Soft and Chewy Date-filled Almond Butter Cookies

Growing up, my sisters and I weren’t allowed pre-packaged foods very often…something I can appreciate now that I’m a mom myself.  But, when given the opportunity (i.e., Allowance Day!), I would sneak down to the corner store and buy a box of the most deliciously soft and chewy, date-filled turnovers…if you grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, you’ll likely know the kind.  

Filled with sweet dates but also with oh-so-many additives and ingredients that are incapable of being pronounced.  As a 10-year old, I threw caution to the wind and slammed back the entire package – they were so soft and chewy, and the date-filled centre put me over the edge.  Oh, to be young and care-free again.  But with age, comes wisdom, right?  Well, maybe not always, but when it comes to soft and chewy cookies, we can make the wise call.  That’s where these Soft and Chewy Date-filled Almond Butter Cookies come in. 

The dough is made up of natural almond butter (make sure to use the runny, sugar and salt-free type), raw coconut sugar, almond flour, oat flour and my favourite way to replace eggs in my Healthy Treats – AQUAFABA! 

Aqua-who, you might ask?  I asked that same question the first time I read about this nifty little ingredient.  Aquafaba is the name for the cooking liquid of beans and legumes, like chickpeas.  When you drain your canned or jarred chickpeas and reserve the liquid, you’ve got yourself some aquafaba – a wonderful egg replacement!  A little less animal-product in our diets without compromising flavour or texture?  Sign me up!

Infused with almond flavour from the almond butter and almond flour, not only do these cookies taste great, they are also packed with the many health benefits almonds have to offer.  Almonds are full of fibre, calcium, vitamin E, antioxidants, magnesium, plant protein – basically, eating one of these cookies is as good for you as going to the gym!  You’re welcome!

Start by mixing your dates, water and maple extract in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium/low heat, and continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and mash with the back of a fork until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside to cool while making cookie dough.

The cookie dough comes together quickly and easily. Simply combine the almond butter, aquafaba, coconut sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a rubber spatula until well-combined and smooth. Then whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt in a separate small bowl, and add it to the almond butter mixture. Mix together until well-combined. The mixture will look similar to the following:

Divide the cookie dough into 1.5 tablespoon (30 g) portions (you should have about 20 grams excess) and roll into 10 balls. Gently flatten each ball into a disk with the palm of your hand, ensuring even thickness around the edges of the cookie.  Make an indent down the centre of each ball with your index finger. 

Once your date mixture has cooled, divide into 3/4 teaspoon portions and roll each portion into a ball, then shape each ball into a slight oval. Place date mixture onto indentation, and seal it in by folding and pinching dough around the date mixture.  Use small bits of the excess dough to ensure date mixture is not visible, as needed.   See photo below: 

Once all cookies have been filled with dates, place cookies pinched-side-down on baking sheet, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart. Gently press the tops of each cookie with the tines of a fork.

Bake on the middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are set and centre of the cookie is slightly puffed (but not wet).  Don’t over-bake. You’ll take the chewy out of the Soft and Chewy Cookie.

Remove pan from oven and let cookies cool on the pan for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely, approximately 10 minutes.   At this point, the cookies will be delicious but slightly crispy.  Perfectly perfect.  However, if you can hold off for just a little while (remember, we’re older and wiser now, right?), place cookies in an air-tight container and store at room temperature for 12 hours, up to 3 days.  Cookies will soften with time, yielding a deliciously soft and chewy, grown-up and health-conscious version of the date turnovers of your youth!  

What are you waiting for?

LET’S GET BAKING because these cookies are:

WHOLESOME!

CHEWY!

NUTTY!

NUTRITIOUS!

REFINED SUGAR-FREE!

SATISFYING!

PERFECTLY SWEET!

LOADED WITH HEALTY FATS, OMEGA-3S, VITAMINS E AND B6, CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM!

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Soft and Chewy Date-filled Almond Butter Cookies

Author: Maggie Frith

These cookies are soft, chewy, nutty and perfectly sweet, but made with wholesome ingredients so you can have three! So grab your apron and…Let’s Get Baking!

Ingredients

Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup (125 grams) natural almond butter (the runny, sugar and salt-free type)
• 3 tablespoons aquafaba
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (60 grams) raw coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup (63 grams) packed almond flour
• 3 tablespoons oat flour (large flaked oats ground to powder in food processor or high-powered blender)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (add 1/8 teaspoon if your canned or jarred chickpeas are salt-free)

Date filling

• 70 grams dates
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon maple extract (or vanilla in a pinch)

Instructions

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Combine dates, water and maple extract in a small sauce pan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium/low heat. Continue to simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and mash with the back of a fork until mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool while making cookie dough.
4. In a large bowl, combine almond butter, aquafaba, coconut sugar and vanilla with a rubber spatula until well-combined.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together almond meal, oat flour, baking soda and salt.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until mixture is well-combined.
7. Divide cookie dough into 1.5 tablespoon (30 g) portions (you should have about 20 grams of excess dough - this will come in handy when forming cookies) and roll into 10 balls. Gently flatten each ball into a disk with the palm of your hand, ensuring even thickness around edges of cookie. Make an indent down the centre of each ball with your index finger.
8. Once date mixture has cooled, divide into 3/4 teaspoon portions and roll each portion into a ball, then shape each ball into a slight oval.
9. Place date mixture onto indentation of cookie, and seal it in by folding and pinching dough around the date mixture. Use small bits of the excess dough, as needed, to ensure date mixture is not visible (see photos).
10. Once all cookies have been filled with dates, place cookies pinched-side-down on prepared baking sheet, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart. Gently press the tops of each cookie with the tines of a fork.
11. Bake on middle rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are set and centre of the cookie is slightly puffed (but not wet). Don’t overbake.
12. Remove pan from oven and let cool for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to a rack and cool completely, approximately 10 minutes.
13. At this point, cookies will be delicious but slightly crispy. Perfectly perfect. However, if you can hold off for just a little while (remember, we’re older and wiser now, right?), place cookies in an air-tight container and store at room temperature for 12 hours, up to 3 days. Cookies will soften with time, yielding a deliciously soft and chewy, grown-up and health-conscious version of the date turnovers of your youth!