Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Drain the soaked dates and place in a blender or food processor with the salt, vanilla and peanut butter.
Whizz until completely smooth.
Transfer into a bowl, add the ground almonds and mix well.
Place the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 10 minutes for it to firm up slightly.
Take a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and use your hands to form it into a small, circular, thick patty - don't worry, unlike traditional cookies, these ones won't spread out as they bake **.
Lay it out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper (no need to grease it).
Repeat until the rest of the batter is used up - you should be able to make 9 cookies.
Take a wet fork and press the prongs of the fork across the top of a cookie then turn the fork around 180 degrees and press the fork prongs over the patty again to create a criss-cross pattern - a wet fork will make this easier.
Repeat for the rest of the cookies.
Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes - don’t worry if they’re quite soft when you take them out as they will firm up as they cool down.
Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container - keeps in the fridge for a good few days.
Video
Notes
*You can alternatively use almond flour.**If you find the mixture too gooey to shape with your hands, you can use a cookie scoop instead, and use your hands or the back of a spoon to flatten them slightly.