Sweetened with dried fruit, and full of protein from nutbutter and fiber from coconut, these little cookies pack a nutrient dense punch. They’re perfect for lunch boxes, afternoon snacks, and satisfying a sugar craving any time. These are similar to Lara Bars, but smaller, and easier to make since they’re just rolled into balls and then flattened rather than shaped into bars.
As I mentioned on Facebook, after a couple visits with a Chinese medical practitioner (more info on Chinese medicine here), my daughter is able to eat fruit again! We’re all excited to have some sweets in the house again. She essentially had been off fruit and honey for the past year and a half; my 3-year-old doesn’t even know what most fruits are… he knows the difference between a zucchini and a butternut squash, but had to ask what a pear was. So goes life as a GAPS family!
Apricot Coconut Dehydrator Cookies - GAPS Friendly
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanutbutter or other nutbutter
- 2 cup pitted dates
- 1 cup dried apricots if you have dried them yourself and they are very crispy, re-hydrate 3/4 cup with 1/4 cup warm water first
- 1 cup coconut shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt only if your nutbutter was unsalted
- up to 1/4 cup water
Instructions
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In a food processor pulse dried fruit. Add in peanutbutter, sea salt, and puree. Add coconut and pulse until the dough is dry enough to roll into balls, you may not need the full cup or you may need a bit more. If it gets too dry, add in some water, a tablespoon at a time. With your fingers, pull out walnut-sized pieces of dough, roll into balls, and flatten with your palms to 1/4 inch thick. Place on dehydrator sheet (or on parchment paper on a cookie sheet if baking) close together but not touching.
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Dry on high (if your dehydrator has settings) for 6 hours, or bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour.
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These sound fantastic! That is so wonderful about your daughter. I absolutely can’t wait to hear more about the treatment!
Can anyone please tell me if these can be dehydrated then vacuum sealed with a food saver and put on shelf?????! if so, how long?? thanks
Yum! Can’t wait to give these a try! :)
I just wanted to tell you that I made these for a challenge we had a work to make a healthy, nutritionally complete recipe with whole foods and share it and the recipe with co-workers. My company actually featured this recipe on our internal website. They are very yummy and one co-worker commented that they taste like peanut butter and jelly.
Thanks for sharing, I will be making these again!
These are SOOO delicious! They have already become a staple in our house- I am making them for the fourth time since the recipe was posted, just a few weeks ago! They’re perfect for trail snacks or as a sweet treat. I have been substituting prunes for apricots which has worked just fine. They are the closest thing to peanut butter cookies I’ve had in a long time. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Thanks for this recipe! I made them today and they are yummy! Just wondering, though, whether they are supposed to be chewy or crispy? Mine are still chewy, which surprised me after 6 hours in the dehydrator. Are they supposed to be like that, or is it because I put them on the fruit leather tray rather than straight onto the dehydrating tray? The bottoms were still moist when I pulled them out. Is that normal or should I put them back in for a bit longer? This is my first time using a dehydrator so I don’t know what to expect…
Hi Christine, they’re supposed to be chewy :)
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been wanting a something to have right after I get done with a run that will boost my blood sugar back up and give a little protein too – If I don’t I get headaches after running. These seemed perfect. Something small, that won’t ruin your next meal and is full of healthy sugars and protein.
I made these today and they are so good. I second the pb&J taste someone mentioned above -only more complex. I don’t have a food processor so I used my blender (which it didn’t like). I had to take some of it out and puree it all in batches with adding water. Then my blender pooped out and I had a small patch of coarsely chopped mix left. So I just emptied out the blender contents in the bowl and mixed all the different level of chopped/pureed mixed together and started rolling out little balls. I don’t have a dehydrator either, so I did the oven method. The mix was really messy and gummy, but stayed together well. I rolled ball and smooshed them as best I could with them being sticky. Put them in the oven and hoped for the best. They turned nice and golden brown and the outside had dried out and hardened a little. With about 20 minutes left on the timer I opened the oven and squished them all down a little more, since they were more ballish than flat. This worked great. They came out chewy, but with a nice texture that I think will store and travel well. These will definitely be a staple. Now, I just have to test them for after my run tomorrow! Thank you again!
I made these today. My son and I loved them! They are like granola bars. I used raisins in place of the dates. Yummy!!
Hello Cara,
This recipe sounds delicious. Unfortunately I am allergic to all nuts, so any type of nutbutter is out for me. Can you think of any substitute? Best Regards, Maria
Hello Cara,
Those cookies look so delicious. Can there be any substitution for nut butter? I am allergic to all nuts. Thank you. Maria
I am allergic to dates :-( What do you recommend as a substitute for them?
Hello
The recipe sounds lovely….
But Would you know at what temperature I should set my dehydrator? (My setting are in F….. The lowest is 130F.)
I don’t know what “high” would be on my dehydrator.
Many thanks
:0)