With Christmas coming I wanted to make something sweet to share on my blog and in the end I made these sugar-free cocoa cookies that can be baked in an air fryer, but the story of this recipe wasn’t straightforward.
To be honest some time ago I made some chocolate bars with dried fruit that were very good and I planned to remake them to take photos. Then I thought: what if with the same dough rolled thinner you get some nutritious cookies that are also good for breakfast when you’re on a diet? Well, even if you’re not dieting they still work well…
Not only did they turn out great but actually you can also assemble the whole dough and make no-bake treats, like little truffles, because this dough is delicious even raw — I almost ate it before turning it into cookies!
Okay, I’m rambling. I’ll show you how to make them. If you’re looking for other light cookies, you’ll find a few ideas below:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 34 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven, Air fryer
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 220 g whole rolled oats (or buckwheat flakes)
- 75 g pitted dates (about 2.6 oz (about 4 Medjool dates))
- 25 g peanut butter (or another 100% nut butter)
- 30 g almonds (about 1 oz (around 1/4 cup))
- 60 g raisins (about 2.1 oz (about 1/3 cup))
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder (about 1.4 oz (about 1/2 cup))
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch baking soda
- Total points = 48 WW points
- Points per 1 cookie = 1.4 WW points
- Points per 2 cookies = 3 WW points
- Points per 4 cookies = 5.5 WW points
- Points per 5 cookies = 7 WW points
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Immersion blender
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters
- Tray
- Silicone mat
- Air fryer
- Cooling rack
Steps
Put all the ingredients except the raisins and almonds into a bowl. If you use a blender you can put everything into its jar.
Blend well until you get a creamy dough.
Meanwhile, finely chop the almonds separately.
Add the almonds and raisins to the dough and start mixing.
From this point on you’ll need some elbow grease because the dough is quite dense. Keep at it: I finished mixing by hand just like when making meatballs. Then chill the dough in the fridge for about half an hour.
Take the dough out and place it on a sheet of parchment paper or silicone, as I did, and start flattening it with your hands.
Then put another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll it with the rolling pin.
You should roll the dough until it’s about half a centimeter thick — roughly 3/16 inch (about 0.19 in).
Now have fun with the cookie cutters: I suggest placing the cutter on the dough and pressing it down with the rolling pin so it goes all the way through.
As you prepare the cookies, place them on the parchment paper.
Then put them directly into the air fryer basket — about ten will fit at a time — and bake at 320°F for 10 minutes. I haven’t tried baking them in a regular oven, but I think 356°F for 15 minutes should work.
Lift the cookies (if they’re a bit soft don’t worry — they will firm up after a few minutes) and let them cool on a cooling rack. Repeat until all the dough is used.
And finally the cocoa cookies are ready to be served… what a lovely aroma in the kitchen!
Here’s a photo of my breakfast the next day. My blueberries are always present, as is my coffee with milk. I stayed full until lunch!
I found them delicious. The Dutchman — who doesn’t like all the banana-based sweets I make because he hates bananas — tried them and said: I don’t know, I don’t like them too much. And then he ate three more one after the other…
For me they’re wonderful: they stay crunchy, are very filling, and have an intense chocolate flavor that lingers for a long time. And of course I wanted a Christmas version so it took a bit longer, but if you just roll the dough and cut it into squares you’ll be much faster!
Try them yourself — I’m curious to know if you liked them!
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
These cookies keep for 4 days in a container and stay fairly crunchy. But the great thing is you can freeze them for several months: take them out the night before and they’ll be ready for breakfast in the morning.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
I’m gluten intolerant — how can I adapt this recipe?
The only ingredient that might contain gluten is the oats: you can use certified gluten-free oats or alternatively use buckwheat flakes or quinoa flakes.
