Reinvented Monster Cookies

A very nourishing take on the classic monster cookie, these whole-food treats get their sweetness from dates and their moisture from nut butter! Load them up with whatever fun add-ins you love.

Ingredients

2 c dates, pitted
1 c peanut butter
0.25 c milk of choice
2 tbsp flax seed meal
1 tsp baking powder
0.5-0.75 c add-ins of choice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.
Measure all ingredients except the add-ins into a food processor. Process just until a sticky ball develops. If you over-process, the nuts will start to break down and become oily (in which case the dough is perfectly fine to use, just a bit messier).
Remove the blade from the food processor and add the chocolate and/or nuts and/or coconut and/or dried fruit. Mix everything together with a spoon or spatula until all the tasty bits are incorporated.
Scoop balls of dough in whatever size you like. I prefer BIG cookies, so the ones shown here are each about 2 tbsp of dough. Smaller ones will work fine, and probably even bigger ones too, but you may need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Just keep in mind that these are pretty filling thanks to all that luscious peanut butter.
Form the dough into a ball to ensure it stays together, then flatten it into a disk about half an inch thick. Note that these won't spread at all, so this is your chance to make them into whatever size/shape you want to end up with.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Because they won't spread, you can put them pretty close together if needed.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-18 minutes until they are just barely browned around the edges. They will still seem soft in the middle because the dates won't bake up the same way flour does. That's okay- they'll firm up a bit more as they cool.