No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites

No-bake vegan edible cookie dough bites, made with just five simple ingredients.  There’s no flour, no butter, or oil.  They’re naturally sweetened with dates and some vegan chocolate chips to really make them taste like edible cookie dough.  

For more recipe using oats try carrot cake bliss balls, apricot energy balls, or banana nut oatmeal cookies (oil-free). For something a bit more decadent, try these chocolate covered cookie dough bites, which is this recipe but covered in chocolate.

Tips

• If your peanut butter is just peanuts, you might want to add a pinch of salt to the mixture when you add the dates and peanut butter.
• How much water you’ll need depends on how dry your peanut butter and dates are.  If your dates are dry and firm you can soak them in water for 15-20 minutes, then drain and pat dry. 
• Another tip is sometimes with natural peanut butter, the bottom of the jar is a little drier than the rest, so you may need more water.  I needed 5 tablespoons for my vegan cookie dough bites, you’re looking for a consistency that will hold together well. 

Substitutions

• Old-fashioned oats for quick oats
• Peanut butter for cashew butter
• 2 cups of rolled oats can be substituted for 2 cups of store-bought oat flour, measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off with the back of a knife. You may need to increase how much water you’ll need to get the right consistency.  I needed 6 tablespoons of water for store-bought oat flour vs the 5 tablespoons of water from the recipe using old-fashioned oats (rolled oats).

Instructions

Pulse the rolled oats into a powder using a food processor, the finer it is the smoother the texture you'll have.  It could take a minute or so, depending on how powerful your food processor is. 

Next add the dates, peanut butter, and vanilla extract: then puree until it turns into crumbles.  This step doesn’t take as long as turning the oats into a powder. 

Then add the water and chocolate chips.  I add the chips at this stage so they will incorporate into the dough, if you wait until the end, a lot of them will just fall to the bottom of the container.  Alternatively, you can transfer the dough to a bowl and mix them in by hand.  After adding the water, blend the dough until it forms a big clump in the food processor. 

If it’s not coming together then it’s too dry, add another tablespoon of water and try again.  Scoop out a spoonful, using your hands compact it, and roll it into a ball with your palms.  Refrigerate them until they’re firm and no longer sticky, about 45 minutes to an hour. You can also freeze them for 20-30 minutes to set up. I also tested with cashew butter, which was much drier than my peanut butter and didn't require any chill time to firm back up.  Enjoy!

Related recipes

• Carrot cake bliss balls
• Apricot energy balls
• Chocolate-covered cookie dough bites
• Banana nut oatmeal cookie (oil-free)

I hope you enjoy the recipe! If you like it, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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