These easy peanut butter cookies are firm on the outside and soft on the inside. They don't contain any flour, added sugar, eggs, oil, baking powder or baking soda.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Soak dates in warm water for 10-15 minutes. If you are using a new package of dates and your dates are very soft, you do not need to soak them and you can use them as is. Drain dates from water (no need to completely pat dry them) and add them to food processor. Pulse until dates form a thick paste. You may need to scrape the sides of your food processor a few times with a spatula to ensure all the dates are evenly pulsed and mixed in.
Add in peanut butter. Pulse until peanut butter is fully mixed in and becomes a thick cookie dough. Your dough may seem a little crumbly but if you pinch it together, it should stick.
Using a 1.5 cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and place onto prepared baking sheet. Continue to scoop until all dough is used up. You should have enough for 16 cookies. Grab one dough ball and press between your palms to compact it and keep the dough from getting crumbly. Roll between your hands to form a round ball. Place back onto cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough, placing dough balls 2 inches apart.
Press down on each dough ball so it form a thick round disk (about 1/2 inch thick). The cookies will not spread much during baking so you want to shape the cookies as close to you want their final appearance as possible. Use the back of a fork to make criss-cross pattern on the surface of each disk.
Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until they puff up and the surface of the dough does not look wet. If you are unsure if your cookies are ready, you can test one by gently try to slide it on the baking sheet. It should without the bottom sticking. Be gentle because cookies are not fully set yet.
Let cookies cool on cookie sheet and fully set before removing the cookies from the baking sheet.
Notes
Dates need to be pitted before measuring them on the scale or cup. If you are using already pitted dates, I recommend breaking them in half before adding them to the measuring cup for a more accurate measurement (this is not needed if you are using a scale).
If you have questions regarding substitutions, please see the Ingredients section of the post where I discuss potential substitutions.
Make sure to use natural peanut butter (just peanuts and salt and no added oils) and not regular peanut butter, otherwise the dough won't firm up properly. Substitutions for peanut butter are discussed in the Ingredients section of the post.
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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.