These cinnamon raisin oatmeal cookie balls are sweetened with dates and raisins and are completely guilt free! Just process everything together in a food processor and roll into balls. Naturally gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and 100% whole grain. For another such recipe, try these no-bake oatmeal cookies! No need to turn on the oven and the flavor is amazing.
I’ve been staring at a blank page for half an hour. I don’t know what to say about these. They’re insanely good, quick, easy and you have to make them. Is that convincing enough? ;)
They kind of taste like oatmeal cookie dough but they’re firmer than dough. And they travel well! But without the frosting. The frosting gets soft at room temperature so things would get messy if you try to transport them.
All the sweetness that comes from the dates and raisins is just crazy. I know that the nut and date thing isn’t new, but it’s new to me. And I can’t wait to see what else is possible with just dates as the sweetener! Anyone have any favorite date sweetened recipes? I think I’ll try some brownies next!
I wish I could say that these were an original creation, but I adapted them from Food Doodles’ Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bars. Thanks to Heidi, I have a new favorite no added sugar snack.
I’ll leave out the frosting in the future because these were already pretty sweet. They were so sweet (although not overly) that I actually checked if my dates and raisins were sweetened. They weren’t.
I used 1/2 cup each of extra oats and oat bran at the end, but you can add more if you like. Or you can add less. It all depends on what you like. The less you add, the sweeter the balls are. You could also add other fruit or chocolate chips or whatever you feel like. These are pretty adaptable so do what you think sounds good. :)
Like the flavors of oatmeal raisin but don’t eat grains? Try these paleo oatmeal cookies! They’ve been a huge hit around here.
Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookie Balls (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, whole grain)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24-30 1" balls
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (75 grams) walnuts
- 3/4 cup (67 grams) + 1/2 - 1 cup (45 - 90 grams) rolled oats, divided (use gluten-free oats, if necessary)
- 1 cup (180 grams) pitted dates
- 3/4 cups (180 grams) raisins
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 - 1 cup (60 - 120 grams) oat bran or more oats (make sure oat bran is gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, softened but not melted
- 2 tablespoons honey (agave for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the balls:
For the frosting:
Directions
- In your food processor, grind the walnuts and 3/4 cup (67 grams) rolled oats until there are no more large chunks and then set aside. Add the dates and raisins to the food processor and process until it's smooth, and then add the vanilla and cinnamon.
- Process until thoroughly combined and then add the oat and nut mixture. Pulse. At this point, you can start adding oat bran and the remaining rolled oats.
- Add 1/4 cup of each, pulse, see if you like the consistency, and if you want even more bran and oats, add more, a little at a time. You don't want them to get too dry.
- Roll tightly into balls. You'll have to squeeze them together to get them to stick, but it'll work.
- For the frosting, stir everything together and pipe onto the balls or just spoon a little bit over. These are already pretty sweet so you might not want it.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up 1 week.
Adapted from Raw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough Bars - Food Doodles
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48 comments on “Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookie Balls (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, 100% whole grain)” — Add one!
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You have the best recipes! I am making these soon. Thank you!
Aww, thanks! That’s awfully nice of you to say. :) I hope you’ll enjoy them!
At first, I was put off by all the work these took, but I can’t get over how much they really taste like an oatmeal raisin cookie. I love them!
I’m so happy that you liked them despite all the work involved! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
This recipe sounds great! I’d love to try it but I don’t have dates. Any idea if this will work with dried cranberries and raisins instead?
Thanks, Christie! I haven’t tried it but if the cranberries are sweetened, I’m guessing that these will be way too sweet! It does sound interesting, though. :) I might have to try a cranberry orange version! Any chance that you have prunes around? I don’t like the taste but I think texture and sweetness-wise, they’re interchangeable. Let me know if you try the cranberry version! I’d love to hear how it comes out. :)
These are amazing! I’ve made many a no-bake ball, but this one is sooo delicious. I usually try to include chocolate or some nut butter for my significant other, but these sounded so good to me I had to try. Thankfully, he loved them even more than I could have imagined. Super easy, and so so tasty! Thanks!
Yay! So happy that you liked them, Cassie! And awesome that your significant other liked them without the usual chocolate. :) Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating!
Erin, these are probably the best pictures I have ever seen of energy bites! They look so good!
How long do these hold up to heat? I’m thinking they would be great to put into a ziplock bag in the back of a cycling jersey for a real food snack during a bikeride!
Wow, thanks! So happy you like how they look. :) And I think these would hold up wonderfully to the heat. But without the icing! Although if you’re going for a bikeride anytime soon, I bet the icing would be fine. I hope you’ll enjoy them (and have a great bikeride! :))
Haha! I won’t be going on a bikeride in this weather, I wish I was that hardcore! Can’t wait to try these :)
You never know. ;) We’ve only had about 10 days of snow this year so it could have been possible! I hope you’ll like the balls. :)
These cookie dough balls look wonderful! I’ve made steamed milk with pureed dates. And pumpkin oat bars. And pumpkin rice pudding. And then there’s the penultimate Canadian dessert: date squares.
Wow, you’ve made a lot with pureed dates! I’ll need to look some more into this. Sounds good! :)
Oh wow, my family will love these!
I hope you’ll all enjoy them! :)
Thank you so much for sharing your great recipes! Here in the desert with our very hot summers, these no-bakes are the way to go. I added a handful each of sunflower seeds, oats, and very finely grated dried coconut in place of the oat bran and then I just rolled them in more coconut to finish them off. What a snap! And a fraction of the cost of Lara Bars. You’re awesome!
Aww, thanks for the nice comment! I’m happy that you liked them. :) And your changes sound great! I’ll have to try coconut next time. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for the info! I'm thinking of going on a baking and no baking spree and doing the peanut and coconut balls and the chickpea choc chip biscuits. So I have varied healthy treats on hand. Not to mention the mint choc chip biscuits, I want to make them for a work meeting as we have 2 gluten intolerant colleagues.
Thanks for having so many yummy things to choose from :)
Oh boy. I hope you do! I hope it goes well and that your colleagues enjoy the cookies. Have fun eating all the goodies and thanks for your nice comment. :)
Hi! I am interested in making these, but I was just wondering if you have ever tried freezing the balls? I was hoping they would still be ok after thawing, so I can spread them out over a couple of weeks? Otherwise I could always half the batch and make them more often. Thanks :)
They're great frozen! I froze a lot of them and they were just as good frozen. They're also lovely directly from the freezer. Hope you like them! Let me know how they turn out. :)
I agree too. I cant eat walnuts by themselves. I dont mind eating them if they are dipped in pesto, or in baked goods but I cant do them by themselves. But it looks great in here. I love the cookie dough balls. They are so cute and fun!
Thank you! And do they give you goosebumps too or is that just me? ;) There's just something about them!
Erin – Thanks! I think so too. :)
Yum! These look like such a great snack. :)
Heidi – Yours looked good, too! Happy you approve of my take on your AMAZING recipe. Thank you again!
Hayley – It really does! Thanks. :)
My Italian Smörgåsbord – Thank you! And I know what you mean. I really just wanted to write something like that for this post, but I didn't know how people would take it. So I wrote something. :)
Aly – Yay! Happy you like them. :)
Katrina – Thank you!
Marta – Yeah, I don't think another date sweetened recipe can beat this one. I'll try, but I don't think I'll succeed!
I don't have a favorite date sweetened recipes, but I'll take over yours :) I'm a sweet tooth and I like little treasures like this one. And hey, It's easy to make :)
These look so freaking fantastic! Love it!!
was just waiting to find a recipe for raw sweet treats able to satisfy my hunger without guilty feelings. these sound fantastic. and your pictures are incredible, as always. brava! (ps: sometimes I also have the writer's block and wish I could just say "eat it!" :))
i love your recipe!! these are the best no bake, vegan & gluten cookie balls i've seen yet! yay!
xo
These are beautiful! Cinnamon raisin makes for a great bread and apparently, one yummy looking cookie dough ball, too!
These look so great! Awesome job Erin :) Did I mention that you made that frosting look good? Because you really did :)
Flavia – Aww, thank you. But remember that these taste more like cinnamon and not walnuts! Although I suppose you could leave that out. And thanks for pinning this and sharing the story about your father. :) I love comments like this. It makes me so happy to bring back a nice memory for someone!
Jessica – Just don't mention the dates and no sugar thing and I'm sure he'd love these. They really are sweet and cinnamon-y and mmmm. :)
Sally – Thank you for your nice comment. :D I love cinnamon raisin anything, too. It doesn't get enough love! I say that we try to change that. :)
Amy – Do it, do it! They're so quick. Go go go! :)
Angie – Thank you!
Claire – Thanks! :)
These look FABULOUS!! and so guilt-free. That's my kinda snack.
These look irresistible!
i absolutely love snacks like this – quick, easy to make, delicious and healthy. will have to match a batch ASAP!
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I ADORE cinnamon raisin anything… bread, toast, muffins, cookies, you name it. The thought of a cinnamon raisin cookie dough ball is making my head spin! And I love that they are made with whole foods. Thanks for the recipe and beautiful pictures Erin!!
What a great snack! I might even be able to get my husband to eat these!
Erin! I love walnuts (and any nut for that matter). They take me to my childhood, when every Christmas season my dad would bring home a big sack mixed with hazelnuts…And we would crack so many nuts each December night until our fingers hurt…It was nice! I actually went to a Tapas restaurant this weekend and they served this delicious cheese (that I never heard of ) called Umbriaco del Piave with a mixture of nuts, figs and dates on the side…It was heaven! I am making a pinterest board called Will do, Buckaroo! and I will be adding these balls! They sure will be good, especially for Christmastime.
Best to you!
Ali – I've seen yours and they look awesome!
Becca – Cinnamon honey?! Oh boy. Never heard of that. Sounds fantastic! And cinnamon raisin cookies are awesome as long as they have lots and lots of cinnamon. :)
Miryam – I know! I have no idea how I survived prior to getting my food processor. I use it almost every day. And I also just loving dumping stuff in there and getting an amazing product in the end. Hooray for food processors!
Sonia – I hope you'll try them out! And yeah, walnuts are just nasty. At least to me. :) If walnuts are your weakness, I think you're really, really lucky. Thank you again for sharing on Facebook!
Kathryn – Thanks! You said the same thing last week so I'm going to take that to mean I've found my forte. Ball making!
Cassie – Haha. Thank you! I only made half the batch and this was all that was left after an hour.
vogelstar – Yeah. Too bad they're so healthy! Or more like, too bad we don't like them. :)
I'm not a big fan of walnuts either though I know they are good for me
I would just be stuffing my face with these too quickly to write anything about them Oh goodness, they look incredible!
You are pretty much the first person I've seen who has been able to make these kind of raw balls actually look appetising!
YOU DON'T LIKE WALNUTS??? OMG! How is that even possible! They are the ONE thing I'm having the hardest time not munching on like constantly. Every time I open the cupboard door, they just jump at me and scream EAT ME, EAT ME!
Your little balls look so amazingly good. Surprising how dates and raisins sweeten things up, isn't it? That's why I love my date paste so much!
Hmmmmm… date paste!
Definitely keeping this one in mind to play with after my sugar free challenge is over!
Yummy!! These look super simple, and nutritious. I love throwing anything in the food processor and letting it do its job. I could not live without it!! I need to try that frosting, it looks really good and love the fact that it is with coconut oil :-)
I recently discovered that don't mind raisins in the oatmeal cookie. Yes, I'd rather it be a chocolate chip, but raisings are a-okay too :)
These look really awesome! Plus I have some cinnamon honey that's really thick and delicious, so I could use that for the little frosting drizzle.
Yum!!! These look amazing! I have a no-bake energy bites recipe that is similar and I make them all the time. Will have to give these a whirl!