Chocolate Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies

I could eat cookies all day long. Well, maybe not really, I would miss all the other great foods I love. But when I need a cookie treat, these raw cookie balls are what I want...no flour, no butter, no refined sugars (except for chocolate chips if using non raw), and as delicious as the old cookie batter I used to love to eat, but healthier. To me that was always the best part of making cookies, eating the dough! I don't know about you but I used to make them just for that reason, I would even freeze the dough to eat for later. These are a much better option for many reasons and they completely satisfy my sweet tooth...these are fairly rich, one or two is about all you need with these. Ok, maybe three. :)

I set out with the intention of this recipe focusing on a sweet & salty combination. My first batch was good, some thought it was too salty and some really liked it, so it is to taste and both options are available. My next batch I will use a small amount and sprinkle a little salt on  top instead of adding too much to the mixture. That you will get a taste of the salt as a surprise every now and then. If you like to make raw cocoa chips, the link to a good recipe, by Rawified, is in the ingredients list. These are meant to be a chunky style cookie ball.

Chocolate Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup oats (I used GF)
• 1 cup pistachios, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup water, as needed
• 1/4 cup raw dark chocolate chips , cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips

Place all ingredients in food processor except for 1/4 cup of the pistachio's, water and chocolate chips. Blend until combined adding the water a little at at time to help with the consistency of the dough, this will depend on your liking. Next, mix in the rest of the pistachio's and chocolate chips, using your hands for this is best. I also added a large pinch of oats for a more chunky feel to my cookies. Roll into 1 inch balls (mine were a bit bigger) and enjoy licking your fingers, and the bowl, when your all done. Makes approx. 13 - 16 balls.

Next, the crushed pistachio pieces to roll the balls in which is optional but a nice touch. On a flat surface, I placed two peices of wax paper with about 1/4-1/3 cup pistachio's in between and used a rolling pin to smash the pistachio's, as shown above, in a somewhat rough crushing, leaving some large and mostly small pieces. Roll your balls on the nuts and store in airtight container. They will keep in the fridge for a couple weeks and last even longer in the freezer. You can always make these ahead for special occasions.

So, how many bites does it take to eat a cookie ball...

one...

two...

three for me...How many for you ?

Enjoy finding out !

Edit: These are really good with some fresh fruit too...I had sweet red grapes on hand and it was refreshing to pair them together....

You may also like these other healthy raw treats:

 Almond Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Bites
 Healthy Happy Hempy Cookies
 Raw Ginger Snap
 Coconut Lemon Bombs 
 Raw Coconut Brownie Bites 
Cinnamon Cranberry Truffles

Some of my favorite raw dessert blogs:

♥ this rawsome vegan life

♥ Fragrant Vanilla Cake

♥ Rawified