These no bake healthier chocolate cookies are soft and chewy. They only need 3 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The cookies also don’t require any cooking or baking. They are easy to make and can be easily customized.
These no bake chocolate cookies are great for a snack or quick dessert. They store well and can be customized with different mix-ins or more flavors.
Ingredients
- Cocoa powder
- Dates
- Cashew butter or peanut butter
Cocoa powder: I recommend using Dutch process cocoa powder to make these. Dutch process cocoa powder has a richer chocolate flavor and is less bitter and acidic compared to natural cocoa powder. The cocoa powder gives these cookies a rich chocolate cocoa flavor and also helps the cookies set up.
Dates: The cookies are naturally sweetened with dates. The recipe uses Medjool dates which are a larger date variety. You want to use Medjool dates because they have more soft flesh which helps to create a smoother date paste. The dates also give the cookies a chewy soft texture.
Cashew butter or peanut butter: Make sure to use natural cashew butter or natural peanut butter with no added oils. The cookie dough will not thicken enough if you use cashew butter or peanut butter with added oils. A little bit of cashew butter is added for texture and to balance the date flavor. Dates have a strong flavor but the cashew butter mellows some of the date flavor while also adding to the chewiness of the cookies. You can substitute peanut butter for cashew butter but peanut butter has a stronger flavor so you will taste the peanut butter in the cookies if you use peanut butter.
You can also add chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips to these cookies if you want.
How to Make No Bake Healthier Chocolate Cookies
- Blend the dates in a food processor until they form a mostly smooth paste. Blend in the cashew butter until evenly mixed in.
- Add in the cocoa powder and mix until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated. Your mixture should look slightly crumbly but when you pinch the crumbs together, they should stick.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and release onto your prepared baking sheet. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and then press down on the cookie ball to form a thick round disk. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Place cookies into the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up further before serving. You can also decorate the cookies with melted chocolate before eating.
Texture
The cookies have a soft and chewy texture, similar to a brownie but not quite as fudgy. The cookies have a bittersweet level of sweetness.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use Medjool dates. Other date varieties are firmer with more skin and don’t make a good smooth date paste.
- You can make the cookies without any nut butter but I find the date flavor quite strong without it. The nut butter helps to balance and mellow the date flavor, giving the cookies a richer chocolate flavor.
- You can add chopped nuts for more texture or chocolate chips for more sweetness.
More No Bake Cookie Recipes
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Healthy Coconut Cookies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Healthier Samoas
- 4 Ingredient No Bake Healthy Lemon Cookies
3 Ingredient No Bake Healthier Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (128 g) pitted Medjool date halves
- 5 tbsp (80 g) natural cashew butter with no added oils or natural peanut butter with no added oils
- 1/4 cup (24 g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
Instructions
- Line a large 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. A few bits of visible date skin is okay but you do want a mostly smooth paste.
- Add the cashew butter to the date paste and blend until the cashew butter is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed to help it blend. Your mixture should become thicker once the cashew butter is added.
- Add in the cocoa powder and blend until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated. Your mixture should appear crumbly, almost like small cocoa pebbles cereal, but when you pinch it together, it should stick. If it is not sticky and your mixture is too dry, you can add a little bit of water or a little more cashew butter until the mixture is sticky enough to stick together when pressed together.
- 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 1/2 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
- 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.
- The cup measurement for the dates is after the pits have been removed and the dates are broken into halves.
- Make sure your cashew butter or peanut butter has no added oils. The cookie dough will not set if you use a cashew or peanut butter with added oils.
- I use Joolies Medjool Dates (Amazon | Target)*, Octonuts pure cashew butter* and Rodelle Dutch process cocoa powder*
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- The optional chocolate drizzle is made from 1/4 cup 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.
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.
Hi,
Love your recipes.
Can I use anything other than nut butter. Will regular butter or plant based butter work?
Thanks for getting back.
Rgds,
D
You can make the cookies without any nut butter but I find the date flavor quite strong without it. The nut butter helps to balance and mellow the date flavor, giving the cookies a richer chocolate flavor. You could try sunflower seed butter. I do not recommend using regular butter.