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I FINALLY just got my first food processor and this was the first thing I made in it! Fan-freakin-tastic! No… definitely not cookie dough, but great doughy texture and oh so very tasty. These will be made many, many more times – thank-you!
Corin
Bam. Just like that, we’re eating healthy peanut butter cookie dough balls. Truffles. Pre-cookies that aren’t actually cookies and won’t be baked but rival the addictiveness of real cookie dough. Whatev.
I’ve made these little guys before, but they were just cookies. When I just put the link in there I realized I called them peanut butter cookie dough bites last time. That’s cute.
However, one major difference this time is that instead of golden raisins, my safe and familiar friends, I went for it with the exotic dates. See them up there? I couldn’t do a close up of those puppies. They’re not pretty. But I got over their wrinkly-smushy looks quickly when I realized that they work like a charm for making vegan, gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free COOKIES!
Ok, not cookies, as Bjork reminded me.
The afternoon I made these, he asked if we had any snacks. Cause we’re the couple where one of us knows every ingredient in every last kitchen drawer and crevice and what was there last month and what will be there tomorrow, annnnd the other one of us doesn’t know where to look for the bread. There was a time when I used to give him a kitchen tour every time I went grocery shopping. Ok, here’s the crackers, here’s where I put the cheese, we have lots of fruit, and there’s plenty of Fruity Pebbles. I am that girl and now you know.
So, he says, do we have any snacks?
I don’t do kitchen tours anymore. But when he asked me for a snack on the peanut butter cookie dough balls day, I got excited. And then I got sneaky. I told him we had some cookie dough chilling, which prompted a full-on jog over to the refrigerator.
He ate one and declared it not normal cookie dough. Sneaky fail.
I think we can all be adults here: this is not normal cookie dough. What this is is a snack you can make in 10 minutes when all you want is a big ol’ rolled up ball of cookie dough but what you really need is… um, fruit. Read: every day of my life. Dates are considered fruit, right? Or are they candy? Because these are really addicting in that classic cookie dough way, and they’re basically just smushed up dates and peanuts and peanut butter.
Consistency-wise, these will satisfy any cookie dough craving you ever had. They’re both soft and firm and perfectly moist and almost just a little bit sticky, and I really liked the subtle texture from the peanuts. Honey roasted. Do it. Ultimately the peanut butter and chocolate flavors made me feel like I was eating some kind of Reese’s peanut butter cups cookie dough. And I’m speaking in the past tense because they’re loooong gone.
I think I’ll add this to my private stash labeled with my name in the freezer, right along with these dark chocolate coconut bites and other girls-only snacks.
I’m starting to like this new routine.
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
You don’t have to be vegan or gluten free to love these all-natural 5 ingredient peanut butter cookie dough balls! The perfect snack.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanuts (I like honey roasted)
- 1/2 cup dates
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used chunky natural)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 ounces chocolate
Instructions
- Mix: Pulse JUST the peanuts in a food processor until they are broken down into fine crumbs. Add the dates, peanut butter, and vanilla to the food processor and pulse again to form a soft, sticky dough. Add the tablespoon of water if the mixture gets too sticky. For me, 1 tablespoon was just the right amount to get the mixture moving through the food processor without making it overly wet. Continue to pulse and press the mixture back down with a spoon until there are no more large pieces of dates or peanuts, and the mixture starts to stick together in one large ball.
- Roll: Roll small pieces of “dough” between your hands to form small balls. The dough will leave a bit of an oily residue on your hands but should stick together really easily. Place on a plate or cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Refrigerate until you’re ready to dip in chocolate.
- Dip: Melt the chocolate very slowly (double boiler, hot oven, or carefully in the microwave) and dip each ball into the chocolate. Remove the balls with two forks and let the excess drip off. Place on wax paper or parchment paper and allow the chocolate to set. You can put them in the refrigerator or freezer to keep them cold and/or help set the chocolate.
Notes
For 12 even balls, divide the whole mixture into four sections. Each of those sections should be rolled into three separate balls.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cookie energy bites, cookie dough balls, peanut butter energy bites
Love your simple oat and pecan blueberry crisp recipe!! I have done it twice already and I eat it for breakfast and dessert. Please keep posting new recipes I just can’t get enough:)
These are amazing! Just made them last night and pretty much ate half of the dough. š I’m bringing them home for Christmas and I’m currently storing them in my fridge. Should I keep them in my fridge or put them in the freezer. I wasn’t sure how the date mixture would do in the freezer?
1These look so good! I’m going to try them this afternoon. Thanks!
I’m wondering if you found a naturally sweetened chocolate or what you used? So far the I dipped balls are delicious!
Healthy cookie dough? I’m in. Especially since one of my family members needs to eat gluten free. Pinned.
I FINALLY just got my first food processor and this was the first thing I made in it! Fan-freakin-tastic! No… definitely not cookie dough, but great doughy texture and oh so very tasty. These will be made many, many more times – thank-you!
Love hearing that Corin! My food processor actually just broke – one too many rounds of this stuff after all those years š but I can’t wait to get my new one and keep on making these! It’s my weekly sweet treat staple.
OMG the husband kitchen tour.. that is so funny!!! and i am in the same position. “What do you mean where is the peeler? The same place it was the last 100 times you asked me..” Thank you for the recipe, looks delicious, going to have to get over my feeling about the wrinkly dates as well. š
Umm… My guy and I are pretty much the exact same way. Except not just in the kitchen. In the entire HOUSE. He can’t find his keys, his shoes, his candy stash, his jacket, his soda can… And I always know exactly where each item is. Every. Single. Time. Guess we just complement each other? š
And oh boy do I need a way to sneak more fruit into me! I’ve been on a cookie-cake-and-ice-cream-eating binge for the past week. That’s what 4th of July celebrations can do to a girl!
Ha, I make something very similar and my kids love it. So healthy and so yummy š
Ah yum! I wonder if they would be overly sweet if I added a little vanilla protein powder… Whatcha think?
I think that would be great!
I can’t imagine anything better than that great bite of food!
Fabulous! I always forget how much I love dates until I have them, sounds perfect in these little guys.
Ugh, so perfect. They are like miracle food.
Love them! I have a recipe that uses PB + dates and I make them as bars, and then top with chocolate – easier than rolling all those little balls. Better you than me š They look fabulous!!
Agreed! Way easier. But I do love a cute little ball now and then, too!
I pinned this recipe – immediately. What’s not to love about peanut butter, peanuts, dates, chocolate, and cookie dough??? However, I had a problem. It didn’t fit on my board called ‘Baking’. It didn’t fit on my board called ‘Dessert’. For now it is sitting on my board called ‘Recipe Ideas’, but I just might have to create a new board called ‘Irresistible’!!!
Dates have to be one of the most unphotogenic foods ever. Seriously – not cute. But I am loving these cookie dough balls Lindsay!! They look like fancy gourmet truffles. š And I love someone else’s suggestion for almonds + almond butter. So good I bet!
Love, love! I’ve concocted so many different versions of Snack Bites, but never this – now I see what’s been missing from my life! Actually – so funny that just yesterday I saw a gorgeously packaged, gourmet package of snacks at our upscale grocer. Yep … it was simply dried dates rolled in crushed peanuts … for about a ba-jillion dollars! Uh-huh – you’re soooo all that!!!!
Love it! Dough bites are totally where it’s at! I had never tasted dates until about two months ago when I was making breakfast bars, and you’re right! They ARE like candy!
Honey roasted peanuts are the best!! These look so good. Perfect healthy summer treat/ snack!
I am addicted. The package that I bought was close to being gone before I even had a chance to make these!
I make these ALL the time! Except I roll mine in shredded, unsweetened coconut =)
OH the shame. I totally made these and then me and my OH scoffed the whole lot within 24 hours..oops.
Very moreish and very delicious š
x
Best part of the whole post… You snuck in a quick fractions/division lesson in the “notes” section! š That seriously made my day!
haha oh my gosh this is cracking me up! I used to do kitchen tours after grocery shopping too – gave up on those a long time ago : ) I still attempt to do explanations of where everything goes since my husband loves to leave things on the counter after unloading the dishwasher with the claim that he doesn’t know where I like to put them and doesn’t want to “mess me up.” Ahem, not to mention the fact that we’ve been living in the same house for well over 3 years now. lol.
These look fabulous, my husband is not eating gluten at the moment so will be making these for him (and me!)
Perfect!
Our husbands sound very similar! Mine never knows where things are in the kitchen (prefers to stay out of it, too), and would NOT agree if I tried to call these “cookies.” I, however, agree with you–these are a perfect replacement for cookies! I can’t wait to make them š
I have a bag of dates in my cabinet and was not sure what to do with them. This looks like a perfect solution!
[from one Fruity Pebbles fan to another..?]
We def. like our fruit pebbles around here.