You know which cookies I’m talking about. These aren’t much like those, but they’re cute and sweet and crunchy. Fauxreos!

Filling:

• 1 cup “raw” cashews
• 4-6 dates
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• water (start with 1/4 cup)

Use pre-soaked cashews & dates, or boil* for a couple of minutes and set aside to cool until safe to blend (assuming caution outweighs cravings). Add vanilla & salt. Blend thoroughly until fluffy and creamy. Taste and adjust as needed, then refrigerate while you make the cookies so it thickens up a little.

*Note: I boil the cashews and dates instead of soaking. Not technically raw, but compensates for my perpetual lack of foresight. Or spontaneity, whatever. Anyway, I have a hypotheses that the boiling vs soaking might be what’s making my cashew crème so thick and fluffy due to cooking the starches in the cashews. If you want to go all-raw, soak the cashews and dates instead.

OR: slice bananas and use those as the filling!!!! Totally different cookie, but would still look the part! Briefly, anyway. 🙂

Cookies:

• 1 1/2 cup nuts (I used 1 cup pecans and 1/2 cup almonds – the almonds added a nice crunch)
• 8 dates
• 1/2 cup (give or take) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder (will try again with 1/4 cup – this was pretty intense)
• pinch of salt

Pulse nuts in blender until coarsely ground. Add all other ingredients and pulse until evenly ground. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking. Dump onto parchment paper, shape into a ball, and roll flat. I went pretty thin on mine. Cut rounds. I used a vitamin bottle lid which worked pretty well, since I could pop open the top to gently tap the cookies out. Refrigerate or freeze if you’re not assembling right away, or you just want them firmer to work with.

Assemble cookies and refrigerate or freeze. Freezing will obviously result in a firmer cookie.

(Note: I adapted this recipe. I subbed dark cocoa powder, added unsweetened coconut flakes, and replaced oils and non-whole food sweeteners with cashews and dates.)