Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then stir in the date paste and vanilla to form dough. Keep stirring until a soft cookie-dough texture is achieved. Roll into 10 balls. Place on a cookie tray and press down to flatten slightly. Bake for 11 minutes. They will look underdone. Remove from the oven anyway, and let them cool completely on the baking sheet to firm up.