These no bake peanut butter cookies are an easy snack or dessert. They don’t require any cooking or baking. The cookies are made with just two ingredients and don’t contain any flour, added sugar, eggs or butter.
I love making these no bake peanut butter cookies for my family for snack and dessert. They only take a few minutes to make and they store well.
Ingredients
- Peanut Butter
- Dates
Peanut butter: This recipe uses natural peanut butter. This is peanut butter that contains only peanuts and salt in the ingredient list.
Dates: This recipe works best with dried Medjool dates. Medjool dates are a bigger type date and have more soft flesh which is used to make a date paste. Dates are a natural sweetener for these cookies and also act as a binder and provide texture. Need a substitute for dates? Some readers have shared that they’ve suddenly made these with prunes or raisins (soaked in warm water until plump). I’ve also got a no bake peanut butter cookie recipe that uses maple syrup instead of dates.
How to Make No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
The dates are first run through a food processor until they form a date paste. The peanut butter is then mixed in until a cookie dough forms. The dough is then rolled out and flattened into disks. You can make a criss-cross pattern on top using the back of a fork. If desired, you can eat the cookies right away. I like to put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes which helps the dough firm up a little more.
Cookie Texture
These cookies don’t have the same texture as a baked cookie. They taste more like an energy bar but in cookie form. The dough does have a little bit of crumble to it, which makes it resemble a baked cookie. If you prefer a firmer, more cookie-like texture, I also have a baked version.
More No Bake Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Coconut Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- 2 Ingredient No Bake Almond Cookies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
2 Ingredient No Bake Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (256 g) unsweetened natural peanut butter
- 3/4 cup (106 g) pitted and halved Medjool dates
Instructions
- Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Add dates to a food processor. If your dates are a little dry, see note section for how to rehydrate them before using. Pulse until dates form a smooth paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of your food processor a few times with a spatula to help your food processor mix the dates. Your date paste should also roll up into a ball when done.
- Once dates are ready, add in peanut butter. Pulse until peanut butter is completely incorporated. Make sure to pause and scrape peanut butter from the sides and bottom of the food processor with a spatula to help mix the ingredients completely. When the peanut butter is fully incorporated, it should form a thick cookie dough.
- Scoop 1 tbsp of dough. Place onto the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Roll one piece of dough between your palms until it forms a smooth compact ball. Press down on the ball slightly with the palm of your hand until it becomes a thick round disk (about 1/2 inch thick). Repeat with remaining dough. Use the back of a fork to make criss-cross pattern on the surface of each cookie.
- Cookies can be eaten right away but I prefer to put them in the fridge to firm up a little more. Place cookies in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour to let them firm up. The cookies will not change form. Placing them in the fridge just makes them more sturdy to hold. Store uneaten cookies at room temperature for 1-2 days or longer in the fridge.
Notes
- This recipe uses dried medjool dates. It's listed simply as Medjool dates in the ingredients section because in the US and many other countries dried dates are standard.
- Dates tend to start getting dry soon after you open them. If your dates are not soft and moist you may need to rehydrate them. To do so, soak them in warm water for about 15 minutes. Then pat dry and use.
- Dates need to be pitted and halved before measuring them
- If you don't have a food processor you can try buying premade date paste (make sure it's just dates in the ingredient list) or try making your own by hand with a fork (your dates will need to be very soft).
- Make sure to use natural peanut butter (just salt and peanuts in the ingredient list). The dough will not form if you use regular peanut butter.
- See post for potential ingredient substitutions.
- Dates provide a lot of nutrition and are a natural sweetener. However they are high in sugar so these cookies may not be suitable if you are looking for very low sugar cookies or have dietary restrictions.
- Measurements provided are in US standard units.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
I really enjoy your no bake recipes. They are simple to make. I also enjoy your one skillet or pot recipes as well. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.
We’re so glad you love the recipes!
I havent tried it so I cannot really say yet. It seems like it’s going to be very good.
We hope you try them soon!
Oh I enjoyed making these cookies and I’m hereat my house and I’m going to eat all of them their so good ??
I’m so glad you like them!
Very nice recipe chef ???. I like to wish you and your family a very healthy happy new year 2023 ??????????????
Happy New Year to you, too!
Love your cookies
We’re so glad you liked them!
Thanks for sharing updates recipe cookies love it
This is very delicious dear
Thanks so much for sharing
Recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Tiffany will like to send me more of recipes
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Super delicious and so simple to prepare. I actually left mine in the fridge for one hour and was great to munch. Thanks and stay blessed??
I’m so glad you like them!
YUMMY stuff aside. I wanted you to know that, at the moment, I’m living in Panama. My husband’s doctor has the nicest daughter who is in High School. Paoula wants to be a Doctor of Pharmacology. To earn money for tuition she bakes and sells her baked goods. Last night I showed her your email with all the 3 and 4 ingredient things to make. Her face lit up with a big smile. Delicious goodies to sell, easy to make and using few ingredients (saving money.) Just wanted you to know the added gift your newsletter is and who knows, perhaps helping a future doctor!
thank you for sharing your story!
I have a giant container of peanut butter powder. Would this work? If so, how much water would you use to reconstitute the PB?
Sorry, but we’re not sure – we haven’t tried this recipe with peanut butter powder. Maybe another commenter will chime in if they’ve tried it.