Get two new free healthy recipes each week. Sign Up

No Sugar Cookie Dough Dip

4.88 from 31 votes

It is so crazy how much this healthy and sugar free cookie dough dip not only looks like cookie dough but actually tastes so much like real cookie dough!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip. No flour, no sugar, no guilt cookie dough https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/27/new-recipe-sugar-free-cookie-dough-dip/ @choccoveredkt
pin-it

No Sugar Cookie Dough Dip

On Friday night, my original Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip went viral, with over 2 millions views!

It’s been such a wild past few days.

Thank you to everyone who’s been sharing it!

With so many more people finding that post, I spent yesterday afternoon doing something I’d meant to do for a long time: creating a sugar-free version of the cookie dough dip.

You might also like these Black Bean Brownies

healthy cookie dough dip
cookie dough dip

Since posting the original recipe, I’ve received many, many requests for a sugar free option.

But until now, the only suggestion I had was to replace the sugar with stevia.

I do not recommend using only stevia in this recipe; very few people will think the result tastes good.

Instead, here is a brand new sugar free version that does taste good and is sweetened only with fruit!

Trending Now: Almond Flour Banana Bread

Above – watch me make the original version

Sugar Free Cookie Dough Dip

Do you ever watch the amount of sugar you eat?

A lot of people will probably disagree with me on this, but I do not believe sugar is evil. I think it is fine in moderation for the general population.

However, it seems like the more sugar you eat, the more you crave.

Then it becomes a problem, because – if you are anything like me – too much sugar makes you feel sick and lethargic.

When I was in high school and hated being skinny, I put myself on an incredibly high sugar diet that included multiple slices of layer cake and pints of ice cream every day.

It was super fun for a while… until I went off to college and started eating even more sugar, with very few vegetables finding their way into my daily diet.

I was tired all the time. Once I realized the source of my lethargy was all the sugar, I drastically changed my eating habits.

Now, since I eat much less sugar, I find that I do not crave desserts that are anywhere near as sweet.

People always ask why I have a dessert blog if I do not like sweets. The answer is that I still do love desserts; I just like them creamy and rich, not sweet and saccharine.

I might not like sugar, but I sure do love dessert!

*Chocolate version here: Chocolate Hummus

The Original Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip Recipe (No Sugar)
Pin it now to save for laterPin Recipe

Sugar Free Cookie Dough Dip

This healthy and sugar free cookie dough dip not only looks like cookie dough but tastes surprisingly like cookie dough too!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 2 cups
4.9 from 31 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 can chickpeas or white beans (For low-carb, try this Keto Cookie Dough Dip)
  • heaping 1/8 tsp salt
  • heaping 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup nut butter of choice
  • 1 and 1/4 cups pitted dates (I used SunMaid, from a regular grocery store)
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips OR Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp oats or almond flour, optional
  • milk of choice as needed (I used a few tbsp)

Instructions

  • *Using peanut butter will give a peanut butter cookie dough flavor. If you prefer a more neutral taste, you can use almond butter, cashew butter, regular butter spread, coconut butter, or oil.
    In a bowl, cover the dates with 1/2 cup water. Let this sit for at least 8 hours. Then add all ingredients (including the dates' soaking liquid), except chocolate chips, to a food processor (for best results, not a blender) and process until very smooth. This can be served as a dessert dip, as a spread (maybe in between apple slices or crackers?), eaten with a spoon, mixed into oatmeal, stuffed into cupcakes, or even used to top pancakes!

Notes

Also be sure to try these popular TikTok Baked Oats.
 

Have you made this recipe?

Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram

Currently Trending Posts:

chocolate covered katie chocolate

Here’s What I Eat In A Day

vegan-cheese-sauce.jpg

Vegan Cheese Sauce

healthy brownies

The Ultimate Unbaked Brownies

hello-breakfast-recipes.png

More About The Cookbook

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Published on September 27, 2011

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
featured on The 
Today Show, CNN, 
Fox, The 
Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

Learn more about Katie

Get Free Recipes

Don’t Miss Out On The NEW Free Healthy Recipes

Sign up below to receive exclusive & always free healthy recipes right in your inbox:

Chocolate Covered Katie The Healthy Dessert Blog Recipes

Popular Right Now

Reader Interactions

556 Comments

Leave a comment or reviewLeave a rating
  1. Renata says

    You have no idea how excited I am about this recipe. I’ve been sugar-free all month and SO BORED! Yay! I know what’s for dinner..ehem, I mean dessert 🙂

    • chocolate-covered katie says

      Ideas: as a dessert dip, as a spread (maybe in between apple slices or crackers? Or graham crackers or banana?), eaten with a spoon, mixed into oatmeal, stuffed into cupcakes, or even used to top pancakes!

    • Marie says

      As a “regular person” who was so curious by this recipe, I’ve eaten it with graham crackers. It is truly amazing how much it tastes like cookie dough.

  2. Leslie says

    I totally agree! The more sugar I consume the more I crave it. I do try to watch how much and what type of sugar I consume, however I have a major sweet tooth so it’s hard at times. I love, love, love this dip and actually really enjoy it only sweetened with stevia. I’m sure the version with dates is delicious also. I wonder how it would taste with some mashed banana? I may have to try that too.

  3. Katherine says

    I’m not big into really sugar-y things, but that being said, I don’t really watch my sugar intake. Protein is more of my thing, definitely! Yogurt, peanut butter, and black bean brownies all the way!

  4. Megan says

    Yay! Yay! Yay! I have a few chickpeas left and was looking for a dessert, specifically, to use them. I had seen your cookie dough dip but was wanting lower sugar, so thank you!!! I also plan on making your macaroons today 🙂 I do watch the amount of sugar I eat. I used to eat too much artificial sweetener and that really jacks up your cravings. Now I try and eat foods with real sugar, agave, honey, or brown rice syrup. Fruit is excellent for a sweet tooth too. I agree with you about dessert; I would much rather have a rich, dark chocolate mousse than sugary-sweet frosting. I used to be scared of fat but now realize that it is fantastic because it means chocolate, coconut, and nut butters!! Plus the majority of your brain is made of fat

  5. The Healthy Hipster says

    Looks delicious! I definitely love the idea of eating a whole bowl of cookie dough…and when you make it sugar free its totally impossible to resist! I wonder what this would taste like with a bit of coconut butter…might have to try that out….. 😉

  6. Emilia says

    I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to make this (yes, caps were necessary). I don’t really watch the amount of sugar I eat, that being said I don’t like to eat too much sugar, it just makes me feel bleh!

  7. Amber K says

    I don’t really watch the sugar I eat. I know when I’ve had too much because I can literally feel it coursing through my system. It’s the weirdest feeling, so I tend not eat too much. Although I still LOVE sugar!!

  8. Jessica B. says

    I made the other version this past weekend and everyone LOVED it! (We used graham crackers and celery sticks for dippers.) As I was adding in the 3/4 cup of brown sugar I decided next time I should try to make it with dates as a sugar free version. It’s like you read my mind! I am definitely addicted to sweets and this recipe looks like such a great alternative.

    BTW, my sister tried the original recipe a while back using canned chickpeas and didn’t care for it. The chickpea taste was too overpowering for her. When I made it, I used dried chickpeas that I soaked and cooked myself. I also added maple extract after reading the comments on your first post and she thought it was fantastic. I think I’ll stick with cooking my own chickpeas from now on.

    • Kayla says

      Perfect! I was looking for a comment like this to see if anyone did that! Canned chickpeas did not sound good to me, so I bought some out of the bulk section at the grocery store. I will have to try it ! 🙂 Thanks

    • Trish @ MyBigFatBundt says

      Cool, thanks for pointing this out. I was actually out grocery shopping this evening and couldn’t decide between purchasing canned chickpeas or just getting bulk dried and making them myself. The cans were really cheap (big weekend sale) and a lot less work, but I know that I easily detect them when baked in anything, even if I’m eating something that I didn’t make and I’m not aware of what the ingredients are. I’m going to go back tomorrow and get the dried beans.

    • Megan says

      I was wondering about that! I made the original version with canned chickpeas as well. And, although I rinsed them well and tried to get a lot of the skins off, it really wasn’t a very tasty treat. It tasted weird and not like cookie dough at all, unfortunately. I think I even tried adding MORE sugar just to try to salvage it. Now I want to buy them dry (less salt maybe?) and make this sugar free recipe!

      Has anyone tried using white beans? I wonder how that turns out.

  9. GetSkinny GoVegan says

    I quit eating regular sugar years ago. Then I went to Agave. Quit that and try to use dates as sweetener OR coconut secrets products.
    As usual, your posts always look better than green juice! And I skipped the greens in my smoothie this morning, just because I really wanted something, um, sweet!
    Gotta juice tonight!!

  10. Elise says

    Oh no…I only have 1 can of garbanzo beans and I have to choose between making this and falafels 🙁 Oh boy. This sounds so good!

  11. katy sparrow says

    Oooh this version looks great, Katie! Great idea with the soaked dates, ya can’t even see em in there, wowza. I don’t have white or brown sugar at my house, but don’t think it’s demonic, just not beneficial and something I can live very happily without.

  12. MANDEE says

    i’m totally trying this!! dates are def sweet, so i think this will be a great substitution for the sugar. i also think they would be great for helping to overpower the bean taste. i’m going to the store now to grab some dates! i just finished up a batch of your “cookie dough” i had made with pumpkin… yum!

  13. Sarah says

    I know exactly what you’re getting at! Sugar is like a parasite, if you will. When you eat it, a lot, it becomes a fungus in the body. Your body starts craving it, and needs more sugar to feed on. The more you pile on, the harder it is to burn, making you lethargic and gain weight. What a lot of people don’t know is, many times CANCER IS CAUSED BY A SUGARY DIET! Many times cancer can be traced back to the candy bars you just could not resist. Or maybe the slices of cake you knew you shouldn’t have. Now please don’t take this and cut out ALL sugar. A little bit is fine. A little goes a loooooong way. Too much of it goes too far. So sugar itself isn’t much of a problem- it’s the way you use it that is the problem. I used to have a HUGE sweet tooth- but i trained myself to get into other flavors. Savor your food more. Never eat sugar at night! Eat spicy foods- it gives your health a real kick! But do not go off at once. In a few days, you will be back to high sugar. Decrease your intake gradually, and eat more fruit, which is naturally sweet. You’ll be good to go!

        • Sarah says

          I tend to write the way I talk… i’m one of those people who jump from one subject to the next without a breather. Ya know like ” Oh i loved the new dress Nikki was wearing and retainers are uncomfortable and tofu is NOT edible rubber and yada yada yada” And you’d be like staring at me and go, ” Um……………” And there i go again. Yea, i’ll shut up

    • Heather says

      I’ve been treating sugar like an addiction (excluding naturally occurring fruit and milk sugar). I read that the best and easiest way is to quit cold turkey. I would say that for me, that has been the safest way thus far (roughly 1 month in). What you don’t realize is that after being off sugar for a bit, your tastes start to change and you stop craving it. If I had ice cream right now, I’d go back to craving it and having to talk myself down from the cravings. It’s LARGE part mental. In a lot of ways, it’s actually easier to “Just say no” than it is to say “Just one”.

  14. Jeska says

    What bugs me is when people think that fruit-sugar and sugar-sugar are the same thing nutritionally, and tell me to avoid fruit/dried fruit. No, I am not doing that. There is a difference between white refined sugar and a deliciously ripe satsuma…

    I don’t think there’s anything wrong with any kind of sugar, but it annoys me anyway.

  15. Aly says

    Awesome recipe! That’s funny that the original one went viral on Friday night, because that’s right when I was making it for the first time…I’m just on top of all the trends.

  16. Heather @ Better With Veggies says

    Have to ask – since you don’t really crave sugar, which version do you prefer? 🙂 I’m starting to think about the holiday parties that will start up next month – I think would be a delicious addition to the menu (or to bring with you) for a party. It’s honestly going to be hard to choose between all your recipes though. 🙂

  17. katie @KatieDid says

    I completely agree with you about craving more as you eat it. I eat a really love sugar diet usually just because my body craves savory like none other. I’ve gradually reduced my sugar intake organically because my body just has craved it less and less. This dip looks fantastic, dates are an awesome natural sweetener that don’t leave me lethargic, light headed, or dragging like normal sugar leaves me. Do you find you crave more sugar when you eat something with stevia? Or does your body sort of recognize the difference?

  18. Barefootcookingirl says

    Wow! I’m gonna have to try this soon! You do such cool stuff!

    BTW – have a look at The Spunky Coconut web site today…..she has a recipe for Coconut Cream Dipped Strawberries…….thought you’d like it!

  19. Lauren @ Chocolate, Cheese and Wine says

    I don’t necessarily limit the amount of sugar I eat – I just try to be conscious of it. I really should start to limit it 🙂

  20. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    I make something very similar to this called High Protein Cookie Dough…and I eat it with no added sweetener, of course, and I add more peanut butter! Peanut butter is kinds naturally sweet I think, so it has greeeeat flavor! YUM!

    And, I don’t watch the amount of sugar I eat because I naturally don’t eat a lot of sugar (duh!). My body has a built-in sugar detector….whenever I eat too much in the form of fruit-I will know! So…I don’t have a problem with that 😀

  21. Emma (Sweet Tooth Runner) says

    I LOVE sweet stuff and have the biggest sweet tooth EVER!! For me its fine in moderation, but mostly I don’t have a lot of sugar, just natural sugars and stuff! 🙂

    And I am making that TOMORROW and I can’t wait!! Looks AMAZING!! 😀

    P.S. Yaaay for it going viral!! You deserve for the world to see your genius!!

  22. Krysten says

    I made the original last night with Splenda brown sugar mix and soy milk. I didn’t have Amy vanilla extract, but I did have lemon. It was tasty enough with the substitutions; I bet it’s AMAZING with real brown sugar and vanilla. I have to agree, though, about the canned chickpeas. They give it an odd texture.

  23. Moni'sMeals says

    I really adore this recipe, I made the other kind and tweeked it just a bit and this reminds me to make it again. 🙂 Because I loved it.

    I do think sugar is ok in MOD. I think the less the better though. it has been proven to be highly addicitive and a diet high in sugar is so bad for the cells of the body.

  24. Faith @ For the Health of It says

    I’m with you on condoning sugar, actually. I don’t let myself go overboard, but I almost always have a sweet treat every day (and no, I’m not talking about the over-cliched single square of dark chocolate most bloggers “indulge” in). A small cupcake, a muffin, a big ol’ cookie…gotta have something with a little sugah! Same with salt – they aren’t the best for you, but I don’t feel the need to set an upper limit for what I have. Just a touch is enough, and my body will let me know when Ive had too much!

  25. Gloria says

    I was SO happy when I saw some non-vegan friends posting links on facebook to your deep-dish cookie dough pie recipe. Congrats on all your success with the blog! I love desserts and “sweets” but like you I obstain from sugar. I would get really bad crashes hours later and sometimes suffer for days with poor digestion. I actually love the taste of NuNaturals stevia so I don’t miss my “sweet”. The cookie dough dip is one of my favorite recipes of yours (right along with the coconut butter fudge and cashew banana cream cheese frosting – love my fats!) so I can’t wait to make this!!!!

  26. Aine @ Something to Chew Over says

    What great food photography! 🙂

    I keep an eye in sugar in the form of junk but when it’s in fruit I really don’t care!

  27. J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says

    Oooh, that sounds good! Like a gooey LaraBar with chickpeas! I dig it! That sounds deeeelish. And congrats on your post going viral! I love that. 😀 Enjoy, girl!!

  28. Lenna says

    I also believe that the less sugar you get, the less you crave/need. I don´t eat much sugar, because I don´t have much of a sweet tooth…but I also don´t think that it is evil. You just have to do the “moderation thing” 🙂

  29. Ragnhild says

    I love how this is sweetned with dates! Dates are my favorit way to sweeten thing!

    Im like you on this one! I love love love chocolate, but only the dark one (86%-100%), and if it is brownies/ice cream or whatever, it needs to be the darkest, richest kind!
    And yum yum, fats all the way!
    I never crave SWEETS either, just darkness and rich-ness 🙂

  30. Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFIles says

    I hardly ever add sugar to anything, so I don’t really worry too much. I do hate using refined sugar though!

    You soak your dates? Why/for how long/in how much liquid?

  31. Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather says

    Katie, this looks awesome! I love the use of dates here… And chickpeas too!

    It’s funny how sugar is such an energy sucker, after the initial high. I try to limit my sugar to more natural sugars like maple, honey and brown rice syrup.

  32. Rebecca says

    This recipe sounds divine 🙂 I agree with you on craving sugar. I will crave sugar on its own occasionally, but normally in something naturally sweet like berries, syrup, chocolate etc. Though once you have unnatural sugar, you want more. It doesn’t make me feel sluggish in small amounts or even in the form of desserts, but if I do have too much my body will get sluggish.

  33. Kristin @ STUFT Mama says

    So excited for you that that post went viral! You (and that dip) deserve it! 🙂 I’ll have to try the sugar free version since I have forsure tried the original one (more than once). 🙂
    I have the same issues with sugar. I can totally tell when I’ve been eating too much of it. Cranky, tired, lazy, etc. Not a pretty picture. I try to stay away from it and stay close to your blog instead. 🙂

  34. Lisa Jo says

    This looks great! I kinda wanna make a cookie dough smoothie with it. Coconut milk and frozen bananas, a lil ice if more frothiness is needed and the cookie dip. Could even be higher protein for an after workout shake with some soy or pea protein added. I think I may try that this weekend.

  35. Danica @ It's Progression Not Perfection says

    I agree with you about eating sugar…I think it’s fine in moderation but I too find that the more I eat of it the more I crave it. Luckily when I need to scale back the amount of sugar I’m eating it gets easier after that first initial change.

  36. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says

    Congrats on your post going viral. I’ve had that happen and it’s fun. I saw that recipe of yours on FG and knew it would take off onto other sites too!

    Sugar, not the devil. In moderation. But yes, the more you eat the more you crave it seems. For me at least.

    I do love my sweet desserts but also they have to be dense and rich, i.e. with some fat (butter, nut butter, oil, etc) or it’s just an unsatisfying sugar-fest. So yes, sugar + fats = the best kind of desserts 🙂

    • M says

      How do you know if a post qualified for “going viral?” In other words, how many hits is “viral”? I think ALL your recipes have gone viral, CCK! I see them all over the blogsphere everyday! 🙂 🙂

        • Mandee says

          WOW!!! congrats! This is def my fav that I’ve tried on your site! I just made it again with the dates… It’s chilling in the fridge right now. Ok I waited and got to try it. Using the dates is soooo much better! I’d have to add extra Nut butter or sugar to mask the bean taste, but the dates are awesome! No sugar needed! I prefer it this way, yippee! I omitted the oats and used 1/4 c of a mix of PB2, sunflower butter and reg PB… It was so good! I just had a couple spoonfuls for dessert 😉 Thanks CCK!

  37. Pure2raw twins says

    wahoo for chocolate chip dip!! congrats on the love

    and yes we love our fats more than sugar 🙂 but still love dessert! we have the same taste

  38. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    I want!! I want I want! I NEED! haha 😉 But seriously, I’m bookmarking this for next time I get a can of chickpeas. Amazing. 🙂

  39. Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen says

    I DO tend to watch sugar because that whats feels best to me, thats why I love that you have so many recipes with stevia options!

  40. BroccoliHut says

    I agree! Sugar is not so bad–I actually think it’s way better than the chemical reformulations of it both in HFCS and artificial sweeteners. If you want sweet, go for the real thing in moderation!

  41. Victoria says

    Reallyyyyyyyy just wanna make this and eat it with a spoon.

    As for sugar, I definitely limit it, but I think a little raw, unrefined sugar is ok. Refined sugar = gross. And it tastes horrible! I don’t know how people could use refined sugar their whole lives, give raw sugar a try, and continue using the refined junk.

  42. Alexa @ SimpleEats says

    I really don’t watch my sugar intake! Definitely when it comes to processed, fatty sugary foods I do. But I think some chocolate and fruit from sugar is awesome fuel!

  43. Katie @Nutrition In A Peanut Shell says

    There was a time where I was counting how much sugar I ate (Oh hey 100 grams of sugar), but I found most of it (like 60 grams) were coming from apples and bananas and yogurt (go figure), so I’ve just cut back on things like HFCS. I can’t say I notice much of a difference, but since I’ve cut out (most) splenda, I feel 200% better.

  44. Alexia @ NamasteYoga says

    I dont have a huge sweet tooth and that’s why I love your dessert recipes. I do not like too sugary, or artificially sweetened things so i live of my homemade cocoa balls and “goji explosions”- i love to use fruit (dates, raisins) as sweetener and just recently started using stevia. I am on your side with the fat- def prefer it to sugar.

  45. megan @ Foodie Cycles says

    WOW! this looks amazing.. QUESTION- What kind of Nut Butters are you guys using? I’m going to try making it this weekend! Yummmmmm 🙂

  46. Megan says

    I already made this dip! Woo hoo! I didn’t have any dates so I used 1/2 of a very ripe banana and added a little bit of honey. I am SO excited!

  47. Kelly says

    Thank goodness for Pintrest LOL Thats how I found you like millions of others 🙂 I am vegan and your blog os a Godsend. Thanks!

  48. shannonmarie (rawdorable) says

    I try to limit my sugar intake to just natural fruit sugars and such. I just know my little girl is going to love this recipe.

    Ugh, I can’t believe I missed yesterday’s post (I think it was just how my day was going; you can tell from my blog post that it wasn’t the best day). Endangered Species chocolate is my FAVORITE chocolate. I ate it every day while pregnant with my daughter (it was my biggest craving). I even sent my hubby out to get some while I was in the hospital (he also kept me stocked in them throughout my entire pregnancy).

    Here are some of the bars he got me for Valentine’s Day one year, ’cause he knows how much I love them: http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/2010/02/valentines-came-early.html So sweet!

  49. Caryn says

    I made this last night! I used white beans instead of chick peas and I used almond butter for the nut butter (it seemed like it needed a little extra so I added more). I didn’t have 8 hours worth of patience for the dates so I only soaked them for about an hour – which worked alright, although my dough didn’t need the extra coconut milk for liquid at all. This is good! I’ve never made the other version of the recipe but I was happy with this one. Full disclosure – it’s a little healthy tasting and isn’t a dead ringer for cookie dough, but it is pretty darned delicious and does give you the the sense of eating a bowl of dough without the too-much-sugar feeling. I had it this morning for breakfast with a cup of black coffee – it was totally what the doctor ordered.

      • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

        Aww lol I’m glad you liked it! I think the sugar one probably tastes more like real cookie dough, simply because there’s brown sugar in real cookie dough… but hey, no one said it has to taste exactly like cookie dough to be just as good, right? 😉

        I’m so excited you tried it!

  50. Cindy says

    Congrats Katie on going viral (what does that mean anyway, sounds like a flu bug) haha but I know enough to know it means you rock!

    your cookie dough dip looks super tempting and I am totally avoiding sugar because it just make me sick. bloating, puffy, stomach pain, pms, and yes fatigue and everything else.

    I’m a cookie dough addict so I’m going to try this now!
    xo

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      haha it means hundreds of thousands of people are sharing your post (or it’s a common term with youtube videos, meaning hundreds of thousands of people have seen your video). It actually does get its name from a virus. It means something on the internet has spread like a virus lol!

  51. Emma says

    I can not do sugar at all, it just makes me feel like total rubbish! But that cookie dough looks so ridiculously amazing it makes me sad I don’t have any of the ingredients!

  52. Maya says

    Yum! I’m going to have to try this. Question- do you think this would work without the peanut butter? It’s the weirdest thing- I’m obsessed with peanut butter and can eat it by the spoonful. Yet I don’t like it in cookies??? Maybe because too many things get in the way of the PB taste. I am going to attempt it without it- even though it’s also super delicious with it 🙂 Love the use of dates- I may try to use bananas too since they are easier to mash up.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I really don’t know that it’d taste good without the fat, although you can try it! But you can always sub another nut butter, such as walnut butter. Or maybe even try subbing oil for the pb? No matter what you do, I’d love to know how it turns out!

    • Krys says

      I think that coconut butter would be a good substitute but it’d really give it a coconut tinge. Some mashed banana and coconut oil might have the right consistency.

      I made this recipe without the baking soda (I just forgot it) and used 1/3 cup date sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar/coconut sugar mixture (which made me need the milk) and added a bit of Dickinson’s creme Vanilla curd to the recipe as well. Came out really great with garbanzo beans.

  53. Victoria says

    This looks delicious. I know this a dessert blog, but perhaps you can surprise us once in a while with one of your savory recipes? I’m really curious how you incorporate things like garbanzo beans into your meals.

  54. Anna @ The Guiltless Life says

    Thanks for categorizing all your sugar-free recipes in one spot; that is so incredibly helpful! I don’t disagree with you about sugar but don’t eat it myself because I am extremely sensitive to it. But I am also extremely sensitive to caffeine. A cup of black tea makes me jittery. More than 8g or so of added sugar in one serving will have my thoughts racing and my heart beating fast. Some people like that feeling; it makes me feel ill. But I have friends and family members who can take a lot more than that before feeling gross and some never feel it. So I just think it’s an individual thing. BUT at the same time, if you can be healthier and still get the same great taste (thanks in large part to your recipes!) why wouldn’t you? Thanks Katie!

  55. Jen says

    That is crazy that you came up with this recipe. I have already tried it with the oats. I had more oats though! Sometimes I make it more into bars and freeze it. This is not the first time I have come with a different recipe or tried something new and you then did the same thing. I guess great minds think alike!

  56. Jessica C says

    I have to admit I found the link through Pinterest. I made it the next day, along with the Blondie Chocolate Chip bars and the chocolate pie over the weekend. Nothing lasted more than a day! So delicious! I’m making this again right…..now. 🙂

  57. Alicia says

    Thanks for this amazing recipe!! I decided to actually use this dough to bake the cookies. I modified the recipe slightly to add extra protein with a few heaping Ts of peanut flour from trader joe’s. I’m not sure if you have ever used this ingredient but It gives everything an amazing peanut butter taste without the fat and it adds tons for protein like 16grams per 1/4 cup. It’s like natures protein powder.

    I also upped the oats to 4T for a more substantial cookie I can take to work and have one as a mid morning snack. To compensate for the added dryness I put 1T of unsweetened apple sauce in and they have turned into amazingly delicious cake-like chocolate chip cookies!

  58. Allison says

    How much stevia do you usually use for an all-stevia version? I’m thinking of trying to make this with half-stevia and half-dates, and would like a beginning benchmark. Thanks for all the hard work you do!!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I’ve only made it with all stevia once, and since it was just for me, I didn’t measure. But if you do it with dates, I’d recommend starting out with just a little stevia and taste-testing as you go. That’s how I come up with the sugar amounts in the non-date version: I blended it, then tested, then added a little more sweetener, then blended again, tested again, etc.

  59. Mellie says

    I agree! Sugar ISN’T the devil! NO foods are the devil! I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, but I never feel guilty when I do eat sugar…or fat…or anything.

  60. Ashley says

    O.K., so I kind of tried the new recipe. I did not have quite enough dates, but I put what I had (whole pitted dates-83 grams) along with about 1/3 cup turbinado sugar and 1/3 cup boiling water. I threw that (without soaking) along with the chickpeas into my food processor and let to blend away. I then added the other ingredients–no milk. I let the oatmeal blend in too. I added the chocolate chips last and let them blend a little so the flecks of chocolate are smaller. Yum, yum, yum!!!

  61. M says

    Oh my!
    I just made this and it is fabulous!!! I think I might even like this version better than the one with sugar! YUM!!!

    Also, I was brave and took it to a Friday morning prayer group that I go to, and everyone was going crazy for it. I had to tell them afterwards that it didn’t have any sugar or butter. No one would believe me, and now they all want the recipe! Thanks for yet another successful CCK recipe. I don’t know how you do it, girl!

  62. Emma says

    I am in love. I found your blog over the weekend, from pinterest, and I made this (the regular version) the first possible chance I got. Well, fast forward a few days and I have now made the regular version three more times AND I made this new version today! My college roommates and I are all in love with you now. We want to be your foodie groupies (in a non weird way)!!! We love both versions, and not even all my friends are health food nuts like me!

  63. Crystal says

    I’m really excited to try these, but I have a couple of questions. Are the chickpeas required or could I use some other white bean? Also, I’ve never sweetened with dates, so I obviously don’t have them in my home. Would raisins be similar (probably a dumb question) or are dates REALLY what it’s all about? Thanks for posting, by the way. I found you through pinterest and I’m really excited to see what else you have. I’m cutting out the white sugar but occasionally still have those cravings for sweets, not necessarily with sugar, you know?

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Yes, you can definitely sub another bean :). I’m not sure about the raisins… it might be good! I’d be curious to know, so if you try it, let me know how it goes! Otherwise, look for dates in the dried-fruit section of a regular grocery store. I never use the fancy, expensive ones. I like the Sunmaid ones that come in a red package. They seem softer than the expensive ones anyways!

  64. Be says

    Yay! Yay! Yay! I babysit my younger siblings every Tuesday and lately, those nights have turned into sister bonding time making healthy desserts together (usually from your blog). 😉 We made the deep-dish cookie pie a couple weeks ago, which was deliciousness of course! I recently started “clean eating” and that was the first time I had any type of refined sugar in several weeks. This is a big deal because I am a recovering sugarholic. 😉 So, I am super dee duper excited to see this recipe! I am going to put on a bag of chickpeas to soak tonight just so we can make this next week!

  65. BethG says

    I had all the ingredients to make the sugar version of this recipe, but then you came out with this one which is very exciting bc I love dates (sadly it means I have to wait till I go to the grocery store to actually GET the dates). A few people were talking about substituting stevia in the recipe and I wondered if anyone had tried Whey Low in theirs instead? Its an all natural sweetner (not close to natural but completely natural).
    I don’t know how it would work with a sugar free diet, and it has a tiny aftertaste but I’m pretty sure it would be better than stevia. Just a thought!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I don’t think anyone’s commented saying they tried it, but I do know that a few people have substituted splenda in the recipe and liked it. I guess it just depends on personal tastes. I hate splenda and like stevia, but I know a lot of other people feel exactly opposite! 🙂

    • Amber says

      Just a little FYI brown sugar is white sugar, it just has molasses added to it. So you are still consuming white sugar. If you really want to go healthier try honey powder.

  66. Natasha says

    Hey Katie! I just made this last night and it was delicious! The only thing I didn’t like though, was the PB after taste. I really enjoy PB by itself, but not PB-flavored things. What could I substitute the PB with (that is not another nut butter)? I think that then, for me, this recipe would be perfect!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hmmm… maybe it depends on the brand of pb? Mine never tastes anything like pb! But I’ve also made it with walnut butter, which is good. Maybe, if you don’t have walnut butter, regular walnuts would even work? (Blend them first to make a butter?) Or maybe sub oil? I know it needs some kind of fat to taste good. If you try something besides pb, I’d love to hear how it goes!

  67. Erin says

    I made this last night and both my boyfriend and I loved it. It was fantastic (though I may have used too many dates – they are so big they it’s tough to get them really into “cup” format so mine may have gone over). Regardless, we loved it!!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I hate giving out cup measurements for dates for that very reason! If only everyone had a food scale lol. It’s so hard to figure out how to measure dates, because it can be packed or loose, and it depends on the brand of dates!

      In any case, I’m so glad y’all liked it!! 🙂

  68. Ruth Moe says

    I tried this but added evaporated milk and my sis in law thought it was ice cream. It tasted great and I put almond blended for the nut butter absolutely heavenly

  69. Andrea says

    Love your recipes, dont get me wrong. But its misleading to say that this recipe has no sugar. It has no added sugar, but it definitely has plenty of sweet from the dates. Naturally occurring sugars (like those in fruit) are no better for you than good ol’ white sugar. However, getting your “sweet” from things like dates and fruit is a much better option, beucase those things comes with added nutrients and fiber white sugar lacks. Sorry to say, this recipe definitely doesnt count as low-carb friendly.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hi Andrea,
      The recipe has no sugar: that white stuff. Naturally-occurring sugars are completely different (and have a different effect on the body) from added sugars. Even vegetables have naturally-occurring sugars. I didn’t classify the recipe as being low-carb.

    • Faith says

      Natural sugars are most definitely NOT the same as added sugars. If that were true, we could all just eat twinkies all day and take a vitamin pill!

      • Anonymous says

        Sugar is NOT sugar. Naturally occurring fruit sugars are MUCH healthier as they are in their complete form, a WHOLE food. (ie: the WHOLE date compared with sugars that have been stripped and refined from their natural source). I react VERY badly to refined sugar, but have no reaction to natural, whole sugars. So sugar is definitely not sugar. The body responds very differently to refined sugars as opposed to whole sugars.

        I’m a certified holistic practitioner and holistic nutritionist. So believe me, I have seen the ill effects of refined sugars, yet have “cured” diabetics through an unrefined diet that included a very good portion of fruit and even unpasteurized honey. By “cured’ I mean they were able to regulate their blood sugar and were able to get off of all of their medications (including injections).

        • shalom says

          I haven’t researched it, but recent studies have shown that fructose (fruit sugar) is even worse than white sugar. In my opinion if the fruit fiber is included if may be a bit better (I’m not sure if the studies tested just fructose or used pureed fruit). As a diabetic, fruit and even starchy vegetables (starch turns into sugar) definitely do affect the body just as sugar does. My doctor told me even tasting something sweet (even if it is artificial sweetener) raises blood sugar. I have tested that and he is right. I haven’t tested this, but I read that even smelling something sweet raises blood sugar. I eat a low carb, very low refined food diet and I have never taken any diabetic medications. I don’t even eat store bought dressing, mayo, etc. I have learned that increased blood sugar increases insulin. Insulin, pushed carbs into the cells to store as fat and if insulin is kept elevated it will not allow the fat to leave the cells (that’s why diabetics have a harder time losing weight). Also, insulin is what causes damage to the body. For nondiabetics, small amounts of sugar/starch are ok because the cells react properly to the increased sugar.

    • M says

      Totally agree that it’s misleading. Fruit has a lot of sugar, especially dates, and especially dried dates. Sugar IS sugar, whether it’s from fruit or is HFCS. The body does not process it any differently–it’s just that fruit provides more nutrients. This recipe is healthier than cookie dough, but I would guess it has a pretty high sugar content nonetheless. Saying it’s sugar-free is like saying orange juice is sugar-free; it’s just not.

        • Anonymous says

          And no, sugars and sugar = two totally different things! Even the FDA agrees, and that’s why companies like Smuckers can sell sugar-free jams.

          • shalom says

            The FDA isn’t an authority. They are under the thumb of big industry. They wouldn’t even approve Stevia (which has been used for hundreds of years) as a sweetener for a long time because the artificial sweetener industry didn’t want the competition. Also, they have approved many additives that are not healthy and allow the industry to hide those additives. I don’t know if a decision has been made yet, but several months ago I heard that the FDA is considering allowing Splenda to be added to milk products without being listed on the label.

      • elizabeth says

        I am a medical student who just went throug an intensive nutrition/food metabolism course and I can attest to the fact that the way your body processes sugar from fruit and table sugar are different. The reason that they are different is the fructose to glucose ratio. Your body has transporters in your intestine that regulate the amount of glucose that comes in. Your body does not regulate the amount of fructose that comes in. (this is why people don’t like high fructose corn syrup)

  70. Anonymous says

    I am very anxious to try this after I found it on Pinterest. (I am also going to try tons of your other recipes too 🙂
    How could I substitute bananas for dates? Do I use the same amount?

    Thank you!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I’ve never tried it with bananas, so you’ll have to experiment! It will taste banana-y, though. (Just thought I’d throw that caution out there, in case you don’t like bananas. I love em.) One recommendation: use very very ripe bananas in order for it to have enough sweetness without sugar.

  71. Stefanie Gott-Dinsmore says

    In the sugar recipe it says you can substitute flax seed for the oatmeal, is there any reason that I couldn’t do the same in the sugar free version?

    Sugar is kinda evil, but the real devil is high fructose corn syrup. It’s frustrating how many things use it. I’m on a cleanse/ diet right now and cutting out sugars, artificial sweeteners excluding stevia is quite a challenge! 🙂

  72. Lisa Jo says

    Hmm I just tried to comment but I don’t see it anywhere here. So trying again. Sorry if it posts twice. I didn’t yet get the chance to try the shake but I did make your dip (which I like to call chocolate chip hummus) over the weekend for my mom’s potluck. She said it was the talk of the town. I actually used raw agave because I didn’t have time to soak the dates. I only got to have a few bites since I sent it with mom for the potluck but it was amazing! I’ll be posting my review with a link back to your site. 🙂 Wow! BTW- check out my vegan mini tiramisu recipe I posted today!

  73. Marianne says

    I am of the opinion that no food is the devil. I hate when people vilify one food as the root of all health issues. All foods can fit in a healthy diet, but they all have their place – some you should choose to eat often, some should be eaten on occasion, and some rarely. Yes, it is good to be aware of added sugars, especially in non-sweet items (pasta sauce, crackers, etc), as well as added salt, trans fats, and many other things. But to obsess over them and micromanage them isn’t worth the headache.

    And I need to get on this cookie dough/sweet chickpea dip making train. Maybe tomorrow morning I shall whip up a batch to take to work with me. Except I have no chocolate chips…bah!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Agree! People are always appalled to know I sometimes use things like Pillsbury frosting… or even sprinkles. But honestly, I think stressing out about eating “bad” foods is probably worse for your health in the long run than actually having a little bit now and then.

  74. Rachel says

    All your recipes look delicious, but I can’t try any of them because they all rely on a food processor or blender 🙁 As a college student, I don’t have these things. Do you have any ideas for healthy desserts that don’t require the use of a food processor?

  75. Erin says

    This was a really terrific recipe. I was pretty skeptical, but it turned out terrifically- with the addition of more added unsweetened hemp milk with the recipe. I realized it was the mixture plus the milk that really gave it that cookie dough flavor- and the chocolate was necessary in helping with it (I used your coconut oil + cocoa powder recipe). Thanks a bunch!

  76. Jenni says

    Katie, I have a challenge! 🙂 I’ve been wanting to make this ever since your first post on it… but we have nut allergies in the family. Can you wave your healthy magic wand and experiment with no-nut options? I don’t want to sub shortening or something, ewww 🙂

      • Jenni says

        coconut butter? There’s such a thing? That sounds delicious! (apparently it’s technically a tree nut, huh, who knew. But it isn’t as allergenic as other tree nuts, so isn’t considered a “nut” by most allergy handouts. I know my son can eat coconut, we have it in a lot of treats!)
        I had thought about sunflower, but would wondered if it would be too sunflower-y… lol. Maybe I’ll have to try the oil – so as not to affect the taste too much… but coconut… I’m intrigued!
        Thanks for the options!

        • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

          Oh my goodness, you must try coconut butter!!! It is my obsession! I think it’s one of my top 5 favorite foods. It tastes like shortbread! 🙂

          (Oh, and I agree about the sunflower butter… it has a very strong taste.)

  77. Jennifer says

    Do you think leftover of this recipe could be frozen for later consumption? I made this this morning and it is so good! My daughter has a big sweet tooth – going to let her try it this afternoon before I tell her what is in it.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hmmm… I’m not sure! I know the deep-dish cookie pie can be frozen, but I’m not sure about this dip. I’m wondering if it’d make the beans icy and weird in texture. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

    • Jen H. says

      I have frozen it, my recipe is a little different though. You just have to nuke it a little or let it sit out to get it back to the same texture.

  78. Tanjia says

    I just made this recipe. I used almond extract instead of vanilla and also added pumpkin pie spices. I’m using it to dip my Ambrosia apple. YUM!! I was really wondering if I’d like it but it really is delish!

  79. vicki says

    Katie, I MADE IT! I’ve been dying to make this sugar free version. I’ve tried the other version and it tasted too peanut-buttery for me…. so with this one I was ready to do some tinkering. Mine looks much smoother than yours. I think because I’m using a Blentec. Yours has a more authentic look. (what do you blend in?–i just bought a magic bullet for 30 buck on ebay because of your recipes!) None-the-less… I dove spoon first into my smoother looking cookie dough. yummmmmmm. I had traded in the PB for Nutiva Coconut Mana. Strangley it tasted coconutty… I don’t think it’s tastes coconutty plain, but you probably would have loved it. I think next time I will try coconut-oil. But, since I have two victims…er, taste-testers… in town from college, I decided to keep working on it. I added some almond butter, a little more vanilla, a little more almond milk, I had mistakenly drained my soak water 🙁 and finally it tasted authentic! So I stirred in my chocolate chips… but all the blending had warmed it a bit and my bits were melting EGAD… oh wait E-GOOD! It was yummy… swirls of melty chocolate chips. But, I’m looking for an authentic look so I layered it w/chocolate chips and tucked it in the fridge. I’m now awaiting my always hungry, unspespecting boys that are home from college to give it a taste. Can’t wait!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I use a Cuisinart food processor. So yeah, not as powerful at all. (Also, I changed up the cookie dough dip recipe to say you can use oil… because a lot of people mentioned the pb taste. I guess my certain brand must just not have as strong of an aftertaste as some others, because I can’t taste peanut butter at all. But then again, I really love peanut butter so maybe I can taste it and just don’t realize! ;))

  80. Moni says

    I was thinking about making this recipe for about 2 weeks now and today I made it. It was fabulous!! I cut some apples and dipped them in the cookie dough… In fact I think i’m gonna have some more right now :d

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      You can!! I once scooped the balls into cookie shapes (with a melon baller), and I made cookies :).

      (An alternative is to just use my chocolate-chip blondie or deep-dish cookie pie recipe, which also use beans.)

      Oh, but I actually haven’t baked this no-sugar version yet… if you try it, please let me know how it works??

  81. Anonymous says

    I desperately want to try this!
    Stupid question (forgive me, I’m in college and I rarely cook…trying to change that!), but what other kinds of nut butter are there and can you find them in a regular grocery store? I Googled it and found almond butter; would that work and not give it too much of a nutty taste?

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Not stupid at all!

      You can usually find cashew butter in the natural section of a regular grocery store. But others, such as walnut butter or coconut butter, are mostly only in natural food stores.

      I don’t personally like the taste of almond butter, so I can’t say how it would taste in this recipe. I know a lot of others have used it and liked it though. I’d go with either peanut butter or vegetable or coconut oil or coconut butter or walnut butter.

  82. Chelsie says

    Thanks for sharing! I have to admit I was skeptical about this but I made it tonight and I love it! My son has allergies so it was perfect for him and he loved it too! Just wondering, have you tried freezing it? Would you mind if I mention you in my blog?

  83. Amanda says

    Hi! I found your site through pintrest. I was super psyched to find this recipe, and went out to buy the ingredients this afternoon. (3 kids in tow) I didn’t follow it exactly, which may explain my less-than-stallar- outcome. I used 3 Tbs Almond Butter, omited the oatmeal, added a dash of cinnamon, because I always put cinnamon in my CCCookies. I ‘measured’ the dates, then chopped them and poured 1/2 cup of boiling water over them to speed up the process. I didn’t use all of them though, because it looked like too much(and it would have been) no change to the salt, baking soda, or vanilla. I have a Bosch Pro, and the blender is very strong, but I had to keep adding milk so it would process the Chick-Peas without burning out my motor. By the time I was done, the texture was more like a milkshake with gritty chunks. Overall, I was pleased with the taste, but the texture looked nothing like yours! Also, mine was dark with dark flecks. Did I do something really wrong? My 4-year-old and my husband ate their serving, but my 6 year-old wouldn’t finish hers, and I couldn’t eat all of mine. I really want this to work! I’ve read every comment on this and the snickerdoodle dip-and picked up a few tips: Use a food processor, use peanut butter; use less dates than I started with. Anything else that might help? I’m not really ‘into’ raw foods, but I like to give my kids healthier versions when I can.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hi Amanda,

      It’s so hard to know what could’ve gone wrong when I wasn’t there. But if you got chunks, something definitely went wrong :(. I would not try to speed up the date process, though. And if at all possible, I’d use SunMaid dates, which are softer to begin with. (Also I personally don’t like almond butter, but that’s just me!)

      I don’t understand why your chickpeas wouldn’t process in a high-powered blender… did you use canned chickpeas?

      • Amanda says

        Okay, I didn’t cheat on soaking the dates, I used the food processor and added the oats, and used peanut butter. My mixture still wasn’t exactly thick like cookie dough, and the color was not like yours-but it was MUCH better and the kids all ate theirs. Overall, I think it’s a great idea, so thanks for sharing-maybe I will get it perfect one of these days!

  84. Amanda M. says

    I made this tonight! Everyone seemed to like it. Well, except my 3 year old son. He’s not really into dough and batter yet. I’m sure he’ll get there. lol I have to admit, as much as I liked this, I still prefer “regular” cookie dough better. I will definitely make this for my vegan friends. Thank you so much for giving us this healthy option!

  85. Margaret Vasquez says

    ok so im going to try this once i get chickpeas im pretty scared because last time it was a disaster! because my blender didnt like the chickpeas so i now i have a better blender (kinda) and im going to mash them first…. wish me luck!
    last time i added everything in the blender and forgot about the chickpeas and i thought it was so good when i had a taste of it! then i realized i forgot the chickpeas and was basically eating sugar hahaha

  86. Paulette says

    Shear Genius! The only reason to bake cookies is so that you can eat the dough. So of course I only bake once in a while. Now I can have cookie dough without guilt! Thank you:)

  87. Maggie says

    I want to try this so badly. Just a couple of questions. In your opinion, does using peanut butter give it a peanut butter-y taste? I LOVE peanut butter, but if I were to make this, I’d want more of a chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, not peanut butter. I was just a little confused by the instructions on if using peanut butter was OK for the flavor I want. Also, when you say sub oil, do you mean just vegetable oil? It just seems odd to me because peanut butter and oil are such different consistencies (but believe me, I’m no expert cook haha).

    Also, I don’t have a food processor (college kid) but we do have a Magic Bullet, which is kind of like a food processor? Maybe? Do you know? haha I’m just learning the cooking basics if you couldn’t tell. 🙂 haha

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I didn’t think it had a pb taste… but everyone else said it does with the pb! And just use less milk if using oil :).

      I don’t think it would work in a MB, because it might not be powerful enough to blend the chickpeas… my blender just made a mess, so a fp is better. Maybe, if you must use a MB, try doing it in batches?

      • Shaina says

        I wanted to chime in here (a bit late probably to help the original poster but may help others). I’m not quite sure how a Magic Bullet is set up since I don’t have one. I also didn’t have a food processor, but I had a “Handy Chopper” which is pretty small and has a single pulse button which rotates a 2-blade post. It definitely takes more time but if you take it bit by bit, it does it. I did 1/2 the dates until they were creamy then scraped them into a separate bowl. I did the other half and scraped out again. I mixed all but the chickpeas together in the bowl really well with a spoon. Finally, I did a bunch of small batches of the chickpeas. Each batch until creamy and scraping into the bowl, mixing well as I went.
        So, yeah, it’s possible in batches but it takes a lot of time and effort. Someday, I’m going to have a food processor!

        • Bella says

          Hi! (probably wayy too late to help original) but I have a nutribullet (I figure it’s pretty much the same thing as a MB) and in the handbook it gives a recipe using canned chick peas, all it says is pulse until smooth. (likely due to strength of machine) I’m going to try it tomorrow in the NB in batches and will let ya know how it turns out;)

  88. Sara says

    *Sigh*
    I hate when recipes say “No sugar” when they’re not really. To me, “no sugar” really means NO sugar. Last time I checked dried fruit is incredibly high in sugar. This isn’t “sugar-free” it’s just a different source of sugar. But anywho, still looks yummy. Maybe I’ll make it one day.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Sara,
      The only sugar in this recipe is the naturally-occuring sugars in the fruit. There is no white sugar, maple syrup, or even agave. (I agree with you that I find it ridiculous when something says “sugar free” and then is sweetened with agave.) But VERY few recipes have no naturally-occurring sugars; even vegetables have sugars!

    • Liz says

      Agree that dates make this a very high-sugar treat, but come on, you can’t make something that could remotely be called cookie anything without some kind of sweetener.

      Personally, I’m perpetually bummed by the “sugar free” recipes make with synthetic sweeteners out the wazoo. This might not be a healthy breakfast, but it’s a great alternative to the standard cookie dough I like to scarf by the spoonful. Thanks, Katie, for doing the hard work of figuring out a no-processed sugars/no added sugars version of my very favorite treat!

  89. Kate Moore says

    Did this recipe turn out almost as good as the one using brown sugar? I have a low carb cookie recipe my sister-in-law made using only stevia and I loved it, but there isn’t a whole lot of flour or a base ingredient to make the stevia aftertaste mild enough to not taste funny. I was thinking I could make this and take it with apple slices and graham crackers to my sister-in-law’s house for the holidays. I’m excited to try it.

  90. Dani says

    OMG I NEED TO EAT THIS NOW!!!! it looks absolutely AMAZING!! You seriously always have the BEST recipes!! i love your blog <3

    I'd love it if you would check out my blog!!
    chocolatecoveredsneakers.wordpress.com

  91. Natalie Kaczmarczyk says

    Hi Katie! I have been reading reading your blog for awhile, but have not gotten around to trying this recipe. I finally did last night and cannot BELIEVE how amazing it is. Even my mom who isn’t too keen on health foods couldn’t even tell it was made of atypical ingredients. I love your approach to food, life, and health and look forward to some more awesome recipes 🙂

  92. Kathryn says

    I am dying to try this out, but we have nut/ coconut issues around here. Could I just use 3T of oil? If so, what kind would you suggest? Thanks so much!

  93. marci says

    Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! My daughter found it on Pinterest, I believe. Anyway, we’re going to try it tomorrow evening. We’re both on a no- to low-sugar diet.

  94. Teeni says

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I just tried the one made with brown sugar and it was great! But I do have some diabetic friends and personally hate artificial sweeteners so am excited to see this version using dates! Now I can make a dessert we can all share without feeling bad. By the way, this is wonderful served with broken up ice cream cones to dip!

  95. Rebecca says

    Thanks for this recipe! I tried it using dates and it’s really good! I’m sensitive to any sugar so this is great! I will let my kids try it after school (without telling them what’s in it of course) as a “treat”!

  96. Jackie says

    You said I could substitute oil instead of the nut butter? Is this an equal substitution (1/4 cup nut butter = 1/4 cup oil) or is it a different amount? Does it matter what kind of oil?

  97. rebecca says

    Tried this out. Used part peanut butter and part PB2 powder. My consistency ended up a little more runny and chunky (I blame my old food processor). I tried the dip with apples and graham crackers and the flavor definitely goes better with the graham crackers. But my end product looks quite a bit different in flavor and texture. The taste is… okay. I didn’t expect it to taste like cookie dough, and it does have a nice, light sweetness to it, but it’s been in my fridge for a few days now and I haven’t eaten anymore. HA! I am a horrible cook so I probably did something wrong. 🙂

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      By replacing the pb with pb2, you lost some of the fat. I wouldn’t recommend that if you really want it to taste good.
      Also, I highly recommend trying this with a good food processor. The reicpe IS a good one and really does taste like cookie dough if you use high-quality ingredients and tools :).

  98. rebecca says

    Yes, I may try it again without substituting any ingredients! My roommate has a nice food processor but she doesn’t trust me with it. Haha! That’s how bad I am in the kitchen. 🙂 Still had fun making it and love your blog! Thanks!

      • Whitney says

        I just made this in my Vita-Mix. Worked like a charm! But I’ve never heard the old Vitey work so hard. Crazy that it can blend rock hard bananas in an instant, but it was struggling on chickpeas and dates!! Anywho – it turned out AMAZZZZZZZING!!!! Thank you!!

  99. Nikki says

    Hi there,

    I have another suggestion for sweetening without sugar. Try Xylit or Erythrit, they are actually healthy. They are good for your teeth (yes!!!), have half as much Calories, Erythrit even has 0 Calories!
    It isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s worth it.
    I tried it with cakes, Muffins, Cupcakes and it workes fine. It doesn’t work with yeast-it kills the yeast as it kills all the germs that humans have attacking their teeth.

  100. Heather says

    Just some FYI:
    I don’t have a food processor so I used my Magic Bullet and just added 2Tmilk to help it blend. I also used the PB2, no regular peanut butter at all. It was DELISH! It was a little bit softer than I had hoped so I just put it in the refrigerator for a little while and it was great! 🙂 thanks so so much. Now I’m going to bake some for breakfast! –ps I was too impatient to soak the dates so I actually used 2T brown sugar, but I’ve soaked the dates for the next batch!

  101. Sherlock says

    I’m going to the store to just buy those dates. I’m at a point where I’m limiting my sugar intake. This certainly helps cut corners if you know what I mean. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll let you know how it goes.

  102. Ashley says

    I’ve been sugar, gluten and dairy free for a while now and it’s been driving my roommate crazy because she is all sugar, all the time.

    I made this today and, after one bite, her eyes got huge and asked what on earth that piece of heaven in her mouth was. I just told her, welcome to the dark side- we still have cookie dough 🙂

  103. Heather says

    Hi Katie! (and other cookie dough lovers)
    I have now made both the brown sugar recipe and the dates recipe. The sugar one was heavenly! When I made the dates one I put a leeeetle bit too much milk in it (because it wasn’t pulverizing as fast as I wanted it to) and it came out more the consistency of a spread. Like saaaayyy a peanut butter! 🙂 WHICH I LOVE! I used PB2 in place of regular peanut butter, 3T of it. So with the chickpeas to make a lot of it, you can use it as peanut butter and it is a much lower calorie/fat peanut butter. SO, all that to say…even when it doesn’t come out “just right”, it can often be an awesome discovery.
    thanks for everything!

  104. Amanda says

    Quick question can I use the dough to bake cookies with and if so what temp would I set the oven to and for how long?

  105. Monica says

    I have made this twice now, once with soy nut butter and once with nutella. The nutella spread tastes like no bake cookies, which is I love. However, I was wondering what kind of nut butter you used in the original recipe? The soy nut butter did not work out well for me.

    Thanks,
    Monica

  106. Sabrina says

    Hi Katie! This looks absolutely delicious!! I can wait to try it! Do you by any chance have the nutritional information on it?

  107. Sarah Hillman says

    Thank you soooooo much for this delicious recipe! I have made it twice now – both the sugar-free version and the original. They were both utterly divine! I have been looking for ways to give my kids (and myself) treats without feeding them garbage that’s loaded with sugar and totally devoid of nutrients! This is a fantastic kid-friendly treat: high in protein and fiber and deliciousness! You have given a gift to mothers everywhere! THANK YOU!

    • Shaina says

      Swimmer, I entered it into the SparkPeople.com recipes to get the info. My method declared it 8 servings, omitted the oats and milk – and I used regular milk-chocolate chips. You can click the “Create a Recipe Makeover” button to add/remove ingredients specific to how you made it – and it will recalculate.
      Here’s the link to how I entered it:
      http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2001443

      235 cal, 8.3 g fat, 0 mg chol, 69.8 mg sodium (dried chickpeas, NOT canned), 42.5 g carbs, 9 g fiber, 5.5 g protein

  108. Patty says

    Hi Katie,
    I was wondering if I could use prunes instead of dates in the cookie dough? And if I did would I need to soak them like the dates? Thanks for your help. I am excited to try this recipe.

  109. Whitney says

    Katie-

    First off, thank you so much for all of your recipes! This is the first one I’ve made and it was a huge hit! I put a picture of it on fb and got a ton of requests for the recipe so I linked them to your site. It was quick, delicious and i love that it’s healthy too. A quick note- I made it using PB2 (mixed w water before adding it to the food processor) and it worked really well! I did that bc it has about 1/4 the calories of reg peanut butter and makes it a little more guilt-free for me 🙂 thanks again, I can’t wait to try your other recipes!

  110. Anonymous says

    Hey! Just made this. I actually halved the recipe to see if I’d like it. I used homemade chickpeas (I think next time I’ll cook them a little longer for this recipe – forgot what I was using them for while i was cooking them – duh!). Turned out GREAT!! I used half the dates and date soak called for, since I halved the recipe, but found it a little sweet (for my taste….). Do you think it would taste really ‘chickpea-ish’ if I scaled back on the dates for the next batch? I also used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips. YUM!!!

  111. Robin Oliver says

    I just tried this and am in heaven!! I was a little hesitant but using the soaked dates sweetened it perfectly! I also am eating the Paleo or primal diet so I used almond butter, almond milk and instead of oats I used the same amount of almond meal and it worked like a charm!! Thank you for being inventive and trying to create healthy versions of the classic favorites, my kids will love it as long as I don’t eat it all before they get home from school!! 🙂 Can’t wait to stalk your site and make more healthy goodies!!

  112. Anna says

    Hi! Can you explain to me what this means: 1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 T. If you use peanut butter, some people say it has a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so you can sub oil if you don’t want that.)

    This means I can just use oil like olive oil?

    Thanks. Sorry if this sounds idiotic.

  113. Lily Bart says

    I was totally skeptical at first…and then it was AWESOME!!!!! I will definitely be making this again, but with oatmeal, cinnamon, and raisins. Thanks for posting this!!!

  114. Linds @ Linds Eats says

    I just wanted to say I made this in the version of truffles and dipped them in chocolate for a girls night I attended recently, and no one believed me that they were made of chick peas! They are my favourite non-guilty pleasure! 🙂

  115. Ashley says

    Delicious! I make the sugar free version. I decide it into 6 servings. Paired with skim milk or coffee is yummy

  116. Marjorie says

    Thanks for posting this recipe! It looks great! I have date paste that I got & that can be bought @ Middle Eastern markets. Do you think that 1 1/4 cups would be equal to your recipe or should I use more? less?

  117. Casey says

    This is BY FAR one of the most DELICIOUS things I have EVER eatten! WOW! I don’t even want to try the version with sugar. This was plenty sweet. Hard to put the spoon down! It’s great with gala apple slices used to dip, er… scoop it up! Tried with graham crackers too, but prefer it with apple slices or just by the spoonful. Plus it’s loaded with lot’s of good for you stuff. I made mine with coconut milk (Silk brand vanilla flavored) and homemade cashew butter. yum, yum, yum!

  118. Michelle says

    I was so excited to make this as I have a candida issue so I wanted to make something yummy that didn’t directly have sugar in it. For starters, if you make this with dates, make sure they are PITTED! I thought mine were, but I nearly broke my blender (might have actually broken it altogether) discovering this little mistake.
    Okay so I always love trying new recipes, only for some reason, mine never turn out how they should. And this recipe was no exception. The chickpeas sadly made mine taste a lot like dog food even after adding lots of vanilla extract and stevia! I was really bummed but added the sugar free dark chocolate and put it in the fridge because my thought is that perhaps it tastes better cold than warm. I’m glad to read that so many others have had success with this one. It just comes as no surprise to me anymore when my recipes flop! But this might take some experimentation.

  119. Michelle says

    Yeah my blender is sort of double duty, I use it for everything. But my problem wasn’t exactly with consistency, it turned out very smooth. It was really just the taste but it actually tasted a lot better chilled rather than room temp. I dipped a bunch of granny smith apple slices in it today and am actually finishing off the bowl right now! Which goes to show that I DID like it, but maybe I just need to play around with it and see what works for my taste buds. I really appreciate your site!

  120. Jamie says

    I just came upon this recipe from good ol’ Pinterest, and have to say a huge thank you for a sugar-free recipe that doesn’t use any artificial sweeteners. I’ll admit I’m the crazy person in the supermarket who mutters to herself, “ooh sugar free strawberry fruit bars! Awesome! Grea…wait, they have Splenda in them. WHY?! Why can’t they just use FRUIT JUICE?! ARGHHH!!” I can’t stand the taste of the sugar-free sweeteners, even Stevia, and am apparently one of the few people who would rather have no sweetness at all than that terrible aftertaste. Can’t wait to try!

  121. Randa says

    Thank you for coming up w/ a sugar-free version! I love dates, and hubby loves cookie dough, so can’t wait to try this.

    We cut out sugar a few months ago and noticed a lot of our health issues clear up or lessen, so it was interesting to see this CBS clip recently: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n

    Thanks for accommodating those of us who are going sugar (and other processed sweetener)-free!

  122. Victoria says

    I have been denied access to a kitchen (except for a microwave) for 9 months. I am soooo looking forward to making this in 3 weeks

  123. Blossom says

    Marry me!(I’m a straight female) This stuff is so delicious!!! I made it yesterday jut like the recipe says and today with white beans, coconut milk and dried apricots and I’m totaly addicted =D

  124. Jacinta says

    I have just gone sugar-free, and will be sugar-free for a little while, so I was very happy to see this recipe. Does anyone else know of other yummy sugar-free snacks/recipes?

  125. mercedes says

    with the dates do you just use the water that you soaked the dates in or do you include the dates in the recipe as well?

  126. michelle says

    I don’t have a food processor, only a blender…do you think I could use a ripe banana instead of the dates to make it easier on the blades, and to produce a smoother batter??

  127. Danae says

    I tried this and it turned out NASTY. I processed it for almost an hour and it won’t get smooth. I followed all the instructions (soaking and everything) but ended up with a brown, chunky, runny paste. This was the first time I ever tried cooking with chick peas. I bought ones in a bag and soaked them overnight as the directions on the bag stated. The recipe didn’t say to cook them so I didn’t, was I supposed to? I feel like I wasted a bunch of food. 🙁

    • mamak says

      Bummer. The recipe calls for CANNED chickpeas, which are precooked. Dried chickpeas are different and need to be soaked and cooked before they can be used in recipes that called for canned. (And even then I think the texture is a bit different.)

    • Erin says

      If you used dried chickpeas, you should have soaked them overnight and then cooked them per the directions on the bag. Katie’s recipe uses canned chickpeas that you only need to drain. Next time try the canned or cook the dried ones and you will have better results 🙂

  128. Lisa says

    Since I don’t have a food processor, only a blender, I tried using the coconut-date rolls they sell at my local food co-op instead of pitted dates (only ingredients in the rolls are dates and coconuts, but they’re already mushy in texture). I used just under 1c, about 5-6 if I recall. Since I was confused about how much water/liquid to use because I did not soak these dates, I saved some of the canned chickpea water (no-salt-added) and blended that in instead of milk to thin the texture. With enough patience and a little hand-mashing of chickpeas in the early steps to speed things along, came out very well, perhaps even a little too sweet for my taste, but happy to not have had to add any processed sugar!

  129. Cassandra says

    I love cookie dough and cannot wait to try this! I was just wondering is there was any way to substitue out the dates! Either way this looks amazing! Thanks for all your awesome recipes!

  130. Lyndy says

    If you compare 2/3 cup brown sugar to 1 1/4 cup of dates, the calorie/carb count is considerably more with the dates. I’m only saying this because I’m interested in sugar free desserts due to cooking/baking with diabetes. However, if I were to choose a version, I would still choose the one with the brown sugar due to the differences in the carb content. I wonder if you could make it with less dates? In the body, sugar is sugar no matter where it comes from.

  131. mamak says

    I love sugar AND fats! 🙂

    I do prefer rich desserts over super sweet candy, given the choice. Refined sugar gives me too many highs/lows so I do try to limit it. Also, I get gestational diabetes when I am pregnant so I have to really avoid it altogether now. So dates and brown sugar are both out for me. I suppose I will have to try this after baby is born! 😉 I am loving your stevia and agave recipes though.

  132. Hazyy says

    What if I use half a banana instead of dates? they are kinda difficult to find around here…

    Oh and well, I don’t have a strict policy about sugar consumption but, since I like tea & coffe & everythinghot&drinkablethings without sugar, I just have it in very small situations (desserts <3), but sometimes I use this disgusting liquid sweetener my mom uses. In general I try to watch fats&carbs and calories because I'm always overweight :/

  133. Kimbie says

    So I did a huge test of diff ingredients with this yesterday.

    Beans: garbanzos, cannelini, navy beans are pretty much the same. garbanzos are a little meatier/dryer. that actually could be good for some who like really chunky cookie dough.

    nut butters: coconut, pb, cashew. coconut gives coconut flavor. peanut butter really depends on the brand. i actually most liked the freshly ground kind–it gave a great texture and didn’t taste like peanut. cashew obvi is totally neutral and nice.

    didn’t use oats, used water instead of any milk. i figure if i’m gonna use a nut milk what’s the difference from having put nut butter in.

    BAKING SODA IS KEY! it really does give it the kick and I added extra. other things that give it good texture are lots of chips :).

    for anybody nonvegan (I’m not, in fact I’m paleo more often than not but I eat legumes occasionally), I am going to try it with butter. cuz really–that’s part of the real thing. i bet vegan butter spreads would be good too.

    sweeteners: stevia, banana, xylitol. banana gives a banana flavor. stevia is good. xylitol gives it the crystal texture! i liked that.

    in one version I added pea and egg protein powders. I really liked that addition.
    I also made one a snicker doodle!! just add a bunch of cinnamon.
    nutmeg is a great addition as well. (I thought about Monica’s cookie fest on Friends when she’s trying to copy the toll-house recipe haha)

    • Shaina says

      Oh Kimbie, thank you so much for all the testing! I wasn’t a fan of the meatier texture of the garbanzos so I’ll be trying one of the other beans. I’ll add extra baking soda and might try the cinnamon too ’cause I LOVE snicker doodles. I’m also nonvegan but love to try the recipes because I’m trying to lower my cholesterol. Please update again when/if you try the butter. I don’t have the luxury to make this and not eat it, so I’d really hate to ruin a batch.

  134. Megan says

    I made this today – the second recipe I have made from your blog (well, third if you count the 3-ingredient chocolate bars I made at the same time for this recipe). I loved it! At first I struggled a bit, but I think that was from eating too much hummus the day before and my body complaining about too many beans!

    I especially couldn’t stop eating it (straight from the bowl) after I added about 1-1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon – just gave it an extra kick! So yummy! I’m taking what is left (I managed a little restraint in the end) to my friend’s house tomorrow to share the love!!

  135. Stephanie Haefner says

    I love sweet things, and I never feel lethargic ever!! I hear people talk about how sugar makes them feel crappy…but i don;t know…I always feel great!! I always seem to have lots of energy!! LOL!!

  136. Hazyy says

    ok, I’m obsessed with this recipe. but today I gave it a nice twist, maybe you can try it and upgrade it since you’re in summer?

    I used one medium very ripe frozen banana instead of the dates; I added no oil and used dry (and reconstituted) white beans.. the other thing I did was using your chocolate magic shell and layered it with the dip (which is adding some oil anyways), and sprinkled chocolate chips on top. I created some sort of cookie dough-chocolatey ice cream. it was AMAZING! :)!!!! (yummy and high-protein desserts make me really really happy)

    Yesterday I tried the recipe with sugar but I decided to change because I think I discovered I have sugar addiction D:! I don’t use much sugar normally (not even sweeteners) and I got really anxious after eating the whole recipe, I was craving sugar and high-carb foods the rest of the day. Now after this sugar-free version I feel more calm and not craving carbs at all, just high-protein deliciousness 🙂

    hughs Katie!

  137. Becky says

    CCK! I just finished a batch. AMAZING! I wasn’t too sure, mumbling to myself as I blended away… Then I took a taste… UNBELIEVABLE! I am serving this poolside in Missouri to girlfriends today. Thank you!!

  138. Courtney says

    Thus was heavenly! I made it for a party and had to restrain myself from eating it all before it even started! Mine however came out very brown, not at all beige. But I used raisins instead of dates so that may be it.

  139. Ashlee Dee says

    I’ve been obsessed with your brown sugar version of this recipe! I made it 3 times in the last 2 weeks (love it with apple slices). I decided to try this version as I’m trying to eat less processed foods. Yum! It is certainly different than the sugar version, but absolutely delicious! The color was pretty close to your picture, and I only used about a cup of dates. Thanks for another wonderful recipe to satisfy my sweet tooth!

  140. Keiu says

    I LOVED it!
    It was so sweet and fulfilling that I ate about 4-5 spoonfuls and it was enough.
    Can’t wait to give it to my husband.. I hope he likes it too 🙂 He’s really into healthy eating and willing to try my experiments but sometimes quite picky as well 😛

    PS. I used blender since I don’t have a food processor. However, I blended dates, beans and oats separately before blending it all together. I believe it would be better with food processor (and would take less effort) but it blended quite well and the result is nice and creamy 🙂

    Greetings from Europe 🙂

  141. Grace says

    Just made this. Love it! I have dueling daughters and one just made the sugar cookies and the other made this. We all agree we like the sugar cookies the best but this is really good. Only question, ours turned out really dark, more like ginger cookies. How come yours is so light?

  142. Courtney says

    I’ve made both versions of this recipe, the regular and the sugar versions, and I actually like this version even better! I had it with graham crackers and made little graham sandwiches! 🙂 great recipe and great taste!

  143. Alice says

    THAT LOOKS SO DELICIOUS :O!! I can’t wait to try that, but if someone knows the nutritional facts, please reply :)!!

  144. Emily says

    Katie- I live low-sugar (including natural, non-added sugars) and dates are too high in fructose and too easily digested for me to add in place of sugar. Dates are great for most people, but not me. Do you have any other suggestions? This post is deceiving; it should be ‘no added sugar.’

  145. Anonymous says

    I LOVE THIS! I found your website through RFFMBT and I’m afraid I might eat my whole batch of cookie dough before the day is over!

  146. Sera says

    Hello! This looks delicious, and I was thinking about making it for a dessert party tomorrow.

    I was just wondering, how does the sugar-free version taste in comparison to the one made with sugar?

    Thank you! 🙂

  147. Jenn Chisholm says

    Oh.My.Gosh!! Thank goodness for Pintrest. I saw this and thought I would try it. My husband was VERY skeptical until I made him try it and he was shocked. I could eat this for breakfast lunch AND dinner! Thank you for sharing!!!

  148. Jessie says

    I made this recipe, and it tastes good, but the texture seems off. Yours looks so thick and scoop able. I used zero milk in mine and it was still on the watery side. What did I do wrong?

    • Liz says

      Mine came out super thick and doughy, but here are some guesses –
      1) did you rinse/dry your beans? Cooking water or the the liquid from the can would add extra liquid.
      2) did you use more than 1/2 a cup of water to soak the dates?
      3) did you use an oily nut butter (or just straight up oil instead of nut butter)?
      4) did you accidentally double any of the other liquids?

      I know those all sound like really silly obvious things, but they’re stuff I’ve done myself, so I thought I’d mention them! ;-p

  149. Bella says

    Hey has anyone tried this in a nutribullet? I don’t have a food processor but I am DYING to try this… It has a milling blade, would this be necessary? Or could I just use the regular one? Also if someone has tried it, how many batches would it take? Thanks;)

  150. Liz says

    Oh man! I must have the super-bean-detector taste buds because I’ve yet to find a beans-in-dessert recipe that didn’t taste beany to me. That said, I love the idea of this recipe and that you make healthier versions of beloved desserts that non-healthfoodies can enjoy. Though I eat almost no processed sugar, I still haven’t been able to bring myself to enjoy Stevia in any quantity and cookie dough is definitely something I miss.

    I think your recipe a great starting place and will definitely try making it again with a few tweaks – reducing the amount of dates (was a bit too sweet for me), adding a couple drops of molasses to try and cloak the bean flavor a bit more. When I made it this time, I used date rolls instead of soaked dates (no patience!) and a combo of cocoa nibs and 87% chocolate bar, chopped – will probably do that next time as well.

    Anyway, I hope this post doesn’t sound critical – just sharing my experience. I actually really love your ideas and am so thankful that you test them out for us and then see fit to share them with the world.

  151. Samantha says

    Ok, this looks fabulous!!! Buuut, I just tried
    making it for the 1st time and it turned out
    NOTHING like what urs looks like. I assumed
    And was correct that the pitted dates would
    make it dark in color. I did let them sit in water
    overnight. I bought garganzo beans
    cuz that’s what it said these chickpeas were also
    referred to as. I don’t have a food
    Processor so I used a mixer, but do not like the
    Texture or taste at all… any suggestions on what
    I mite try different or did wrong.?

  152. Morgan says

    Reaaly good and better than expected! Used 3/4 cup organic no salt bpa free chickpeas, 1/2 cup pitted soaked Organic dates plus 1/4 cup liquid, 2tsp vanilla, pinch each salt and baking soda, 2tsp melted coconut oil and vegan chocolate chips. Added bit unsweetned almond milk. Super yummy with vegan coconut milk ice cream. Didn’t taste beany at all.

  153. Katherine says

    I find it interesting reading so many comments about people feeling “lethargic” when they eat sugar, and then craving sugar afterwards because those were 2 major factors for me before
    I found out that i have insulin resistance. It causes many things but can lead to type 2 diabetes and many other autoimmune diseases because it is an autoimmune response. I will have to look into this awesome recipe for a yummy goody that doesn’t look like it has too much sugar!

  154. anne says

    I LOVE THIS RECIPE. But i just wanted to know if i can put this dip in a oatmeal with water for my breakfast?… I’m afraid to ruin everything if i bake it a little…

  155. Laura says

    Love the flavor, but I can’t get the texture right… I have an old hand mixer, therefore I still have some “chickpea balls and oats pieces” that are not mixed throughly yet 🙁 I probable could have used my vitamix to pulverize the chickpea & oats – but that’s dirtying more dishes… Time to bite the bullet and buy a food processor – what kind do use/recommend? Thanks!!

  156. TinyTaniTay says

    I know I just commented on the other cookie dough, but this may work well, too! We stay at my grandparent’s house and my Poppi (grandfather) is a diabetic 🙂 Your recipes get better and better <3 Thanks!

  157. Brenda says

    Holy moly! This DOES taste like cookie dough, I thought I’d try it for fun but this is a much healthier and tasty treat! Thanks!

  158. Rachel says

    I am so excited about this recipe. I have always been one to eat the dough instead of the cookies. I was sad to recently find out that I am pre-diabetic. Sugar has had to leave my house. I crave sweetness all the time, so really excited to find something that I can eat that won’t affect me in a major way.

  159. Sirona says

    Hi, Katie! Would you consider creating a paleo version of the sugar-free cookie dough dip? It would just need to be bean-free… maybe almond flour?

  160. Monica says

    Hi Katie,
    I wonder if I could pick your brain about this recipe. I did my best to follow the recipe exactly.
    I rinsed and drained the beans very well. I used a mini cuisinart food processer. I used 1/4 cup nut butter, mostly almond, a little PB. I wanted to add less dates and vanilla ( it seemed like so much) but I followed the recipe. I think I may have added too much water for soaking the dates, so I left out the milk. I added the oats. I didn’t think it was thick enough since it’s thinner than my hummus (but that’s my fault) so I added more and more oats, probably 1/3 cup in the end. The result tastes ok for a healthy dip, but its still too thin for cookie dough and it’s way darker than yours. Do you use clear vanilla? The consistency is a little pasty, kind of like a cookie dough, but not as thick. My husband said it tasted like “paste”. It’s very sweet, tastes like dates. I like it alright, but I don’t think my guests and family will like it. Any suggestions?
    Sorry for the long post and thanks for all your do! I love your blog- so many great recipes!

    • Monica says

      I left it in the fridge covered overnight after leaving it in the fridge uncovered for a few hours. It tastes pretty good and it thickened up. My family liked it!

  161. Lucy says

    Thanks for this recipe! I know some people wanted an option without a nut butters, I made mine with 2 tbsp of almond oil and 1 tsp of coconut oil and it turned out perfectly. 🙂

  162. diana meredith says

    Hey there!
    I know this post is fairly old and hasn’t been commented on in about six months, but I wanted to tell you thanks! I made this today, with a few substitutions for what I had around, and it’s great. I am eating low carb and I don’t keep dates on hand, so I used some pureed apple instead (just needed one). I also used flax meal instead of the oats as you recommended to someone else, and I threw in a handful of pecans. It’s in the fridge firming up right now, but I can’t wait to eat more of it. Thanks!

  163. L Helt says

    I want to thank you for making this truly sugar free. My daughter has a medical condition that prohibits her from consuming ANY processed sugar OR sugar substitutes or simple sugars. She has been sad that she can’t have any sweets other than fruit, but she feels so much better that she hasn’t cared. But you have provided a way for me to make things for her that she can enjoy without pain. Thank you so much and God bless!

  164. Jessica says

    I tried this tonight and I love the taste, but it was very runny. I did not add any milk at all. How do you suggest I fix this?

      • Jessica says

        Yes beans were completely drained. I used a cuisinart blender/food processor, I used the food processor part. Do you think adding more beans would help the consistency? I’ll keep trying maybe I missed something or added too much of something somewhere. Thanks for the reply.

  165. sandy eyl says

    I just made this for the first time and loved it (couldn’t stop eating it)! Made a second batch (thicker ~ less milk) to roll into bites and dip in melted chocolate! Bringing them to a party Thursday. I just had to push the batter down the sides of the cuisinart several time, and pulse intermittently to ensure it got to the right texture.

  166. vwbug405 says

    This is amazing!!! I cannot believe the taste!!!! Thanks for this great recipe. I’ll try it next time with white beans 🙂

  167. Alexandra says

    Thank you SO much for this recipe. I have a major sweet tooth and am always trying to find healthy, delicious recipes (dessert or otherwise). I was extremely skeptical about this because of the chickpeas, but this recipe really is incredible! I used canned chickpeas, which I rinsed thoroughly, and followed the recipe to a T. It did come out much darker than your photos, but who cares? It tastes delicious, and I can’t wait to surprise my boyfriend with this on Valentine’s Day! He is one of those ‘food is fuel’ kind of people who loathes putting unhealthy things in his body, and this allows me to give him a treat. I’ll definitely try your other recipes now.

  168. alice says

    can you figure out the Point Value on this? and other recipes. This will be such a BIG hekp for people doing Weight Watchers. Tx.

  169. Sarah says

    Just made this and it is super yummy. If I hadn’t made it I would never believe that it was made from chickpeas. I used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips as I’m also not eating artificial sweeteners. I also added 1/3 cup chopped unsalted almonds. Seemed like it was calling for some cinnamon, so added a good dash, maybe about 1/4 tsp. Thanks for the recipe, going to try it with apple slices later.

  170. Laura says

    This was delicious! As per all your recipes. 🙂
    I used dried and cooked small white beans. I have tried this with canned chickpeas before and the white beans definitely blend better, especially if you overcook them slightly. For anyone who has been struggling with a blender instead of a food processor, try cooking your own white beans (until they’re quite soft) and blending with a little bit of the cooking water first. You might not need to add any milk later.
    I also used less than the full 1 1/4 cup dates. I used 8-10 small dates and it was perfect. Left out the baking soda too because I don’t care for it.
    Variations I might try next time:
    almond butter and extract instead of pb and vanilla,
    apple pie flavor? maybe blend in some apple butter and cinnamon,
    gingerbread flavor? molasses, ginger and other warm spices

  171. Toni says

    I agree that sugar in moderation is ok but sadly I am allergic to sucrose (sugar) and can’t eat it so I stick to eating agave and natural sweeteners.

  172. Janna Isabella says

    This looks and sounds absolutely disgusting. Some things you just should not make sugar free, ESP not cookie dough. Really? Yuck.

    • Bethanny says

      I have to admit, even as a regular user of Katie’s recipes (that makes me sound like a drug addict lol) I thought that too at first. Dates? Beans? No way. But I made it and it tastes exactly like cookie dough to me. I actually like it more than the dough of some of her actual chocolate chip cookie, because the beans are a lot creamier than grains.

      • AnnaBananaBelle says

        I wouldn’t say it tastes exactly like cookie dough because it doesn’t but it is very tasty. However, it comes out EXTREMELY thin unless you chill it for quite a few hours or overnight.

  173. Mselizabeth says

    Do you have the nutritional facts / serving size on this recipe & on the other cookie dough healthy dip? I was going to try the dates one first and if that failed to my taste buds I was going to make the other one with stevia brown sugar blend, do you think that will work?

  174. Pam says

    Yum, your recipe is amazing and totally satisfying. I added pecans instead of the peanuts and it is awesome. I ate a bunch of it and I’m full.. not going for fifths like I would with a regular cookie. 🙂 Thanks for the great idea. I can’t wait to try more recipes from your website…

    Oh and I can’t wait to feed this to my family tomorrow, they’re never going to guess that it is full of beans. Love it.

  175. Anna says

    I made this last night, and holy moly. I wasn’t expecting it to taste THAT much like cookie dough!! Even the very picky bf who can pick up the slightest “healthy” ingredient in my baking (and would rather have the sugar/butter/cream versions of everything) LOVED it. Thanks! Will definitely be checking out your other recipes.

  176. dd says

    its still a lot of calories though 🙁 only the dates is a lot then you have to take the nut butter etc into account. Now I’m sad, thought it was gonna be low cal as well

  177. Lindsay says

    I made this and I could not mask the taste of the peas. It was very hard to swallow.. Not sure i would make this with chickpeas again…

  178. kate says

    YUM. I made the original recipe and I will definitely be making again. I wonder if this would be good with applesauce instead of dates? hmm…

  179. Sondra says

    This looks SO good! Is there anything us paleo people can replace the chickpeas/beans with? I’m dying to try it, but I’m not sure of a good substitute. Suggestions appreciated!

  180. samantha says

    Just made this and it’s great! I only needed 2 tbs of peanut butter and skipped the oats. Just adding the date-soaked water and 2 tsp of milk (2%) was sufficient to make it creamy with the peanut butter. Will be trying it with the Healthy Avocado banana bread that just came out of the oven.

  181. betsy says

    I used biscoff in this, and it tastes great! Taking it to the lake tomorrow for our non-vegan friends! I love faking people out with healthy stuff!

  182. Lynda says

    On your chocolate cookie dough dip,,, I want to know the fat, carbs, protein, fiber. I am on weight watchers and want to eat this but I can’t figure out the points. It is sooooo good!! Thanks for posting and having this blog.

  183. Katie says

    I have been dying to make this recipe and I just made it. Unfortunately, I think a couple things went wrong on my part.

    I wanted to try a couple of things that other readers suggested, so for those of you wondering about certain alterations/substitutions, looks like I’ll be your guinea pig! 😉

    1- Dried prunes instead of dates. I either used too many prunes (measured the same amount as called for the dates) or I just was not crazy about the way the prunes flavored the dip. Dates are hard for me to find, especially pitted dates so that is why I went with the prunes. Looks like I’ll be eating the rest of my prunes as a solo snack.

    2- Coconut oil instead of PB. I love nut butters but was running low on my homemade almond butter, so I used coconut oil for this recipe. I used 2 tablespoons of the oil, and I don’t think the amount was an issue as far as fat content (less than recipe calls for) but it depends on personal taste and I was not a huge fan of the coconut flavoring in this recipe. Vegetable oil might have worked better, but I would definitely do a nut butter next time anyway.

    3- Cocoa Powder addition. I had originally intended to make this recipe, the SF Chocolate Chip cookie dough. In a last ditch effort to save the flavor (that seemed to be increasingly going downhill), what did I do? I added chocolate! So I ended up making more of CCK’s sugar-free brownie batter dip. I’d like to say that this made a bad cookie dough dip into an excellent brownie batter dip, but the taste still didn’t do it for me. :/ It ended up tasting like a chocolatey prune spread. Kind of regretting each spoonful as I keep thinking about it.

    I guess this goes to show how experiments can go awry. Next time, I will definitely go with PB over oil, and probably just go all out with the sugary version since prunes did not prove to be a good sub over dates! I’ll follow the recipe more closely next time.

    I’m definitely not giving up on you Katie! 🙂 Obviously this recipe turns out delicious when followed closely, as so many of your fans have found. Guess I’ll have to go to the store tomorrow for some PB so I can make some actually delicious dough dip! (Hmm… should I try the brownie batter or the cookie dough?)

  184. Joy Fackler says

    I do wish that when you said “sugar-free” the recipe Was sugar free as opposed to Sucrose-free. Dates have quite a lot of sugar in them even though it’s fructose, not sucrose.

  185. Lianna says

    Hi Katie! I don’t have any dates in my home but I -do- have dried goji berries. Do you think I can use those instead?

  186. Pam Deemer says

    Google the sugar content of dates, folks. Hate to break it to everybody, but dates have a higher glycemic index than glucose, meaning any diabetic, like me, could kill them selves with eating copious amounts of these supposedly “sugar-free” recipes. The only advantage they have over white and raw sugar may be additional nutrients and flavor.

  187. Terri says

    My problem with this recipe is that dates, like all dried fruits, are extremely high in sugar carbs. For a diabetic, or someone like me, who is trying to avoid a genetic tendency to diabetes, the dates are higher in carbs than sugar would be.

  188. Katie clune says

    Katie, would it be possible to get the nutrition information for this delightful recipe? I’d like to know how many kilojoukes per 100g and also the total mass and amount of serves.

  189. Annika says

    Hi Katie! I have been looking at this recipe for a long time and picking just the right day to make this. 🙂 I am very choosy about what recipes I make since I don’t make things too often. Anyway, are these “bakeable”???? I really really like the ingredients in this particular recipe and noticed that there is baking soda, so would they bake? Perhaps I would need to add an egg to keep it together but if I were to bake it should I add more baking soda? Also, could I replace the oat flour with tapioca flour do you think? Thank you!

  190. Kelly says

    Hello Katie! I have been spying on your blog for a while and have tried a few things-like your deep dish cookie cake and chocolate pumpkin brownies. My mother and I have to be on a gluten free diet and we simply LOVE your recipes! Anyway, I made this cookie dip as a frosting for some gluten free brownies. I followed your recipe, using only 1 cup of dates, 2 tb almond meal for the oatmeal, 2tb oil and 2 tb pumpkin for the nut butter( I was out of all nut butters and didn’t feel like making any). I topped it on some fudge brownies and I used your chocolate chip recipe and the end result was AWESOME!!! I could not keep my fingers out of the food processor!! Nor could my little sisters! I thank you sooooo much for putting up all these recipes! I love your bean recipes and I look forward to making more of your recipes! Thanks so much!
    ~kelly

  191. Meow says

    I made this last week and it made lots but it didn’t last long!! So good. I omitted the oats because I didn’t have any. I’m also thinking… a whole bag of choc. chips was a bit much. I might try finding the smaller chips or only using a half a bag next time. Thanks!!!

  192. Christine Driskill says

    Couldn’t you use dark chocolate chips because it’s supposed to be good for you anyway? I try to stay away from anything that’s sugar free because it might contain aspartame in it, and that causes cancer.

  193. Sarah :) says

    Wow, THANK YOU KATIE! 🙂 I always thought it was just in my moms head that sugar makes you feel not as good, but I’ve just really been noticing it since my friend and I started eating clean. thanks for all of the recipes! 😉

  194. sarah says

    i know, i know! haha i’m way too late on this post but still i have to tell you:
    THIS IS FREAKIN’ AMAZING!
    i’ve been making this like every day for the past week 😀
    thanks katie!

  195. Rachael says

    Oh! Dear! Goodness!

    I have all these ingredients
    in my house.
    Dates, chocolate chips, Chickpeas, but not enough tahini to make hummus– DESSERT TIME!

    I love experimenting with low-sugar desserts (with you on the whole rich creamy goodness versus sugarbomb desserts) and this looks like just the thing. Dates are still high in sugar, but at least it’s lower on the glycemic index and has nutrients like B-6, Potassium, Fiber, and Magnesium.

    Thanks so much for posting, Katie! I’ve loved following your blog.

    Yes, I believe in chocolate every day.

  196. Michelle says

    Ok. I have a love hate relationship with you right now. I made this recipe this morning, and I am mind blown by how fantastic it is! I love you for sharing this recipe so I can make it and delight in one of the most delicious things in life, but I hate you because this recipe is 100% addicting and any time I am not around it/eating it, I wish I was. You have ruined all other food for me.
    Bottom line, thanks 🙂 You seriously rock my socks. This webiste is amazing.

  197. Léa says

    I’m so sorry to say that but I tried this recipe twice and it was a disaster … The texture is really similar than the ” real ” recipe, but the taste as nothing similar 🙁
    It juste tasted like chickpeans and dates.
    I wish i knew what went wrong while doing it

  198. jake says

    50+ years ago people ate 8-10 pounds of sugar per year, on average. Now that average is 150-200 pounds per year. Excessive sugar is the cause of heart conditions, cancer, among other things. This is the reason we spend more money than any other country but are FAR from the healthiest. We eat too much sugar.

  199. Emma says

    I seem to be just the same as you! You can keep the candy and sweets, I’ll have double helpings of whipped cream instead :’) Really adore the blog and I’m so looking forward to making this recipe x

  200. Celestina says

    Oh man, this is DELECTABLE. It’s hard to sleep knowing that a big bowl of this is sitting upstairs in the fridge… Mine turned out a bit darker, but I think that’s because I had no vanilla on hand so I used a blend of brandy and rum extract (actually turned out quite tasty). Oh, and, once again, you’ve inspired a recipe! Your blog is quite the creative source for me 😛 It’s a cookie dough milkshake that uses frozen pieces of this cookie dough dip. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://dreamsofsugarplumcakes.tumblr.com/post/81046248878/amazing-news-cookbook-healthy-chocolate-chip-cookie

  201. AnnaBananaBelle says

    I tried this recipe yesterday and it was very good! I had tried it once before and it had turned out a bit mushy but this time it wasn’t. I even made the sugar-free chocolate chips. It is much better after having been refrigerated for a few hours to thicken, i found it was rather thin and pudding like unless refrigerated. thanks for the recipe Katie!

  202. Christy says

    I wanted to give this a try subbing coconut oil for the nut butter and xylitol (a heaping 1/4 cup) for the dates. Put everything in my food processor. Wasn’t good at all. 🙁 I may try again with a homemade sugar-free “brown sugar”.

  203. BoBo says

    Hi! For how long can you store the leftovers in the fridge? Can I put it in the freezer and defrost it before I eat?

  204. Jenny says

    I’ve made this and the sugared version several times and love it! I use closer to half/half quantities for the chick peas and peanut butter because I cut way down on the sweetener (only 2 spoonfuls if I use agave, for example).

    Anyway, question is: twice I’ve noticed the taste go funny. Kind of sour and rancid. It happens after less than a week (it never lasts longer!), being stored in the fridge… Has this happened to anyone else?

  205. Sarah says

    A silly question I’m sure, but when you say to replace the peanut butter with oil if you don’t want that peanut butter taste…what kind of oil exactly? Thanks!

  206. tasha says

    What happens if you don’t use the dates? Is that possible? I’d like to try this but the dates turn me off. Thanks for any advice in advance:)

  207. Olivia says

    If you soak the dates in warm water and baking soda, they’ll soften up really quickly (in about 10 minutes actually) meaning you don’t have to leave them to soak overnight 🙂

  208. Caroline says

    I’ve tried this recipe (and others) for healthy chocolate chip cookie dough dip. Super excited each time to try it! But each time it turns out watery, not firm. It happens when I mix in the sweetner (I used brown sugar). Anyone have any suggestions? Help is greatly appreciated! And how do I get it less ‘beany’ tasting?

  209. Helga says

    So, I realize this post is a few years old now, but I thought I’d tell you of one change I did, and it still worked beautifully. I didn’t have 8 hours, so I put the dates in the food processor without the water and chopped them to bits. Then I added the water, and turned it into a puree. I set that aside for a couple hours, to make sure it was fully soft. I’ve used your recipe before, and doing it this way I was able to make it hours sooner and it the taste and texture was exactly the same. So, I figured you’d want to know something like that.

  210. Grace says

    made this today with cashew butter and less vanilla (ran out again!!) was absolutely delicious. hate to say it, but didn’t even need the chocolate chips!

  211. Michelle says

    Nutritional info for this recipe? How many servings would you say it contains? That way I can figure out the nutritional info.

  212. Rebecca says

    My mom loves those sugary cookie butters by Trader Joe’s and Biscoff. Luckily, we’re all out (I hate that stuff!) so I’m making her this healthy alternative for Valentine’s Day! Thanks so much for sharing!

  213. Tanya says

    o…m…g…I only added about 1 heaping T of coconut oil and no other oil or peanut butter. I did add a little stevia but used less dates (I am one of those who “wing it” at recipes, and go by taste) I did end up adding a couple of T of earth balance peanut butter as I still could taste the chickpeas. I omitted the chocolate chips ( I was trying to make it even healthier) and this is so FREAKING delicious!!!!! Thanks so much for this and every other recipe you create. btw–made in vitamix and texture was perfect!!!

  214. Elaina says

    Under the substitutions link, Flax is listed as a possible sub for oatmeal. DONT TRY IT! My cookie dough tasted amazing before I decided to switch it up halfway through and try the flaxseed. It has that distinctive, nutty, healthy, gross flaxseed taste and betrays the secret healthiness of the recipe. Stick for the original amazing recipe and you’ve got a home run!

  215. Miri says

    It tastes absolutely AWESOME! Thank you so much for this recipe, Katie! <3

    Miri (from Hamburg, Germany – guess i should make this dessert popular here :D)

  216. Char San Pedro says

    If this is sugar free, what kind of chocolate do you generally use in your recipes? Most chocolate contains sugar! 🙁

  217. The wonderfully fluffy cat master says

    Just wondering about how many servings does this make? It looks really good, but i don’t want to make too much

  218. Skye says

    What about using tahini (sesame seed butter) instead of a nut butter? And does this taste at all like real cookie dough?

  219. Simcha says

    5 stars
    Hi Everyone. I’m just starting to soak my dates for this recipe and I’m so looking forward to trying it out. I’ve been sugar free for a few months now, thank God. It is one of the best decisions that I made and now I’m trying to convert my family into sugar free people. I’ve made cookies using chick peas before and they tasted amazing so I’m looking forward to putting this together and seeing how it tastes.

    Thanks again for sharing!
    Simcha

  220. Rebecka says

    Hi! I used prunes instead of dates for this recipe. My cookie dough came out very brown, and it did have a cookie dough taste, but I could also taste the strong flavor of the prunes. Are prunes and dates a lot different and should I not have used prunes in this recipe? Did yours have a strong date flavor? Thanks!

    • Christina says

      Yes, prunes are stronger tasting (in my opinion) than dates. I usually buy dates in bulk & they are much darker in color but they were out so I had to buy the kind Katie mentions in the recipe. They are lighter in color & keeps the dough a light color.

  221. Christina says

    Made this with 1 tablespoon of black strap molasses to add that brown sugar taste, plus it has a bunch of minerals!

    Delicious, thank you!

  222. Ren says

    I used to eat spoonfuls of raw cookie dough as a child – I’m glad I never got salmonella! I was looking at healthier ways to get the same satisfaction and stumbled across this recipe. Since we’re not baking the dip, what’s the purpose of the baking soda?

    I have been watching my refined sugar intake, opting for erythritol and stevia (Truvia) or lower GI sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. I’ve noticed that since switching to these sweeteners, eating refined sugar gives me a HUGE headache immediately! I still love the taste of sweets and chose to have a couple bites of a commercially prepared cookie earlier today. Within minutes I noticed the headache coming on. Then, for the rest of the day, I was insatiable!

  223. elana says

    4 stars
    Sounds delicious! Not exactly sugar free since dates are very high in sugar, but at least they have some nutrients in them as well.

  224. Filippa says

    4 stars
    Loved this recipe! I had to change it a bit though, because I could still taste the chickpeas when I followed it word by word. So, at the end, I ended up adding maybe 1/4 cup of roasted oat flour, 1/4 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup of almond milk which disguised the chickpeas nicely 🙂

  225. Bridget says

    5 stars
    Hi Katie –
    I love your food! It has saved me since I found out I am allergic to gluten! Anyways, I couldn’t find any nutrition labels for this sugar free cookie dough dip. Do you have them? I would so appreciate it!
    Thanks,
    Bridget

    • JF says

      This may have been asked, but I’d like to add natural, unsweetened protein powder to this. Any suggestions as to amount and how to adjust this recipe accordingly? Thank you!

  226. JF says

    This may have been asked, but I’d like to add natural, unsweetened protein powder to this. Any suggestions as to amount and how to adjust this recipe accordingly? Thank you

  227. Ali says

    Being diabetic, I often get excited at a link to a sugar-free recipe, but then have my hopes dashed when I see it’s someone who doesn’t really understand that pureed dried fruit is still sugar. Your body doesn’t know the difference between sugar from dates and sugar from honey or maple syrup or agave or actual sugar. It’s ALL sugar. Please stop trying to tell people otherwise, because it’s SUPER frustrating for those of us who REALLY can’t have sugar in our diets.

    • Natasha says

      I can understand why you’re frustrated, but I’m sure they sell sugar free dates 🙂 No reason to get angry at Katie!

  228. Sandra McGrandle says

    My questions may have been asked before, but there are 17 pages of comments and I can’t make it through them all (homeschooling mom on a quick break)! Can I use a Vitamix instead of a food processor, and would it work to sub prunes for dates? If prunes are okay, do they still need to be soaked? If not, how much liquid should be added to the recipe to make up for no soaking liquid?

    • Lucienda says

      I wouldn’t think that prunes would work well, but heaps of people have used a vitamix instead of processor! Good Luck!

  229. Renee says

    Hi! I love your site! I just made this. I used Chickpeas and soaked the dates for a whole day. I also added a tbsp of unsweetened cocoa, a tsp of orange extract and used peanut butter. The dates and the liquid water they soaked in made it sweet so no need for sugar. It was yummy! Thank you Katie!

  230. Liz L says

    I’m wondering if I can substitute white beans instead of chick peas? I love chick peas but am worried that my bf, who I hope will help me eat this, might find the taste too overpowering. has anyone tried this?

  231. Sam says

    Oh my goodness! I am making this as I type… It is amazing! Totally delicious! Can’t stop licking the spoon!!

    I have to admit, I didn’t soak my dates but you would never know! Yum Yum!

    Thanks

  232. Tanille says

    I made the regular version a few years back when it blew up pinterest. It was delicious and I took it to parties and everyone always loved it. I hadn’t made it in years and just recently adopted a Nutritarian diet from the books Eat to Live, End of Heart Disease, etc… When I saw the no sugar option, I was THRILLED!! Dates are what his books sweeten things with and I had just not tried them yet. I will say that your approach to soak the dates and pour in the liquid is amazing!!! It is like sweet syrup to a recipe that otherwise wouldn’t taste near as sweet. I am going to be using that in everything I try that I put dates in so that I can have more of that sweetness. Such a good idea. THANK YOU!!! Oh and this recipe is equally delicious even with cocoa nibs i it.

  233. Christina says

    I’ve made this countless times. The first times I didn’t have a food processor, but a vitamix. I always double the recipe. I just made it and so far it’s my favorite:
    2 cans great northern white beans to vitamix, add 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, vanilla, a splash of butter extract, and a little bit of blackstrap molasses. Blend. Add 2.5 cups dates–I didn’t soak them so I microwaved them in 10 sec increments until soft. Add to vitamix and blend with stick thingy. Put in a bowl and add oat flour until consistency desired (I ended with 1/4 cup). Fold in choc chips.

    Thank you so much for the recipe! Having these stashed away in the freezer was the only reason I didn’t gain weight while finishing school with a toddler who doesn’t sleep without me. Haha!

  234. Onika says

    Hello, I was wondering if using vanilla essence instead of extract makes a difference? Love love love this blog!

  235. bcnoazarc says

    Just tried this tonight and loved it!!! Kids did too!! We recently switched to a more plant-based lifestyle so I was excited to try this recipe! It’s my fav desert without any guilt or addictive triggers (aka, refined sugars). I chose almond butter and omitted the almond milk because the thickness was perfect. I also decided not to use oats, but i might next time. I couldn’t find raw choco-chips, so I melted 100% bakers cacao, added a little date puree and a tsp raw organic honey. After hardening again in the fridge, I smashed it into bits. I love 100% cacao but knew it’d be too bitter for the dough mix. I loved the end result!! My only issue was getting the dates/chickpeas smooth, even after trying my processor and Blendtec. Any tips? Love your blog! Can’t wait to try more recipes!!!

    • Jason Sanford says

      I think a cuisinart food processor seems to process more smoothly than a vitamix/blendtec. Just personal experience, also I soak the dates for an hour first sometimes.

  236. Diana says

    Do you just soak dates at room temperature, on the counter? Or should they be soaked in the fridge? (I’ve never soaked anything for an extended period of time, so I’m new to this.)

  237. Vanessa M. says

    I have all of my ingredients ready to go, but I’m curious – I tend to like my desserts on the subtly sweet side versus outright sweet. Is there a minimum amount of dates you would recommend? I’m excited to make this after work today and eat it for dinner. Yes, that’s right – for dinner 🙂 Thank you!

    • Vanessa M. says

      I went ahead and made this and cut the dates in half to 3/4 cup (14 pieces) of Deglet Noor dates. My little girl ate ALL of the chickpeas I had thawed for the recipe, so I ended up using black beans I had boiled the day before. It was ugly, but it was also really tasty! I was amazed at how sweet it still was despite having halved the amount of dates. I’m going to try a half cup of dates with less soaking water next time since I prefer my desserts lightly sweet. Thank you for the recipe – this was really tasty!

  238. Robin says

    I tried to make it this week but came out watery and too sweet? I may cut down on the amount of dates next time but any tips to make it thicker?

  239. Lucie says

    I have to finally comment on this. It is one of our family’s favorites. My husbands asks for it weekly. We have made this soooo many times, for a quick healthy snack or for a big family and friends event. So thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!

  240. Jessica says

    Just tried this recipe for the first time today and I loved it! Although I am not surprised as I love all of Katie’s recipes! Taste was amazing. I used a bit too much almond milk so I’ll know better next time. My food processor isn’t the highest quality, so next time I will definitely be soaking the dates longer to get a better texture (Was too excited so I only soaked them for 7 hours). Can’t wait to play around with this recipe and do different flavour variations!

    • Jason Sanford says

      Hmm it looks like she posted this one years before she’d started posting nutrition facts for all her recipes. But this recipe is in her cookbook, and in the book it lists each tbsp with 30 cals and 5g carbs. Hope that helps!

  241. Britt says

    Do you think prunes would work instead of dates? I love dates but I have found too many desiccated worms and the evidence of worms in dates and I quit buying them 🙁

  242. April says

    This is a really fun idea! I made mine with coconut oil, as I do with all my cookie recipes. I also, used a bit of homemade almond milk—think I used a bit too much since the dough turned out a bit thin. My batch batch turned out ok, just too sweet for me. I think next time I will adjust the dates to 2/3 amount called for—as I usually do with sugar when making cookies.
    Thanks for sharing with us!

  243. Kat says

    I tried making this with canned white kidney beans and the bean flavor came through at first… (gross)… but after a day I couldn’t taste the beans anymore. Will still be using chickpeas next time!

  244. Melissa M says

    I just made this, I haven’t even chilled it yet. It is so fantastic! I am diabetic, but I did have a “real sugar” dessert over the weekend. So, it’s not that my tastebuds are currently trained to like sugar free desserts… it was really, really good. I can’t wait to try it after it has chilled for a while! Thank you for the recipe!

  245. John&Dave of oF Bay Area says

    Katie, Katie oh Canadian Katie! W o n d e r f u l, almost feels like 115 Lesbian left, NOT ENOUGH! RECIPES, THAT IS! THANK YOU, Thank YOU, Thank You Ms. Katie!!!
    Newly diagnosed ….Pre-Diabetic need to beat that! Thank you.
    You also mY want to take your BS (not bs!) Blood Sugar and go to your PCP/Dr. And we all hope you are within Normal Limits, of course.
    But this dessert is stupendous!

  246. Theodora says

    Amazing! It does taste like cookie! Instead of water on my second time making this I used almond milk for the dates.

Leave A Reply

Recipe Rating




Get Free Recipes

Don’t Miss Out On The NEW Free Healthy Recipes

Sign up below to receive exclusive & always free healthy recipes right in your inbox:

Chocolate Covered Katie The Healthy Dessert Blog Recipes