- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 18 cookies + 1 cup milk
- Serving size: 1 cookie + a splash of milk
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Fragrant with cardamom and nutmeg, and with chunks of dried dates and cranberries dotted throughout, these chewy-on-the-inside and crisp-on-the-outside cookies have a festive air. A shot of plant milk flavored with golden turmeric is the perfect dipper, but you can also enjoy them plain, tucked into your lunchbox, or with a cup of tea. Made with brown rice flour and sweetened with blended dates, these kid-friendly, gluten-free date cookies are free from processed sugar and are as healthy as they are delicious.
For more inspiration, check out these tasty ideas:
Ingredients
Cookies
- 20 pitted Deglet Noor dates, chopped
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Golden Turmeric Milk (optional)
- 1 cup unsweetened, unflavored plant milk, such as almond, soy, cashew, or oat
- 3 pitted Deglet Noor dates
- 1½ teaspoons grated fresh turmeric or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl soak 10 of the dates in the boiling water 10 minutes; drain well.
- In a small bowl stir together flaxseed meal and ¼ cup room-temperature water. Let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl stir together flour, cardamom, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- In a food processor combine soaked dates, flaxseed mixture, tahini, and vanilla; blend until smooth. Add another 10 dates and the cranberries; pulse until incorporated. Add date mixture to flour mixture; stir until well incorporated. (You may need to work the dough a bit to combine.)
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of waxed paper; shape into a ball and flatten slightly. Top with another sheet of waxed paper and roll out until ¼ inch thick. Using desired-shape cookie cutters, cut out dough. Place cutouts on the prepared baking sheet. Brush cutouts with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Gently press seeds into dough.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
- To make Golden Turmeric Milk (optional), in a small food processor, combine ¼ cup of the milk with the dates. Process until a smooth paste. Add the remaining milk and the remaining ingredients. Process 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan; heat over medium-high just until steaming. Serve as a dipper for cookies.
Per serving (1 cookie + a splash of milk): 124 calories, 25 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 2 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 135 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 12 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (5)
(5 from 1 vote)I don't have brown rice flour. Can I substitute oat flour or almond flour instead
Hi Rita, Yes, I'd try oat flour, as it's a similar weight to brown rice flour and is good in baking. Because almond flour is a lot richer (it's just ground up almonds), you could use it, but you might want to split it with another flour, (2/3 cup oat, 1/3 cup cup almond). And if gluten isn't an issue, whole wheat flour would also work well. Have fun experimenting!
I only have Medjool. Please give a weight to use for replacements. Google isn’t helping me!
I would use 10-15 Medjool dates. Taste the batter before baking, and add more if needed.
Hi Karen, we agree with Maryanne's estimate! Great advice to taste the mixture before baking. Once you've made the recipe, you'll more easily be able to tweak it to suit. As a general rule of thumb, you need half as many Medjool dates as you do Deglet Noor dates.