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Stack of Healthy Chocolate Sesame Cookies

Healthy Chocolate Sesame Cookies

  • Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 Minutes
  • Total Time: 22 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

When rich chocolate, decadent coconut, nutty sesame seeds, and sweet dates come together to create a fabulous, wholesome cookie that is sure to please. These Healthy Chocolate Sesame Cookies are the perfect cookie when you are hankering from something sweet but want to stay on track with your health goals. Packed with feel-good ingredients and delicious flavors, these flourless cookies are dessert goodness.  These simple 4-ingredient cookies will quickly become your new “go-to” healthy treat!

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup sesame seeds
  • ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 8 Medjool dates, pitted *
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder *
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons warm water

Optional Toppings:

  • Drizzle or dip half with melted vegan chocolate chips *
  • Sprinkle coconut flakes or sesame seeds over the melted chocolate

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place oven rack in the center position.
  2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
  3. Place the Medjool dates in a food processor and process to break them up, about one minute. Then add all the other ingredients (except the warm water) and process for approx. 1 minute or until everything is well combined. Then add 3 Tablespoons of hot water (not boiling, just tap hot) and process for 20 seconds. Pinch the cookie dough, if it doesn’t hold together, then add the final Tablespoon of hot water.
  4. Next take about a golf ball size of dough (2 small cookie scoops) and roll it in your hands to form a ball, then place the ball onto the parchment paper/silicone baking mat lined cookie sheet. Try to keep the cookie size uniform.  Continue until you have rolled all the dough into balls, and placed the dough balls on the baking sheet(s). See notes about cookie dough tips.
  5. After the 2ndround of cookie ball rolling, then flattened each ball to form a thick disk about ½ inch thick. Firm up the edges (if needed) to keep a cohesive well-formed disk. The cookies will not spread while baking.
  6. Bake for 12 minutes.
  7. After 12 minutes, remove from the oven, allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet(s) undisturbed for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  8. Enjoy!

Notes

*Medjool dates: If using Medjool dates vs another dried date, there is no need to soak the dates as Medjool dates are typically very soft. However, if you are using a different date, test the date by pinching it. If the date is very soft, gooey, and pliable, then you can just add them to the food processor to break them up.  If the dates are drier and stiff, then you will need to cover them with boiling water for about 20 minutes to soften them up before adding the dates to the food processor.

*Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: If you really enjoy bittersweet chocolate, then increase the unsweetened cocoa powder to 2 Tablespoons.

*Cookie Dough Tips for Success:  The cookie dough is semi-sticky, but it should form a ball easily.  Tip: The more round and smooth you make the cookie ball, the better cookie texture results.  What we have found works well and creates a great cookie is the following:  We create all the cookie balls. Then we wash our hands again and pick up each cookie ball and roll it again in our hands to create a very smooth round ball.  The 2ndround of rolling is not required, but it does make a really nice cookie shape.  Then flatten each ball to form a thick disk about ½ inch in height. These cookies do not expand in the oven.

*Vegan Chocolate Chips: (Optional) Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chip Morsels can be used or any chocolate chip of choice. We used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks.

*Serving:  Makes approximately 10 cookies.

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days.  Freezes well.