Peanut Butter Date Cookies balance rich peanut butter, naturally sweet Medjool dates, and a blend of warming spices, with chocolate chips folded through. They're made with almond flour as the only flour and sweetened with nothing but dates, so there's no added sugar anywhere. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and on the cooling rack in about 30 minutes.
Like my traditional Speculoos Cookies, this cookie recipe comes with a mix of warm spices that subtly come through at the end of each bite. But these date cookies are much easier to make, contain only almond flour, and are sweetened with Medjool dates alone. Let's bake some!
Browse all my almond flour recipes, from cookies to dinner, for more naturally sweetened bakes.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No Added Sugar: Medjool dates do all the sweetening, so there's no sugar, honey, or syrup in these at all.
- Simple Ingredients: With just a few pantry ingredients and spices, you'll get 18 little cookies to enjoy all week.
- Amazing Texture & Flavors: These chewy cookies are soft, flavored with warm spices, and contain chocolatey surprises.
- Ready in 30 Minutes: Ten minutes of prep, fifteen in the oven, and a few to cool.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: Blanched almond flour is the only flour here, so nothing needs swapping.
Ingredients & Notes
Here's what you need to make date cookies:
- Almond flour: This gluten-free flour is the perfect base for a chewy cookie texture without the heaviness of wheat flour. For the best results, use blanched almond flour instead of almond meal. Use leftovers to make this amazing Yogurt Almond Flour Coffee Cake or Almond Flour Mango Cookies.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, and ginger enhance the flavors of these peanut butter date cookies. I'm adding a tad of salt to balance the sweet flavors.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise, creating that soft, chewy texture we all love.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold everything together.
- Medjool dates: The only sweetener in the recipe. Their natural sweetness gives these cookies a rich, caramel-like flavor while adding fiber and nutrients. Use leftovers to make my Paleo Brownies.
- Creamy peanut butter: Provides a rich, nutty flavor and a smooth texture. Go for a natural peanut butter made from roasted peanuts only.
- Coconut oil: A healthy fat that adds moisture and helps bind the ingredients together. I only add enough to turn these date cookies into soft, chewy desserts.
- Chocolate chips: These little bursts of chocolate add a touch of sweetness and indulgence without overpowering the natural flavors, similar to my Almond Flour Banana Cookies or Date Pumpkin Muffins.
How To Make Peanut Butter Date Cookies
They're so easy to make, and the baking time is only 15 minutes.
Step One — Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the almond flour in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, cloves, and baking soda until evenly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and set the bowl aside.
Step Two — Combine the pitted dates, peanut butter, coconut oil, and egg in a high-speed blender. Blend until you get a sticky brown date paste.
Step Three — Add the date paste to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour has been absorbed and you have a solid ball of dough.
Step Four — Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into smooth balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart.
Step Five — Using the back of a glass, gently press each ball down into a cookie shape. If the dough sticks to the glass, dip it in a little water first.
Step Six — Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Let the cookies cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Top Tips
- Pitted dates: Remove the date pits before blending. Use any leftover dates to make my Gluten-Free Moist Date Cake.
- Peanut butter: Natural creamy peanut butter adds the best flavor. Avoid peanut butter with added sugar or oils for the healthiest option.
- Blend the dates fully: You want a smooth, sticky paste with no chunks left, or the sweetness won't distribute evenly through the dough.
- Allow date cookies to cool: Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before enjoying.
Variations & Substitutions
- Peanut butter: Almond butter is a great alternative if you prefer it.
- For a nut-free version: Sunflower butter is a great alternative option.
- Chocolate: Add dark chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips for a richer chocolate flavor, or make my Almond Flour Cocoa Cookies.
- Spices: If you have Speculaas spice mix on hand, use about 2 to 3 teaspoons instead of the individual spices for a different flavor twist.
Storage
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. They're sturdy enough to stack once fully cooled.
Recipe FAQs
There's no added sugar in them. All the sweetness comes from Medjool dates, which bring fiber and nutrients along with it, plus whatever sugar is in the chocolate chips you choose.
Not if you're using soft Medjool dates. If yours are dry or firm, soak them in warm water for 10 minutes and drain them well before blending.
More Almond Flour Cookies
They are all gluten-free or come with a gluten-free option.
Made this? Tell me how it went in the comments and leave a star rating below. I love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter! — Mariska
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Date Cookies (No Added Sugar)
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 Food Processor or High-Speed Blender For creating a date paste.
- 1 whisk To combine the dry ingredients.
- 1 Wooden Spoon To mix the wet with dry ingredients.
- Bowls For combining the ingredients
- 1 Baking Sheet To bake the cookies evenly.
- Parchment paper To prevent sticking and make cleanup a breeze.
- 1 Cookie Scoop 1 tablespoon
- Wire Rack For cooling the cookies to keep them crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour 155 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup chocolate chips 45 grams
- 1 egg
- 1 cup packed Medjool dates, pitted 180 grams (about 10)
- ½ cup natural creamy peanut butter 125 grams
- 3 tablespoons solid coconut oil 45 grams
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 180 degrees C. Take a large baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper—set aside.
- Place the almond flour in a bowl, then add the spices and baking soda. Using a whisk, combine the spices with the flour until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.1 ½ cups blanched almond flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ cup chocolate chips
- Place the egg, dates, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a blender. Blend until you get a sticky brown paste. Transfer to the bowl with the flour mix.1 egg, 1 cup packed Medjool dates, pitted, ½ cup natural creamy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons solid coconut oil
- Combine the almond flour-spice mix with the brown date paste using a wooden spoon until all the flour mix has been absorbed by the date paste and you get a solid ball of dough.
- Scoop up a tablespoon of the dough. Roll it into a smooth, small ball and place it on the prepared sheet. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Ensure they're spaced well apart.
- With the back of a glass, slightly flatten the cookie dough balls.
- Bake in the oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
- Spices: If you have it on hand, use a Speculaas mix (about 2 to 3 teaspoons), which is merely a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, anise, ginger, white pepper, or licorice, and cardamom (depending on the brand these prepackaged spice bags may differ somewhat in flavor). You can easily purchase these spices online from local brands such as King Arthur Flour Speculaas Spice.
- Forming the Cookies: Use the back of a glass, gently press the dough balls down into a cookie shape. If the dough sticks to the glass, dip it in a little water to prevent it from sticking. I prefer to gently pull it away from the glass and place it back on the prepared baking sheet—it goes fast.
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Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
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