No-Bake Dried Fruit, Nut, and Honey Cookies
TASTIER
VEGETARIAN
Makes 10 cookies
Like Fig Newtons? Here’s the taste without the bready exterior—and more heavily spiced, to boot. Ridiculously satisfying, these breakfast cookies would also be welcome any evening alongside an espresso shot or glass of brandy.
¾ cup almond butter
⅔ cup graham cracker crumbs
½ cup walnut pieces
4 large, pitted dates, preferably Medjool dates, halved
4 dried figs, preferably Turkish figs, stemmed and quartered
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon table salt, optional
1. Line 10 cups of a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Put the almond butter, ⅓ cup of the graham cracker crumbs, the walnuts, dates, figs, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, if using, in a food processor. Cover and process until a thick dough forms and comes together in clumps.
3. Spread the remaining ⅓ cup graham cracker crumbs on a plate. Open the food processor; scrape down and remove the blade.
4. Form the dough into 10 balls, each about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll in the graham cracker crumbs and drop into the prepared muffin cups. Press down to flatten each ball into a cookie. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 week.
Voilà! No-bake cookies are great grab-and-go breakfasts, but you can even simplify the routine for your morning smoothie. Measure out the fruit and/or vegetables, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze. Leave out any yogurt or liquids. Dump the frozen contents of the bag into a blender, add the yogurt and/or liquid, and blend away.