How to Make Easy, Fruit-Sweetened Cashew and Date Cookies (Diabetic Friendly, No Artificial Sweeteners)
- Leigh
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
These simple treats are one of my favorite fruit-sweetened cookies. They are soft, moderately sweet, and taste of buttery cashews. Dates provide most of the sweetness to the cookies as well as beneficial fiber. The cookies are great if you're on a diabetic diet or want to "eat healthy," as the treats are loaded with nutrients and "worth eating." I make the cookies in the food processor, which streamlines the preparation, and I usually cook them in the air fryer. You can bake the cookies in a regular oven, if you prefer. We like the cookies for dessert or for a simple, nutritious snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!
Fruit-Sweetened Cashew and Date Cookies (Diabetic Friendly) -- Makes About 12
1 cup of rolled oats (I use "old fashioned")
1 cup of pitted dates, divided
1 cup of cashews (you can use the less expensive "pieces," which work fine), divided
1 large egg
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of butter, cut in small chunks
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
Put the oats into the bowl of a large food processor and process them to a powder (1-2 minutes). Add the dates to the processor bowl with the ground oats and process the dates into the oats for a minute or two. You want mostly little brown specks in the oat flour. Add 1/2 cup of the cashews and process them into the oat/date mixture. Add to the processor bowl with the other ingredients the egg, oil, milk, butter, and vanilla and process them into the dry ingredients until incorporated. Add to the processor bowl the white whole wheat flour, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and process them into the other ingredients until blended. Add to the mixture the remaining 1/4 cup of dates and 1/2 cup of cashews and pulse them in 3-6 times or until chopped (you still want pieces of dates and cashews to be evident).
Air Fryer: Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket. Drop 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon scoops of the dough onto the parchment, leaving a couple of inches between the dough mounds. With damp fingers, flatten out the dough mounds until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Air fry the dough at 310 degrees (yes, it's a lower temperature than usual, because oat flour will burn at higher temperatures) for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden and just set. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for a few minutes before trying to remove them.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Drop 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon scoops of the dough onto the parchment, leaving a couple of inches between the dough mounds. With damp fingers, flatten out the dough mounds until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Bake the dough mounds for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden and just set. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for a few minutes before trying to remove them.
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