough bulk from whole grains such as oatmeal and fiber from dates and whole wheat flour, that the bit of brown sugar that will find its way into each cookie is minimal. In my opinion, this is a healthier grab-and-go meal than cereal.

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