Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit).

3. Soak the pitted dates in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them further and make them easier to blend.

4. Drain the dates well and add them, along with the rest of the ingredients (except the chocolate and oats), to a food processor.

5. Blend until there are no large date chunks left. Tip: You may need to stop the food processor occasionally and scrape down the sides. Add a little extra water if it's difficult to blend.

6. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and manually fold in the oats.

7. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

8. Use your hands to form approximately 18 evenly sized balls of cookie dough.

9. Place them on the baking sheet and use a fork to press them down into a cookie shape. (See the picture for reference)

Tip: It's easier if you wet the fork in a bowl of hot water in between presses to prevent the dough from sticking.

10. Bake the peanut butter cookies in the oven for 10 minutes.

11. Optionally, melt the dark chocolate (using a double boiler).

12. Remove the peanut butter cookies from the oven and let them cool. The cookies will remain somewhat soft, which is intentional.

13. Optionally, drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the cookies and let it harden.

14. Done!

15. You can store the peanut butter cookies in an airtight container for about 3 days.