These healthier chocolate cookies are soft and chewy. The cookies need just 3 ingredients and don’t contain any eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The cookies also don’t require any cooking or baking.
A stack of chocolate cookies

These no bake cookies store well for a quick chocolate snack or dessert. I like having some in my fridge or freezer for whenever I need a healthier treat.

Ingredients

  • Cocoa Powder
  • Dates
  • Almond flour

Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder which gives the cookies a richer chocolate flavor. Dutch process cocoa powder is less acidic and less bitter than natural cocoa powder.

Dates: The cookies are naturally sweetened with dates. Dates also give the cookies a soft and chewy texture. Make sure to use Medjool dates which contain more soft flesh and are easier to blend into a date paste.

Almond flour: I used superfine almond flour so that the flour disappears into the cookie. You can also use almond meal or ground almonds to act as a binder but they will add more of a crunchy texture to the cookies since they won’t be as finely ground. You can also substitute with other nuts like walnuts or pecans.

How to Make Healthier No Bake Cookies

  • The dates are blended in a food processor until they become a mostly smooth date paste.
  • Add in the cocoa powder and almond flour and blend until the cocoa powder and almond flour are completely incorporated. The mixture should look crumbly but if you pinch it together, it should stick.
  • Pack the mixture into a cookie scoop and then release onto your prepared parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
  • Roll each scoop into a smooth ball and flatten into a disk. Place into the fridge to allow the cookies to firm up slightly. If desired, you can garnish the cookies with melted chocolate or other toppings.

Chocolate cookies with a chocolate drizzle

Texture

These cookies don’t have the texture of a baked cookie but they are soft, chewy and fudgy with a rich cocoa flavor.
A bite taken from a no bake chocolate cookie

Expert Tips

  • It may seem like your mixture is too dry at first, but the dates will gradually absorb the almond flour and cocoa powder. If it’s still too dry, you can add just a little bit of water, but you need to be careful because adding too much water will make the dough too sticky and soft to work with.
  • This recipe works best with fresh, very soft dates. You can also use date paste made with just dates if you don’t want to blend your own date paste.

Cookies with a chocolate drizzle

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5 from 2 votes

3 Ingredient Healthier No Bake Chocolate Cookies

These no bake chocolate cookies are healthier than regular chocolate cookies. They need just 3 ingredients and don't contain any wheat flour, eggs, dairy, refined sugar, butter or oil. The cookies are soft, fudgy and chewy.
Servings: 10 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (198g) pitted Medjool date halves, see note before starting
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (33g) superfine almond flour, see note before starting
  • 3 tbsp (18g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

Instructions
 

  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add dates to a large food processor. Pulse until the dates are completely smooth and like a paste. This can take a few minutes and you want to stop your food processor and scrape the sides a few times to help it blend. When I make my paste, the dates first break down into smaller pieces and then they roll up into one large ball. If you continue to blend, the ball is broken down again and becomes a mostly smooth thick paste.
  • Add the almond flour and cocoa powder. Do your best to try to press the mixture into the date paste using a spatula. It may seem very dry at first but the date paste will eventually absorb everything. Blend the mixture in your food processor, stopping a few times to use your spatula to scrape the sides and press the dry ingredients into the date paste until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
  • Your mixture should appear crumbly, almost like small chocolate crumbs, but when you pinch it together, it should stick. If it is not sticky and your mixture is too dry, you can add a tiny bit of water (about 1-2 tsp) but you need to be very careful because adding too much water will make the cookie dough too soft and sticky to work with and you will then need to add more cocoa or almond flour.
  • Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop and pack the dough. Release onto your palm and roll into a smooth ball. Place ball onto your prepared baking sheet and press down so that it forms a thick round disk, about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough. If desired, you can use the back of a metal spoon to smooth and round the edges of the cookies. If you are planning on decorating the cookies with melted chocolate drizzles, do so at this time.
  • Place the cookies into the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour to firm up further. The cookies won't change much but they should firm up enough so they are easy to hold. Store any uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

 
  • Almond flour note: If measuring the almond flour without a scale and using a measuring cup, first fluff up the almond flour in your bag with a spoon. Then use a spoon to spoon the flour into your cup and level it off. This will prevent you from adding too much almond flour to the mixture, which will make the mixture more dry.
  • Dates note: Make sure to use fresh soft dates which will blend better. You want to avoid using dates softened through soaking in water if possible because the added water makes the date paste a little too wet and sticky and you'll need a lot more cocoa powder to firm up the cookie dough. I also prefer using whole dates and removing the pits myself. I've tried buying pit-free whole dates but they are usually much firmer and harder to blend. You can also use a date paste made of only dates if you want to save yourself time from making your own date paste.
  • My favorite dates to use are Joolies Medjool Dates (Amazon | Target)* which are always super soft right out of the bag. I also used Amazon Grocery Superfine Almond Flour* and Rodelle Dutch process cocoa powder* to make these cookies.
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • The optional chocolate drizzle I used is made from 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips melted down with about 1 tsp coconut oil to keep the chocolate very thin and easy to drizzle. The coconut oil also helps the chocolate stay soft even after it has set/firmed up.
  • Please note that these cookies are not low sugar. Even though they are naturally sweetened, dates do contain a high amount of sugar.
  • Estimated nutrition does not include melted chocolate drizzle on the cookies.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 82kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 13g, NET CARBS: 13
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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