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    BLANK » Recipe Index » Energy Snacks

    Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cookies (Gluten free, Paleo)

    Last Updated January 15, 2023. Published June 21, 2020 By Charla 22 Comments

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    Cookies on a tray
    long cookie pin

    Calling all cookie fans, you have got to try these decadent chocolate cherry cookies, totally grain free made from walnuts, cacao for that raw chocolate element and full of gooey-ness thanks to the use of dates and the dried cherries.

    chocolate-cherry-cookies-pin

    milk and cookies

    If you are a hardcore cookie fan like I am then you will love these cookies. You only need a handful of pantry staples to make these cookies.

    cookies placed on top of each other

    I have a confession to make, these cookies almost did not make the blog, I kid you not, I struggled to photograph these babies. Why you may ask? Not because they were hideous or darn right offensive, far from it.

    I struggled because the temptation was real, I haven't been close to eating  a freshly baked recipe batch since I made my Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding

    Whether you're looking for an exciting recipe to impress your friends and/or family with or wishing to step outside your comfort zone I have the perfect recipe for you.

    I promise you will love these vegan chocolate cherry cookies, they have a perfect balance of chocolate with the right amount of fudginess just like my Vegan Pistachio Cookies.

    These cookies are super moist just like my Cranberry Coconut Energy Balls, not hard at all and incredibly more-ish so much so that you may not even want to share the batch (I can't judge you for not doing so).

    These cookies are made with natural ingredients and free from fillers and flavour enhancers.

    Ingredients you will need

    ingredients for vegan chocolate cherry cookies

    The steps

    steps 1-8 making the cookies

    • Preheat the oven at 350f/180/ gas mark 4.
    • Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
    • Using a food processor with an S blade, add the walnuts and the dates and pulse them until they are are ground/crumbly mixture (Picture 1 & 2).
    • Add the pink salt, baking soda, vanilla, flax eggs and cacao powder to the food processor (Picture 3).
    • Proceed to pulse until a smooth "batter consistency" is achieved. Add the additional tablespoon of water if the mixture isn't soft enough.
    • Finally add the cherries and run the food processor for about 10 seconds to allow the extras to fold in rather than grind out (Picture 4).
    • Scoop out the mixture and place on a piece of parchment and place another piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture so it is sandwiched in (Picture 5 ).
    • Use a rolling pin to flatten the batter about ¼ inch thick (Picture 6).
    • Use the cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and place them on the baking tray (Picture 7 & 8).
    • Add a few extra cherries to the top of each cookie.
    • Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until soft with slightly darkened edges.
    • Set aside on a cooling rack and serve accordingly

    Notes and tips

    • Feel free to use other nuts aside from walnuts i.e almonds, pecans if you wish. They will also work too.
    • Use my Flax Eggs recipe to make the vegan equivalent of chicken eggs.
    • The dates don't need to be soaked in advance, they should break down with ease. If not, then add a splash or two of water.
    • If you want your cookies to be the same size and thickness use a cookie cutter to shape your cookies.
    • You will need non stick parchment paper to sandwich the mixture between the paper in order to roll it out.
    • This batch makes roughly 11 cookies in total.
    • If you don't want to use dates use raisins, figs or prunes instead.
    • Add the cherries last so they hold their shape and don't completely grind out.
    • Dried or fresh cherries will work for this recipe.
    • Once baked when cool, store them in a air tight container for 3-4 days (I normally eat them within 2 days).

    cookies with loose cherries on top

    Other vegan sweet treats you make like

    • Mango Chia Seed Pudding
    • Vegan Key Lime Pudding
    • Vegan Carrot Pudding
    • Avocado Chocolate Crumble
      Quinoa Pudding

    **Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

    Vegan Chocolate Cherry Cookies

    The tasiest gooey-est flourless vegan chocolate cherry cookies you will probably ever taste!!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 318kcal
    Author: Charla

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup of pitted dates
    • 1 ½ cup of walnuts
    • ½ teaspoon of baking soda
    • ⅛ teaspoon of himalayan pink salt
    • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
    • 2 tablespoon of flax egg see post for recipe
    • 2 tablespoon of raw cacao powder
    • ¼ cup of dried cherries + extra
    • extra cherries

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven at 350f/180/ gas mark 4
    • Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
    • Using a food processor with an S blade, add the walnuts and the dates and pulse them until they are are ground/crumbly mixture.
    • Add the pink salt, baking soda, vanilla, flax eggs and cacao powder to the food processor
    • Proceed to pulse until a smooth "batter consistency" is achieved. Add the additional tablespoon of water if the mixture isn't soft enough.
    • Finally add the cherriesand run the food processor for about 10 seconds to allow the extras to fold in rather than grind out.
    • Scoop out the mixture and place on a piece of parchment and place another piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture so it is sandwiched in.
    • Use a rolling pin to flatten the batter about ¼ inch thick
    • use the cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and place them on the baking tray
    • Add a few extra cherries to the top of each cookie
    • Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until soft with slightly darkened edges.
    • Set aside on a cooling rack and serve accordingly

    Notes

    • Feel free to use other nuts aside from walnuts i.e almonds, pecans if you wish. They will also work too.
    • Use my Flax Eggs recipe to make the vegan equivalent of chicken eggs.
    • The dates don't need to be soaked in advance, they should break down with ease. If not, then add a splash or two of water.
    • If you want your cookies to be the same size and thickness use a cookie cutter to shape your cookies.
    • You will need non stick parchment paper to sandwich the mixture between the paper in order to roll it out.
    • This batch makes roughly 11 cookies in total.
    • If you don't want to use dates use raisins, figs or prunes instead.
    • Add the cherries last so they hold their shape and don't completely grind out.
    • Dried or fresh cherries will work for this recipe.
    • Once baked when cool, store them in a air tight container for 3-4 days (I normally eat them within 2 days).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!
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    About Charla

    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CGSE

      August 01, 2020 at 6:48 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this flavor combo and technique!

      Reply
      • Charla

        August 01, 2020 at 6:49 pm

        You are welcome!!

        Reply
    2. gemma

      July 11, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      5 stars
      Great tasting cookies, love the flavour combo of chocolate & cherry. Recipe was straight forward too and would deffo make them again!

      Reply
      • Charla

        July 11, 2020 at 4:09 pm

        Thank you Gemma!!

        Reply
    3. kim

      June 22, 2020 at 7:03 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! These cookies were so delicious and easy to make! I'll definitely make them again!

      Reply
      • Charla

        June 22, 2020 at 7:36 pm

        I'm so glad you liked the cookies Kim

        Reply
    4. Angela

      June 22, 2020 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      Chocolate and cherry is such a delicious combination. These cookies do not disappoint.

      Reply
      • Charla

        June 22, 2020 at 6:16 pm

        Thanks Angela

        Reply
    5. Jen

      June 22, 2020 at 2:18 pm

      5 stars
      The tartness from the cherries is such a great play against the chocolate in these yummy cookies. Well done!

      Reply
      • Charla

        June 22, 2020 at 2:43 pm

        Thank you Jen. Yes, they work perfectly!!

        Reply
    6. veenaazmanov

      June 22, 2020 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      Love the delicious combinations to making these delightful cookies. Would love to gift them to friends and family. Love your presentation.

      Reply
      • Charla

        June 22, 2020 at 2:13 pm

        Thank you Veena, really means a lot coming from you!!

        Reply
    7. Danielle Wolter

      June 22, 2020 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow - these sound delicious! Chocolate and cherry is such a great flavor combo!

      Reply
      • Charla

        June 22, 2020 at 12:45 pm

        Thank you Danielle

        Reply
    8. Corina

      September 11, 2016 at 9:41 am

      These look gorgeous! My little girl is about to start school and I know she's going to be hungry and need a snack at the end of the day so I'm looking out for healthy things to bake for her. These would be perfect.

      Reply
      • Charla

        September 11, 2016 at 10:28 pm

        Yes these little cookies are definitely child friendly as they contain no refined sugars. I will try to create more child friendly recipes in the near future.

        Reply
    9. Christina Heggins

      December 11, 2014 at 10:21 pm

      These look absolutely delicious! The ingredients sound perfect!

      Reply
      • Charla

        December 12, 2014 at 6:39 pm

        Thank you Christina 😉

        Reply
    10. kate // vegukate

      December 01, 2014 at 9:21 pm

      OK - these look SO good. My favorite cookies from childhood were chocolate & cherry - but were packed with sugar, sugar, sugar, butter, and more sugar. These sound like an amazing healthy alternative. Can't wait to try!

      Reply
      • Charla

        December 01, 2014 at 9:25 pm

        Thanks Kate, there is something about chocolate and cherries that make an awesome combination.

        Reply
    11. [email protected]

      December 01, 2014 at 1:02 pm

      Those look amazing and I love that list of ingredients!

      Reply
      • Charla

        December 01, 2014 at 7:09 pm

        Thanks Laura 😉

        Reply

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    I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes. Learn more about me

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