Dehydrated Cookies: The Best Raw Vegan Chocolate Cookies

These chocolate-flavored dehydrated cookies are raw, vegan, and super yummy! Using a dehydrator to make raw vegan cookies is easy, healthy, and the perfect substitute for commercial cookies that contain refined sugar and flour.

These dehydrator cookies are perfectly chewy, vegan, and refined sugar-free. They are naturally sweetened with apples and dates for a healthy snack that satisfies the chocolate and sweet tooth craving!

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Making dehydrated cookies results in a nutritious, raw cookie that is full of enzymes and nutrients that are heat sensitive. There are so many benefits of eating foods high in enzymes. Using a dehydrator for cookies preserves the vital enzymes in raw nuts and fruit. 

Instead of using flour, which is processed and depleted in nutrients, these raw vegan chocolate cookies are made with walnuts and almonds that have been soaked and activated to release anti-nutrients.

Soaking the nuts also increases the bioavailability of the nutrients found within the nuts.

Best dehydrator for cookies

The first time I tried these dehydrator cookies, I was sold and set out to replicate the recipe in my Excalibur dehydrator. I learned how to make dehydrated snacks and cookies when I worked for a lady who commercially made and sold dehydrated cookies. She had many wholesale accounts and sold various dehydrator cookies and snacks in local health food stores.

As it was a small business to start, she owned a lot of Excaliber dehydrators to mass produce her products. They are the best cookie dehydrator as they have square racks that are lined with teflex sheets that you can place your cookie dough balls on to dehydrate.

It basically works the same way as a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. It is crucial to be able to line a dehydrator with parchment paper or reusable teflex sheets so that the cookies don’t fall through the cracks, and you can press down on the cookie to bowl to flatten with your hands into a cookie shape.

I like the 9-tray Excaliber dehydrator, as you can make large batches of dehydrated cookies at once and then store them for weeks in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature. It takes 20-24 hours to dehydrate cookies, so once I love a recipe like this one I like to make large batches at a time. Plus, I eat them up so fast!

The square trays that come with the dehydrator are mesh for drying fruit, but if you want to make cookies in a dehydrator, just line the tray with reusable liners and place the raw cookie dough on top. Wash the liners when you are done dehydrating the cookies and store them until next time. 

Benefits of these raw vegan dehydrated cookies 

Walnuts are an excellent source of essential anti-inflammatory omega-three fats for weight loss and brain health.

Raw cacao powder and almonds are excellent sources of magnesium, one of the most common nutritional deficiencies. 

The raw chocolate cookies are then naturally sweetened with apples, dates, cinnamon, and cranberries, which are nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrates.

These dehydrated cookies are low glycemic as they are full of fiber and healthy fats, which slows down the absorption of carbohydrates and natural sugars for stable blood sugar balance.

The apple coconut cocoa cookies are delicious, healthy, perfectly chewy, and can be enjoyed with zero guilt as they are made with 100 percent whole-food ingredients.

These dehydrator cookies are also the perfect addition to kid’s lunch boxes. I enjoy these dehydrated cookies as a healthy snack to have on hand instead of commercial granola bars.

Ingredients for the raw vegan dehydrated cookies

• 2 cups dates soaked
• 4-5 apples
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup walnuts soaked 12 hours
• 1 cup almonds soaked 12 hours
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• 1/2 cup cacao powder

How to make dehydrated cookies

Using a dehydrator to make cookies is easy and results in a nutritious chewy cookie. Initially, the cookie dough is quite wet, but the dehydrator will reduce the water content resulting in a dehydrated cookie that stores well, is naturally sweet, and is perfectly chewy. The longer you dehydrate the cookie, the crispier they become.

Place almonds and walnuts in a medium-sized bowl and cover with water. Set aside for 12 hours to activate and soak the nuts.

In a separate bowl, place the 2 cups of dates mixed with 1/2 cup of water to soften and set aside for 2 or 12 hours.

When you are ready to make the dehydrated cookie recipe, chop the apples and place them in a food processor with 1/2 cup water, dates, almonds, and walnuts.

Process the wet ingredients until you have a nice smooth mixture, then place it into a large mixing bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients and spices. The raw cookie mixture should be a medium to thick texture that you can press into a cookie.

At this stage, get your dehydrator trays out. Line the trays with the teflex, then use a large spoon or cookie scoop to measure out equal-sized round balls onto the trays. Press down with your fingers to form a cookie.

Set your dehydrator at 55 degrees Celcius then dehydrate the raw vegan cookies in the dehydrator for 20-24 hours or until they are nice and chewy and no longer wet.

Store the dehydrated cookies in an airtight container or well-sealed bag in the fridge. You can also freeze or store them at room-temperature but I find storing them in the fridge keeps them tasting fresh. These raw vegan dehydrated chocolate cookies should last weeks if you don’t eat them all!! They are seriously one of my favorite dehydrated snack recipes, along with some others that I love. 

Using a dehydrator to make cookies does take a little time, but it is well worth it when you have such a nutrient-dense sugar-free cookie that is addicting and enjoyed with zero guilt! 

For more dehydrator cookie recipes, try these apple cinnamon oat cookies. Mmm, so yummy as well!

Try these dehydrated kale chips or activated buckwheat granola for more dehydrated recipes!