Date Oat Vegan Cookies

One of my favorite treats is oatmeal cookies with dates instead of sugar. They have a dense texture, are sweet, and very filling. They aren’t like regular cookies; you might even call them bars in the shape of cookies. If you want to speed up the preparation process, you can actually make Oatmeal Date Bars from this dough. In either case, they make a great sweet snack. These cookies need to be eaten after being chilled in the fridge, so it’s best to make them in advance and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours. This recipe makes enough dough for a whole baking sheet of cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups of soft dates
1 cup of rolled oats
1.5 cups of oat flour
3/4 cup of coconut oil

* Use soft dates (not dried). To make them easier to peel and pit, soak them in a bowl of hot water beforehand.
* You can make oat flour by blending rolled oats in a blender.
* To measure out half a cup of oil more easily, use liquid coconut oil (coconut oil becomes liquid at temperatures above 19-23°C, if your oil is solid just heat it a bit).
* For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free oats.
* Use rolled oats for this recipe.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Soak the dates in hot water, then peel and pit them. Mash the peeled dates with a fork until they form a smooth paste.
Add the rolled oats, oat flour, and coconut oil. Mix until well combined.
Roll the dough into balls, flatten them to form cookies. Place them on parchment paper and bake at 175°C for about 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are slightly golden.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely. Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.