Recipe: Pumpkin Spice & Collagen Cookies
- Written By:Carla Contreras

These no-bake cookies come together in just two minutes in your food processor (after you soak the dates). You can shape them into balls, but I love the idea of smashing them into a cookie shape. During the winter, these would be delicious with gingerbread spice! See below for my DIY Pumpkin Spice recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups dates, pitted, soaked
1 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, optional
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (buy or make your own see recipe below)
1/8 tsp. sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, soak the dates in just enough boiling water to cover them (about 1 1/2 cups of water from the kettle). Soak for five minutes and then drain them. A little water will actually make the “dough” smoother.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it forms a cookie dough–like texture with not a lot of large chunks, about 1-2 minutes.
Scrape batter into a bowl and be careful of the blade. Scoop into balls with a small ice cream scoop and press into a cookie shape. A small ice cream scoop helps to get them into perfect ball shapes, you can also press the balls straight down and make a cookie shape.
Place balls/cookies on a lined rimmed baking sheet (with parchment paper). Using parchment paper helps keep down the mess. You can also place directly on a plate or clean surface as well.
Freezer for one hour and then store in an airtight container up to one month. Let the cookies come to room temperature for 5 minutes or eat cold as a delicious frozen treat. Makes about 25 cookies, depending how big you make them.

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice
This spice mix is delicious when paired with thick plain Greek yogurt, granola, cookies, and chia pudding; whipped into butter; or tossed on your sweet potato fries before they go into the oven.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/16 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl or jar.
Store up to one month in an airtight container. Makes about 2 tbsp.
Chef Carla Contreras is the founder of the online cooking school Cook+Chop. She competed on season 12 of Chopped! on Food Network. She is Nutritious Life Certified, a Certified Holistic Health Coach, a food stylist, and photographer with a stacked culinary resume.Chef Carla Contreras is the founder of the online cooking school Cook+Chop. She competed on season 12 of Chopped! on Food Network. She is Nutritious Life Certified, a Certified Holistic Health Coach, a food stylist, and photographer with a stacked culinary resume.