There’s something pretty magical about a dessert that doesn’t require baking, especially this time of year when leaving your oven turned off sounds quite appealing. Enter no-bake recipes: the perfect summertime sweet treat, minus the oven time.
I’ve rounded up three delectable no-bake recipes for you lovely readers. (You’re welcome!) I’ve vetted all three and have made a few slight tweaks from their original versions in some cases. Time to get to blending, mixing, and refrigerating. Enjoy!
1. Healthier No-Bake Homemade Samoa Cookies (modified slightly from this recipe by The Pretty Bee)
Girl Scout cookies are just the best, aren’t they? And, as far as I’m concerned, Samoas (I know they’re called Caramel deLights now, but they’ll always be Samoas to me) are the BEST Girl Scout cookies, hands down. And so when I came across a recipe that promised a healthier version of this amazing cookie, I was all in.
After making this recipe twice now, I’d recommend doubling this batch. One batch will get you about eight cookies, so if you’re making them to share it’s worth it to go ahead and double it. (And these are going to go fast. Trust me — you’ll want to have a lot on hand!) I buy my dates from Trader Joe’s in the 16-ounce package and just use the whole pack when doubling this recipe. It makes it nice and easy!
Ingredients:
- 8 Medjool dates, pitted
- 2 teaspoons water
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (dairy-free to make this recipe vegan)
- Maple syrup (optional)
Directions
- If you need to toast your coconut flakes, start there. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and distribute coconut evenly on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 5-8 minutes, watching them carefully and turning them often to ensure they don’t burn. No need to cool them after toasting — they’re ready to throw right into your food processor!
- Then line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set aside. (You can use a small baking sheet for this. I used a 12″x9″ pan even for a double batch and it worked great.)
- Place the pitted dates, water, toasted coconut, and salt in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. (You can drizzle in a bit of maple syrup to help bind the mixture together if needed. I tried that approach and it worked well. I’ll be continuing that!)
- Roll the mixture into balls, then flatten each into a half-inch thick medallion. Use a straw to poke a hole in the middle of each cookie, then place cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place cookies (on the baking sheet) in the freezer for about an hour.
- After the cookies have set in the freezer, remove them and melt the chocolate chips in the microwave (or on the stove). I recommend microwaving them in 30-second increments, stirring well after each 30-second session, until fully melted to avoid the chocolate burning.
- Cover the bottom of each cookie with melted chocolate (you can either dip them into the chocolate or spoon some chocolate onto the base of each cookie and then spread it out, which is the approach I took) and place them back on the baking sheet (chocolate side down).
- Place the rest of the melted chocolate in a Ziploc bag, then cut out the corner of the bag. (I recommend turning the bag inside and placing the chocolate directly on the corner where you’ll be squeezing it out to fill it to avoid losing any precious chocolate!)
- Pipe the chocolate on the tops of the cookies in stripes.
- Store cookies in the refrigerator (they’ll last for several days).
2. No-Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookies (modified slightly from this recipe by Oh She Glows)
I trust all things that Angela of Oh She Glows recommends, and I sure am glad I gave this recipe a try. I used her recipe as a base and incorporated some extra elements (sunflower seeds and cashews) for even more great taste and texture.
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons sunflower seed oil (or nut butter)
- 1/4 cup organic cacao powder
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 Tablespoons gluten-free rolled oats
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted sunflower seeds
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
- 6 Tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- Pinch of sea salt
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat.
- Whisk in the sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, and maple syrup until smooth.
- Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Add the oats, sunflower seeds, cashews, coconut, chia seeds, and salt to the pan and stir well until fully combined. The mixture will be thick and oily.
- Using a spoon, scoop the dough into mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving just a bit of space between each cookie.
- Place the cookies in the freezer to set for 10-15 minutes (until firm) or chill in the fridge for a longer period of time.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge (they’ll last for up to a week, but good luck with that!) and serve directly from the fridge.
3. Decadent Raw Brownies (recipe from The Conscious Cleanse)
I’ve made, oh, probably four batches of these raw brownies over the past month or so. They’re the perfect sweet-but-not-crazy-sweet, chocolate-packed treat to keep on hand in our fridge. And, with just three raw ingredients, they’re a treat I can feel good about. Pull out your food processor and get to blending. You won’t regret it!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup walnuts or cashews
- 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
Directions
- Line an 8″x8″ pan with parchment or wax paper.
- In a food processor, mix walnuts (or cashews) and dates together until smooth.
- Add cacao powder and blend completely.
- Press mixture into prepared pan.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.