How to Make Easy, Inexpensive Tahini-Chickpea-Date Cookies That a Diabetic Can Eat (Fruit-Sweetened, No Artificial Sweeteners)

These cookies may sound weird, but they are good and far less likely to cause blood sugar spikes than many desserts (in moderation, as always!). The cookies are relatively inexpensive to make, loaded with nutrition, and "worth eating" with a substantial amount of protein, "healthy" fat, fiber, and whole grains. I like the cookies because they are soft, like little cakes, sweet, but not cloyingly so, and are studded with little bits of dates. The tahini--a creamy paste made from ground sesame seeds--gives the cookies extra flavor that's similar to, but different from, peanut butter. The cookies make a nice snack with a cup of coffee or tea, or try them alongside fresh fruit. The cookies also make a nice treat for children (big and little) with a glass of milk. Enjoy!

How to Make Easy, Inexpensive Tahini-Chickpea-Date Cookies That a Diabetic Can Eat (Fruit-Sweetened, No Artificial Sweeteners)

Tahini-Chickpea-Date Cookies (Diabetic Friendly) -- Makes 12+

1/4 cup of canola oil

1/2 cup of tahini (stir it well before measuring)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of chopped, pitted dates, divided

3/4 cup of milk

1 1/4 cup of besan (chickpea) flour

1/2 cup of oat flour (grind oats in a food processor)

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of quick oats

Sesame seeds, optional but good

Cover 1/2 cup of the chopped dates with water--just enough water to barely cover the dates--and microwave them for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. Mix the dates well with a fork to puree them and set them aside to cool for a few minutes. In a large bowl mix together well the canola oil, tahini, lemon juice, vanilla, and cooled pureed dates. Stir in the milk, besan flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and oats until well blended. Stir in the remaining chopped dates. Let the mixture sit, loosely covered for at least 30 minutes, then stir it again.

Air Fryer: Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket. Drop 1 1/2-2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto the parchment, leaving a couple of inches of space between the dough mounds. Use damp fingers to flatten the mounds to about 1/2-inch thick. If you'd like, sprinkle the tops of the unbaked cookies with the sesame seeds. Or leave the tops plain. Air fry the dough at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for at least 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.

Oven: Preheat the oven to 325 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 dough mounds. Use damp fingers to flatten the mounds to about 1/2-inch thick. If you'd like, sprinkle the tops of the unbaked cookies with the sesame seeds. Or leave the tops plain. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on their parchment for at least 10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.

How to Make Easy, Inexpensive Tahini-Chickpea-Date Cookies That a Diabetic Can Eat (Fruit-Sweetened, No Artificial Sweeteners)