Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and with it comes being bombarded by ALL THE SWEETS. I whole heartedly believe in enjoying a sweet treat with your sweetie on the holiday, but you can definitely do it in more healthful way with my naturally sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites. Not only do these 5 ingredient (plus salt) cookie “dough” balls taste like Chewy Chips Ahoy (YES,) but they’re naturally sweetened with dates!
Here’s the scoop: raw cashews are combined with sticky-sweet Medjool dates, vanilla extract, almond meal, and chocolate chips, then rolled into balls which not only look but taste like raw cookie dough. I mean it’s unreal, and they come together in just 10 minutes! Lincoln’s developed a taste for these “sweet meatballs” and I feel zero guilt about him occasionally eating one vs something that’s loaded with refined sugar. Healthier but still very decadent-tasting. I could not love them more.
How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
As I mentioned, these cookie dough bites are sweetened and held together with Medjool dates. Medjool dates are super sweet and sticky, and can usually be found in the produce section of the grocery store.
Medjool dates are occasionally sold in the bulk bins but if you’re gluten-free you’ll want to avoid those because of cross contamination issues, plus the dates can become dry and hard in the bins and they need to remain really soft to hold the bites together.
Add 6 Medjool dates to the bowl of a food processor along with 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt, then process until the mixture is smooth and starts to come together into a batter.
The mixture should hold its shape when squeezed, like this!
Dump the mixture into a big bowl then sprinkle in 1/4 cup finely ground almond meal and mix with your hands to combine.
Next add 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips and mix with your hands to combine.
Last step is to roll the mixture into 10 balls then enjoy right away (dare you not to!) or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Let the bites sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes after being refrigerated to regain that chewy texture that you’re going to flip for!
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Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Description
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites are naturally sweetened, vegan, and gluten-free. These bites are the perfect cure for a sweet tooth!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 6 Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup finely ground almond flour
- 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Add cashews, dates, vanilla, and salt to the bowl of a food processor then process until smooth and mixture just starts to come together into a sticky batter. Pour into a large bowl then sprinkle in almond flour and mix with your hands to combine. If mixture is too sticky, add a little more almond flour. Add chocolate chips then mix until combined. Roll into 10 balls then store in the refrigerator.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I can’t wait for you to try these healthier sweet treats this Valentine’s Day, or any time of the year!
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Im in mpls visiting friends for the weekend & we just made our reservations for Butcher and the Boar for tonight. I thought of you and had to show them your blog post on the restaurant! I can always bring sausages back to Iowa if you’d like! ?
OMG, I just made these (finally!), and they are to. die. for. Thank you for this recipe! I’m sure I’ll be making it for years to come. :)
These look delicious! Thanks for posting!
I am not much more than a home cook to two boys and a husband (well, three boys, then), but I LOVE to bake. This is a great recipe and turned out great. I can’t imagine how perfect they will be after a few more tries. Thank you for turning something so overwhelming into something so easy!
Oh. My. Goodness– just made these and they taste like legit cookie dough!!! I am so thrilled to have this “clean” treat that really does cure the cookie craving!!!
I have to tell you how much I love you for sharing these. One a day tames the sweet tooth without the guilt (or the bloat!) These will be on my weekly ingredient list for sure. Thanks for the great recipe that keeps me on track with my clean eating!