our favorite cookies :: no-bake 4-ingredient peanut butter almond

I have been making these peanut butter bite cookies from The Sprouted Kitchen for months now ... on repeat. I am talking at least one batch a week, sometimes two. In all fairness, although they may be cookies, they are also healthy {yes, healthy}. They kind of remind me of a much more delicious, cookie-shaped Lara bar; and we enjoy them as a snack or as dessert. They are so easy to make, and they are no-bake!

I made some modifications from the "original" recipe as you see it on The Sprouted Kitchen. Here is how my usual version goes:

no-bake + 4 ingredient peanut butter almond cookies 
(with or without chocolate chips)

ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds (I use 365 brand organic, whole raw almonds)
• 1 cup pitted, chopped Medjool dates (which is usually about 5-6 dates)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon peanut butter (I like Whole Foods 365 organic, chunky which already has salt)
• 1/4 cup of chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life's mini chips)

method:

Start by pulsing the almonds in a food processor until the almonds are chopped into a rough meal (not as fine as almond meal, though). Add in the dates and peanut butter and process until combined. You can test your "batter" by pinching to see if it will stick together nicely. Add a little more peanut butter if it is too dry and won't stick together. At this point I usually ball up and press out (with a fork or your hands) about half the batch as-is for some plain peanut butter cookies. Then, I add the chocolate chips to the remaining "cookie batter" and pulse until just mixed. Then I ball up and press out the rest of the "batter".  I am left with a half batch of plain cookies and a half batch of chocolate chip.

Well, this week John ate the rest of the bag of chocolate chips ... I forgot he had done so and neglected to get more chocolate chips at Whole Foods. So, when I went to make our cookies, I was a little bummed - I didn't want a whole batch of my "plain" cookies. So, I decided to switch things up a little more and made some jam thumprint cookies. Actually they end up tasting like little peanut butter and jelly heaven cookies.

no-bake + 4 ingredient peanut butter almond  jam thumbprint cookies 

new ingredient:

• high quality, organic seedless jam

Process the almonds, dates, and peanut butter as usual. When balling and pressing cookies, make little thumb impressions in the center of each cookie. Put about 3/4 teaspoon dallop of jam into those impressions. I used some delicious Hidden Orchard Preserves Black Raspberry jam. Its simple, no yucky stuff added, seedless black raspberry preserves that I found at a local market, but the jelly is actually from Vermont (scroll down a little on this page and you can find it for purchase online).

I am loving this new variation of our favorite cookie, and John is too. I don't miss the chocolate chips and I think we will stay on this jelly thumbprint rotation for awhile.

I encourage you to give these cookies a try; you will not be disappointed especially if you like peanut butter.

recipe adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen :: photos by Unruly Bliss