With five days until Christmas, there are so many loose ends and such little time, so check off as many boxes at once as you can with these healthy, no-bake cookies. They make a perfect quick batch of Christmas delight, and let you save the heavy baking for Saturday and Sunday, when you can finish your check list during baking time.
Don’t forget to pull out the beautiful platters that you have been saving for a special occasion, as this is the time. Clip some evergreen to your settings and add a sparkly sprayed shell or acorn from your back yard to use for your place cards, or to mark the items on your buffet. Hopefully these no bake cookies leave you with more time for fun!
Ingedients:
¾ cup pitted dates
hot water
3 cups certified gluten-free rolled oats
1½ cups creamy almond butter
½ cup shredded coconut
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup fruit preserves of choice
In a medium bowl, pour the hot water over the dates until they are just barely covered. Set aside until dates are soft, 10-15 minutes.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the rolled oats until they form a coarse meal. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Once the dates are done soaking, transfer the dates and half of the water they soaked in to a blender, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add more water if needed to get a smooth consistency.
Add the date puree, almond butter, coconut, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and salt to the oats. Knead everything together. Using a spoon or your hands, scoop out a small amount of dough and form a ball, placing it on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been formed into balls. Then, use your thumb to make a small crater in the middle of each ball, flattening it slightly and leaving a well in the middle. Spoon your favorite fruit preserve into the well, then let the cookies refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
