Chocolate-lovers rejoice! Here’s a whole-food, plant-based treat, perfect for special occasions. Or when you need a chocolate fix, which for me is most days! ?
Now let’s talk ingredients:
These yummies are sweetened with dates (*affiliate link). Dates are a whole-food, plant-based fruit that offers both sweetness and nutrients. New to sweetening with dates? Check out our date paste & syrup post.
We recommend cacao powder (*affiliate link), rather than cocoa powder. Cacao is minimally processed, meaning it retains more nutrients than cocoa. It also offers 
a more rich chocolate flavor (YUMMM! ?).
When choosing your peanut butter, be sure to go for an option that is free of added oil and sugar. Peanut butter is DELISH on it’s own, no need to add these processed, non-health-promoting ingredients! Feel free to swap any other nut or seed butter.
Finally, the second round of chocolate: cocoa nibs (*affiliate link). These are simply crushed pieces of cacao beans, nothing else added. All the chocolaty goodness without the processed sugar 
or milk fat. Win-Win! ??
This recipe is a favorite of ours because these cookies are perfect fudgy chocolate goodness(!!), but also because they’re so easy to make. The prep takes just 3 steps.. 1. Process dates. 2. Mash bananas. 3. Mix everything together. Quick and easy recipes generally get made more and, in this case, that’s a good thing because these treats contain only health-promoting ingredients!
We used this food processor when making these cookies (*affiliate link).
Plant-Based Chocolate Banana Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 Deglet Noor dates pitted
- 1/2 cup water warm
- 2 bananas ripe
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup peanut butter no sugar or oil added
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs or dairy-free dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add dates and water to a food processor. Let soak.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add all remaining ingredients.
- Process dates until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add to mixing bowl and mix until combined.
- Scoop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently press each cookie with a fork to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until firm. Best enjoyed warm.
Notes
*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We use the products and ingredients that we link to and recommend them because we believe they are the best choice for you.
Instead of 3 bananas I used one banana and 2 cooked carrots. They were still sweet and chocolate/banana/peanut butter yummy!