Vegan Oat Cookies

I was a little worried about making these vegan, gluten-free cookies, but let me tell you something - they’re AWESOME! Easy to make and everyone can enjoy them! I ate like four within 10 minutes of taking them out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup packed dates (soaked for 10 minutes in warm water and then drained)
1 medium ripe banana
2 Tbsp all natural, salted almond butter or peanut butter
3/4 cup almond meal (ground from raw almonds)
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
Optional add-ins: dried fruit, dairy-free chocolate chips, flaxseed, seeds, nuts

DIRECTIONS

• Add dates to a food processor and pulse until small bits remain.

• Add banana and almond butter and mix again until combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

• Next add the almond meal and rolled oats and pulse until a loose dough is formed. It will be kind of wet and sticky. That’s OK! You’re on the right track.

• Scrape your dough into a mixing bowl. If it feels too wet to the touch to form into cookies, add another few Tbsp of almond meal and/or oats and stir. I added another few tablespoons of each until I was able to form them into cookies without them sticking to my hands.

• At this point, you can add in 1/4 cup of your mix-in of choice, such as dairy-free dark chocolate chips, raisins or nuts. Then chill dough for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).

• Scoop out 1 Tbsp amounts of your cookie dough and form into loose discs, then arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. They won’t expand so pack them closer together (but not touching).

• Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and somewhat firm to the touch. The good thing about these cookies is a little under-baked is OK since there’s no eggs and they’ll ultimately just be a little more moist.

• Remove and let set for a few minutes on the pan, then carefully transfer to a plate or cooling rack to cool. Serve immediately.

• Store leftovers in an airtight container for several days. Move to the fridge or freezer for longer term storage.