How to Make Easy, Fruit-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies in Your Air Fryer or Oven (No Artificial Sweeteners, No Butter, Diabetic Friendly)

These cookies are simple to make and contain no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. The lightly sweetened cookies get their sweetness primarily from date puree. Nutritionally, the cookies are great with lots of whole grains, fiber, and protein. If you're on a diabetic diet or want to "eat healthy," the cookies are a good option (in moderation, as always). If you want sweeter cookies and don't mind adding refined sugar to the recipe, you can add in 1/4 cup of peanut-butter chips, but don't go overboard on the chips, as they do contain a fair amount of carbohydrates as well as fats. We like the cookies for a simple snack or dessert, and they make nice after-school treats with a glass of milk. Enjoy!

Golden and soft, these fruit-sweetened peanut butter cookies are freshly baked using an air fryer, featuring no artificial sweeteners or butter—perfect for a diabetic-friendly treat.

Fruit-Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies -- Makes 12+

1/2 cup of date puree (barely cover 1/2 cup of dates with boiling water, let them cool,

and mash the dates with the water to a paste or process them together in a mini-

processor)

1/3 cup of canola oil

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of unsweetened peanut butter (the "just peanuts" version is best)

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of rolled oats (I use old fashioned, but quick oats will work)

1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

1/4 cup of peanut butter chips, optional

In a large bowl mix together well the date puree, oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter until blended. Add to the bowl the salt, oats, white whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda and stir them into the wet mixture until fully incorporated. Stir in the chopped peanuts and peanut butter chips, if you're using them.

Air Fryer: Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket and drop 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon scoops of dough on the parchment, leaving a couple of inches between the scoops. Flatten out the dough mounds with damp fingers until the dough is about 1/2-inch thick. Air fry the dough at 315 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and mostly set. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for at least 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with baking parchment. Drop 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the parchment, leaving at least a couple of inches between the scoops. With damp fingers, flatten out the dough mounds until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Bake the dough for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and mostly firm. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely.

Fruit Sweetened Peanut Butter Cookies — Diabetic Friendly, No Artificial Sweeteners or Butter, Air Fryer or Oven