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Welcome to another exciting week of sugar-free treats!
Creating these recipes has honestly been a lot of fun for me, and I’m definitely feeling better! There were a couple of days over Christmas when I was seriously fatigued from all my dessert sampling. Even though I don’t use refined sugars, honey and maple syrup and the like can still take its toll when eaten in abundance.
With that said, I’m thinking I’ll keep the sugar-free recipes coming even past January. I’m not sure yet if I’ll make it a weekly thing, but that’s what I have in mind right now. It’s been so beneficial to lower my sugar intake, and it challenges me in the kitchen! I hope this will be something you all will like as well. 
Today’s recipe came as the result of me trying to make a sugar-free chocolate cookie for my daughter….
She loves her chocolate and, since she’s gone sugar-free with us, I thought it’d be cool if I could make her something that was both sugar-free and delicious!….
Ever since making these delicious muffins, I’ve adored the combination of brown rice flour and almond meal….Lord knows I have enough almond meal from making milk to last me a lifetime! It is a perfect blend for gluten-free baking! No nasty gums or starches needed here! I didn’t even need an egg, because of the added banana….
….one after the other, these were shoveled into my daughter’s mouth. Needless to say, they were a hit.
- 1 T. date puree (see bottom of this box for a link on how to make your own)
- 1 banana
- 1 T. butter or coconut oil, softened
- 2 T. raw almond butter
- ½ t. vanilla extract
- ¼ t. almond extract
- ¼ c. almond meal
- ⅓ c. brown rice flour
- ¼ t. baking soda
- 1/16 t. powdered stevia extract (or about 8 drops)
- ¾ t. pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1-2 T. grated dark chocolate or cacao nibs, optional
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix the dry ingredients (almond meal, rice flour, baking soda, stevia and pie spice).
- Cream the date puree, banana, butter or oil, almond butter, and vanilla together for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix everything together until combined evenly.
- Drop tablespoons of dough onto a non-stick cookie sheet.
- Top with the grated chocolate or cacao nibs, if desired.
- Bake for 12 minutes.
- Cool and enjoy!
Please see this post for simple instructions on making your own date puree.
Soft and perfectly sweetened by fruit, these are cookies moms can feel good about eating themselves and giving to their young children….
What’s your favorite healthy snack?
Shared with: Make Your Own Monday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Wheat-Free Wednesday, Allergy Friendly Friday
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Tagged: Chocolate, cookie, Gluten-free, Healthy, Vegan
Welcome! I'm Lauren, a business graduate with a penchant for all things culinary. It is my goal to create the healthiest recipes possible without sacrificing taste. I eat a little bit of everything, so you will find a vast variety of delicious recipes to choose from. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy! 
These look scrumptious. What is the purpose of the date paste? I cannot have dates due to their high fructose content. Is there a substitute for date paste?
Thanks!
Hi Chris! The date puree just serves to add a bit of sweetness to the cookie. You could use the puree from raisins or dried apricots or even another liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup. You could also omit it, but just know you’d be omitting some sweetness. Hope that helps!
I don’t mean to step on toes, but I feel the need to jump in here regarding high and low glycemic foods. People also have to watch they are not consuming too many high sugar (high glycemic) foods as well. Just because the food we’re eating might not contain “processed sugar”, we still need to have a balance or ‘limit’ the intake of ANY sugar regardless. And just the same with foods containing “processed” sugar, too many people rely on “sweetners” (albeit natural or healthier alternatives). This can ALSO be detrimental to one’s health (orally, for one, which effects the entire body as a whole). Especially with children! Again, it’s all about balance.
I agree with you Dana. I’m not suggesting for anyone to eat solely sweets, even if they are sugar-free. What I am doing is providing smarter and healthier choices for desserts when someone does indulge. These cookies, if you look at the nutrition stats, have only 2.8 grams of sugar per cookie, whereas your average apple has 23 GRAMS. These also boast a decent amount of protein.
I’m sorry if you’re finding these posts unhelpful, but I’m quite proud of the fact that I’ve been able to create desserts without using anything to sweeten them other than fruit. It has helped me and my family tremendously. My kids eat a very good diet, but I do like to give them healthy treats, and I don’t ever put their health at risk.
And I should have clarified that I wasn’t referring to THIS recipe specifically, but in general regarding “natural” sugar substitutes or the higher glycemic foods. That an over consumption of even those are not as healthy as one may think. I also meant to say that this recipe sounds and looks really yummy and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks, Lauren!
No problem Dana! I didn’t mean to come across in a negative way, I’m just trying really hard to create healthy desserts, so I was just defending that aspect. Please don’t hesitate to continue to leave comments. They are always interesting to read!
All is good!
…and keep on keeping on. You’re providing a great service to all! And I thank you—for ALL your efforts. 
Oh, what timing. I was leaving my last post before I noticed yours (but seem to be having some issues with leaving it. could be my iPad). I am so sorry and do apologize. I was afraid that you might have misunderstood my post or my intentions for leaving it. It was basically sparked by Chris’ comment. I simply wanted to bring to light that, just because we may be ingesting “natural” sugars, that some may think there is no longer a need or a concern for limitations or control. Most people don’t realize there can still be a hidden danger. And I never implied that your posts were focused solely on “sweets” or that your posts were not helpful. I truly did not intend to make you feel you needed to be on the defensive…I was merely bringing “food for thought” (so to speak) to the table.
Looks like a great healthy treat!
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Thanks Matt!
Yumm these look great Lauren! I love that you are using date puree for the sweetness factor. I love spiced cookies too but haven’t made them in a long time just because the sugary sweet ones aren’t as good for me
Thanks for sharing these! As always, I love your recipes 
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HI Lauren! Your recipes are always so interesting and unique! I like to use date puree to replace sugar when I make sweets too. I hope you’re doing well! Keep up the good work and continue to inspire people to eat healthier
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