Chocolate Cookie Bites (healthy)

So, I am calling these cookies but they are pretty healthy. They still satisfy your sweet tooth with a little powdered sugar coating, a bit of honey and some cocoa powder mixed with deeply toasted almonds. So addicting! And these are no-bake, no-butter, dairy-free, etc. All you need is a food processor to whip these up.

You wouldn’t have to roll these in powdered sugar if you didn’t want to but I really like them that way. You could roll them in cocoa powder or just keep them naked.

Chocolate Cookie Bites – makes about 35

• 1 1/4 cup whole roasted unsalted almonds (don’t forget to roast them)
• 23-25 pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/3 cup dark and 2/3 cup regular)
• 1/4 cup oats
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• Dash of salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 4+ Tbsp. water (as needed)
• 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Add almonds to food processor and pulse until ground. Don’t go too far to make it almond butter, but make sure you get small bits. This will smell wonderful.
2. Add drained dates, cocoa, oats, honey, salt, cinnamon and half of the water. Pulse until it forms a sticky ball. Add more water if needed, a little at a time.
3. Turn dough out onto parchment paper and roll into 1 Tbsp or so sized bites. Use damp hands if needed for easier rolling.
4. Put powdered sugar in a large zip top bag and add bites. Shake to combine.
5. Store in the fridge for a week or so. Freeze any for longer. These are good frozen or out of the fridge.

My dates were a little old so I just covered them with warm water to let them soften for a bit. Drain off the water (I reserved some to add to my bites) and use.

Here is a photo of my almonds all ground up – this smells so amazing. I like to toast mine to a pretty deep color. Then you can see the dough as it comes together. It is a bit crumbly but is easily formed into bites. I roughly divided it into three sections and rolled away.

Put the cookies in a bag and shake. Just like puppy chow but way better for you!

The finished product is ready to eat. I keep mine in the freezer so they aren’t always staring at me to eat them. Enjoy this sweet and healthy treat!