Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches were always my favorite packed lunch. These cookies reminded me so much of the good ol’ days, but didn’t leave me feeling guilty. If you’re like me and need a peanut butter & jelly fix, make a batch of these easy, refined sugar-free, raw vegan cookies.
These cookies are so incredibly easy to make! All you need is the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and a food processor. It’s as simple as that!
When I was in middle school, after walking home from school, I would eat peanut butter right out of the jar with a big spoon. Of course, in those quick metabolism days, I could eat a ton of it without any hesitation. Sometimes I would even dip the peanut butter in the jelly, to make a dreamy peanut butter & jelly in a spoon treat.
I love that I accidentally created a raw vegan dessert. It was honestly unintentional, but when I realized that it was, I was thrilled. People make being vegan sound impossible, but if you have treats like these cookies to make, then it can’t be too difficult. At least it won’t taste bad.
I brought these delectable, sweet & nutty treats to a New Year’s Eve party and they were a huge hit. I did notice that the people who didn’t know they were raw vegan seemed to enjoy them more than those who did know. So, if your family isn’t too open to anything that can be described as “vegan” or “refined sugar-free,” then you might want to leave that part out and let them enjoy them.
These amazing cookies are:
Nutty
Sweet
Very flavorful
Filling
Raw Vegan
Super easy to make
If you like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, there’s no way you’ll be able to pass this up! Enjoy!
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup natural creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup peanuts or almonds
- 14 teaspoons jelly of choice
- Remove pits from dates. If the dates are dry, soak them for 5 minutes, then dry them thoroughly.
- In a food processor, blend dates until a caramel colored ball forms.
- Add oats and salt and blend until smooth. Scrape sides as needed.
- Add peanut butter and peanuts and blend until thick dough forms. (If dough seems too crumbly, add maple syrup until soft enough to form into balls.
- Scoop 1-inch balls of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper.
- Press thumb into the center of each cookie. If the cookie cracks on the sides, use wet fingers to smooth the sides.
- Scoop 1 teaspoon jelly into the center of each cookie.
