These healthy no bake cookies are sweet, chewy, chocolatey and nutty. They are only three ingredients and don’t contain any flour, eggs, butter or refined sugar. They take only a few minutes to make and store well.

a stack of five cookies

I’m starting off cookie season with these easy no bake cookies. I love snacking on these healthier cookies so that I don’t go overboard on eating too many traditional cookies. They also store well and are great for gifting.

Ingredients

  • Almonds
  • Dates
  • Cocoa Powder

Almonds

Almonds can be replaced with other nuts like cashews, walnuts or pecans. I like using almonds because they add a crunchy texture to the cookies.

Dates

These cookies are naturally sweetened with Medjool dates. I highly recommend you use Medjool dates. Medjool dates are very large and have a lot of soft flesh, which becomes a sticky sweet paste. Small dates like deglet noor won’t work because they are firmer and don’t have as much flesh.

Cocoa Powder

You will want to use unsweetened cocoa powder for these cookies. You can also use cacao powder to make them even healthier. If you are using cocoa powder, you can use either dutch process or natural. I used dutch process.

cookies lined up in a single layer

How to Make The Cookies

Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until the nuts break down to the size of large crumbs.

Add the dates and cocoa powder and pulse until the mixture is combined. It will be sticky and clumpy at this point.

Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough to form each cookie. Roll the dough balls between your hands to compact the dough. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Press down on each cookie so it forms a disc. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

overhead shot of cookies

Tips for the Best No Bake Cookies

  • When you blend the dough, it should be sticky and clump up easily. If your dough is dry, you can add a tablespoon of water and blend.
  • For an extra chocolatey flavor, add an extra one tablespoon of cocoa powder.
  • For sweeter cookies, add more dates.
  • If your dough is very sticky when you form the dough balls, you can refrigerate them and then press them. This will keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
  • These cookies are fine without decoration, but they are not the prettiest. To make these cookies look a little more visually appealing, I drizzled some melted dark chocolate over the cookies. You can also dip them in melted chocolate, add frosting, or add chocolate chips.

close-up shot of the no bake cookies

More Healthy No Bake Recipes

4.90 from 19 votes

3 Ingredient Healthy No Bake Cookies

These no bake cookies are chewy and nutty. They are just 3 ingredients and don't contain any flour, eggs, butter or refined sugar.
Servings: 10 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1 (lightly packed) cup pitted medjool dates
  • 2-3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, or cacao powder

Instructions
 

  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add almonds to food processor and pulse until nuts are very small, about the size of large crumbs. Add dates and 2 tbsp cocoa powder. Pulse until dates are fully blended and the mixture becomes sticky and clumpy. If your mixture appears to be too dry and doesn't stick together, add 1 tbsp of water and pulse again. Taste and adjust as needed. If you want a stronger chocolate flavor, add 1 more tbsp cocoa powder. If you want something sweeter, you can add more dates.
  • Using a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and release onto prepared cookie sheet. Roll each dough ball between your palms to compact it further. Place cookie balls back onto sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Press down on balls to form round disks/cookie shape. If you find your dough is too sticky, place cookie balls into fridge for about 30 minutes or until dough becomes a little firmer and less sticky. If desired, you can drizzle melted chocolate over cookies. Let chocolate set before storing cookies.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container at either room temperature or in the fridge.

Notes

  • The cookies don't need the chocolate drizzle, but it does make them prettier. If you want to add a chocolate drizzle, it is just melted chocolate. I recommend extra dark chocolate (which has low sugar) or unsweetened chocolate if you want to keep them refined sugar free. The cookies were sweet enough that my family didn't even notice the chocolate on top was unsweetened except when eating it by itself.
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 84kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, NET CARBS: 11
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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