Oh yeah. We hate to love Nutella’s creamy, fudgey, nutty flavors all combined in a spreadable form.

I hate Nutella. I hate that I can’t have it because it contains skim milk, which contributes to my gastrointestinal complaints.

TMI? I’m sorry.

But while you get to enjoy your jar of chocolatey lactose-ignorant bliss, I’m stuck pacing in the kitchen, trying to find a suitable match for my kitchen’s (and LIFE’S) lack of Nutella on World Nutella Day. Then, it hit me.

You can make something better. Oh yeah. Let’s love to hate Nutella, and fight back.

So for all you who cannot have Nutella, who refuse to eat Nutella, or who just want a different option.. here you go:

the only grain-free, vegan and sugar-free nutella cookie on the planet

makes 13 cookies (Hey, we’re being quirky here.)

About 30 hazelnuts

4 medjool dates, pitted

capful vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon coconut oil

8 drops of stevia (10 if you like very sweet cookies)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Roast your hazelnuts if they are raw. I had them in a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes and it was perfect. Roll them around in your hands to remove the skins, and drop in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Pit and cut your dates in halves or thirds. Add them to the hazelnuts and process until crumbly. Add in your vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder. Process until combined. Next, drop in the coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and scant 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process until well combined, you may have a dough ball swirling around in the food processor and you may not. It’s ok either way.

Drop by the tablespoon full onto a cookie sheet or silicon baking mat and bake for about 10 minutes. Let these cookies cool!

I repeat do not eat these while warm out of the oven. They will crumble and be a pain to eat; you will end up losing your cookie if you’re not careful! I know, it sucks. But the trade off is one of the healthiest Nutella cookies ever that practically any picky eater can eat! Plus, all the healthy oils in your cookie need time to harden up a bit and stabilize your cookie eating experience.

Did I mention they come out to about 55 calories a cookie?

Oh yeah.

Do you like Nutella? When was the first time you tried it?