Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with Almonds and Dates

These cookies don’t take long to make, and you don’t need many ingredients. Yet they’re a sophisticated snack and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea or a good book. The crunch of the chocolate chips provides a nice contrast to the cookies’ predominantly soft texture. The flavor unfolds in distinct layers. First, you taste the almonds and dates, which together deliver a caramel-like, toasted flavor. Then the oats briefly come to the forefront with their woody flavor. Finally, you taste the bittersweet, vanilla-like notes of the chocolate. This brings the cookies together beautifully, as almonds and chocolate also pair very well together.

The natural sweetener in these cookies is dates. These are the fruits of the date palm. They have a sweet, caramel-like flavor that pairs well with the almond butter in these cookies. They are naturally quite high in sugar, so no additional sugar needs to be added to this recipe. Dates are also rich in antioxidants. ⁽¹⁾ Oxidation produces free radicals. These can damage our cells and are thought to contribute to the aging process. Antioxidants bind to these free radicals. In this way, they prevent oxidative reactions from occurring in the body’s cells. Thus, they ensure that no damage is done to our cells. ⁽²⁾

Dates are high in fiber. One of the benefits of this is that the cookies will be digested more slowly. As a result, the sugars they contain are absorbed into the bloodstream more gradually. Consequently, there are fewer sharp spikes and drops in blood sugar levels. ⁽³⁾ Dates also contain a good amount of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. ⁽⁴⁾ These are all nutrients that benefit our health. So you have plenty of reasons to head into the kitchen and get started on these delicious cookies. 😉

Sources:
(1) AlFaris, N. A., AlTamimi, J. Z., AlGhamdi, F. A., Albaridi, N. A., Alzaheb, R. A., Aljabryn, D. H., Aljahani, A. H., & AlMousa, L. A. (2021). Total phenolic content in ripe date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.): A systematic review and meta-analysis.Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences,28(6), 3566–3577.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.03.033

(2) Antioxidants: Hype or Science?(n.d.). NICE Nutrition Info.https://www.nice-info.be/voedingsstoffen/antioxidanten

(3) Elliott, B. E. (October 13, 2022).8 Proven Health Benefits of Dates. Healthline.https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-dates

(4) Kuras, M., Zielińska–Pisklak, M., Duszyńska, J., & Jabłońska, J. (2020). Determination of the elemental composition and antioxidant properties of dates (Phoenix dactylifera) from different regions.Journal of Food Science and Technology,57(8), 2828–2839.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-020-04314-8

Recipe

Ingredients: ( 8 cookies)

• 20 dates
• 6 tablespoons almond butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 6 tablespoons almond milk
• 6 handfuls of oatmeal
• 100 g chocolate

Supplies:

• Powerful blender or hand blender
• Oven

Preparation: ( 30 minutes)

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Pit the dates and put them in a powerful blender.
3. Add the almond butter. Often, a layer of oil forms on top of the almond butter when it’s in the jar. You can stir this in. This will give the butter a smoother texture and make it easier to blend. 
4. Add the salt and the almond milk.
5. Blend everything together until it forms a cohesive mixture.
6. Chop the chocolate into pieces.
7. Stir in the chocolate, along with the rolled oats.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and shape the dough into 8 cookies. That's about one tablespoon per cookie.
9. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. 

Enjoy your meal!