Healthy Oatmeal PB & Date Cookies

Does anyone else crave cookies late at night? Well I do, often. I open my cupboards and see what ingredients I have and therefore what kind of cookie I can make. I had oats and dates so I searched for a recipe on Pinterest and got to baking. I wanted it to be without refined sugar so that I could give them to Everly too. Long story short, I made the cookies and they were crumbly and dry. Only good if crumbled in yogurt or milk. Everly also did not like them. I decided I needed to alter the recipe to make it more chewy, moist and flavorful. My first thought was the addition of peanut butter because Everly loves it, and it would add a good fat to the cookies. I headed to the kitchen to start recipe testing and came up with a cookie that worked and still included all of the healthy ingredients I wanted.

These cookies are gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. They are a chewy, not too sweet and the flavor of peanut butter sneaks in right at the end! They come together so quickly and store well on the counter for a few days or in the fridge. I love them and Everly loves them too. They're perfect to throw in her diaper bag, because she always needs to have snacks on hand. Check out how I made these super easy cookies below!

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Oatmeal PB & Date Cookies

Makes: 15 cookies

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quick oats

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp baking soda

• pinch of salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter

• 1/2 cup mayple syrup

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup dates, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.

3. In a smaller bowl mix together the wet ingredients.

4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Then mix in the dates.

5. Use two spoons to drop cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Press them down slightly if you want a flatter cookie.

6. Bake for 12-15 min or until edges are golden brown.

Best,

Stacey