These quick and easy no bake banana chocolate chip cookies are naturally sweetened with just dates and bananas and have an amazingly addicting creamy cookie dough texture! Gluten free, grain free, Paleo and Vegan.
Remember a couple of weeks ago when I came home to 10 overripe bananas? Still can’t figure out why none were eaten and I doubt I’ll ever see that happen again. BUT good things came out of it, at least recipe-wise. You might never know how well you work under ripe-banana pressure until it happens to you.
Not that I reinvented the wheel or broke any new grain-free baking ground – I just made banana peach muffins followed by these incredibly easy no bake banana chocolate chip cookies. And I haven’t had any ripe bananas since – how does that happen?
Now although I just said I didn’t reinvent the wheel, I did do something new (to me) here. Although I’ve used bananas and dates in recipes, I’ve never combined them. Big things happening here.
And, not only have I never combined them, but I’ve never used them alone, in the absence of another sweetener like coconut sugar or maple syrup. I’m sort of attached to my go-to coconut sugar, maple syrup and raw honey I guess you could say. This was a bit of a branching out moment in that way 🙂
Plus the fact that I whipped out my food processor for this, and by “whipped out” I mean moved 6 inches from the back of the counter to the front.
So, I guess a lot of big changes happened here for this little quick easy recipe! I’m happy to report that the experience was a success and I can share it with you!
So these no bake cookies – at first I didn’t know exactly what they were, honestly. Have you ever made something and weren’t sure what to call it? Are they cookie dough bites? No bake cookies? Just plain old cookie dough?
I actually had to consult another blogger – Amanda (Running With Spoons) – for help and she confidently confirmed the “no bake cookies” that I was leaning toward, but really these are probably all of the above 🙂
I assure you that the texture of these screams out creamy cookie dough, yet they’re firm enough to be shaped into cookies! They are really just ridiculously good and you should try them – hide a banana for a few days if you need to. Just make sure to set an alert for yourself so you don’t forget about the banana. Not that I’ve ever forgotten about something like that, because that would be irresponsible, wasteful and gross. Ha! Of course you know I have done that.
No Bake Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies {Paleo & Vegan}
No Bake Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies {Paleo & Vegan}
Ingredients
- 1 medium very overripe banana
- 2/3 cup pitted and chopped dates*
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp creamy cashew butter I used this brand
- 1 tsppure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 1-2 tbsp organic coconut flour I used exactly 1/4 cup + 1.5 tbsp
- Mini dairy free chocolate chips I used this brand
Instructions
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In a food processor, process the dates on the high setting until a paste begins to form
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Add the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips and process until a cookie dough forms. Once you have a thick cookie dough, stir in the chocolate chips.
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Chill the dough for 20 minutes. If dough is still sticky after chilling, stir in another 1/2 tbsp coconut flour**
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Form the mixture into balls and flatten into a cookie shape if desired.
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Store in the refrigerator - Makes 12 cookies. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Soften your dates if they're hard by adding a tsp or 2 of water and microwaving very briefly. Drain any extra water before beginning.
**Keep in mind that coconut flour will expand and thicken the mixture over time, so when adding any extra, give it a minute or 2 to see the effect on the texture of the dough.
What I Used:
Have you ever hidden a banana? Or any other food that you didn’t want anyone eating right away?
Do you use your food processor often? What appliances are always within reach?
Could we replace the coconut flour with cassava flour? If so would it be a 1:1 replacement?
Cassava is more like white flour and coconut is more dense, so you’ll need more cassava to match the texture. Since this recipe is no-bake you can mix in slowly until you get a texture you like. I also have chocolate dipped cookie dough truffles that use cassava: https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/cookie-dough-truffles-paleo-vegan/
Awesome recipe. I used yellow figs (Turkish maybe?) instead of dates by soaking them in hot water for ten minutes before blitzing them with a little of the fig-water. So easy but so delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Sounds great!