If you're a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, you'll love these soft and chewy Oatmeal Date Cookies with a healthier twist. They're packed with hearty oats, crunchy pecans, and the natural sweetness of dates. They're freezer-friendly and customizable and as nutritious as they are delicious!
My three boys devoured these wholesome cookies and I felt good so about what they were eating. You could also add a tablespoon or two of Brewer's yeast to add even more nutrition, making these the perfect lactation cookie.
For more nourishing and delicious snacks try my Matcha Tea Cookies, Chocolate Haystack Cookies, Date Sweetened Cookies and Rice Cake Chocolate Bars.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Packed with nutritious ingredients
- Kid friendly! (Just like my Rice Cake Chocolate Bars!)
- Naturally sweetened
- Freezer friendly
- Recipe makes over 2 dozen cookies!
- Make the cookie dough ahead of time and freeze the dough balls so you can have freshly baked cookies anytime!
Ingredients
- Sugar - I've tested this recipe with both brown sugar and coconut sugar with success.
- Oats - choose large flake or "old fashioned"
- Pecans - or swap for walnuts if you prefer!
- Molasses - choose "fancy" or light molasses
- Medjool dates - or Deglet Noor dates would also work well in this case.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Pecans: Instead of pecans, try using chopped almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or macadamia nuts for flavor variation.
- Dates: Swap out Medjool dates with alternatives like Deglet Noor dates or Barhi dates.
- Peanut Butter Cookies: For a flavorful variation, replace half of the butter called for in the recipe with creamy peanut butter.
- Lactation Cookie: You could also add a tablespoon or two of Brewer's yeast to add even more nutrition, making these the perfect lactation cookie.
I have not experimented with any other substitutions or alterations for this recipe. If you decide to make any changes by adding or substituting ingredients, I would love it if you could share your results with us by leaving a comment below.
How To Make Chewy Oatmeal Date Cookies
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this recipe.
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the molasses and vanilla, combining well.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients and combine wet and dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the rolled oats, until evenly mixed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Gently fold in the chopped dates and pecans. Do not overmix.
Step 3: Preheat oven and chill the dough. Shape the cookie dough balls.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). If your dough seems soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling your cookies.
Using about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add a few chopped dates to the top of each cookie for appearance if desired.
Step 4: Bake the cookies.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are lightly golden around the edges but still slightly soft in the centre. (It takes closer to 12 minutes in my oven.) Enjoy! (This recipe makes about 24-26 cookies.)
Expert Tips
- Measure the flour carefully and accurately. The best way to do this is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Use light or "fancy" molasses. It's best for cookies.
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature.
- Purchase plump, moist dates. If the dates you have are slightly dry, you can soak them in warm water for a few minutes to rehydrate them before chopping and adding to the dough. Just be sure to remove all excess water.
- If the finished dough is soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Add a few bits of dates to the top of the cookies before baking for a finishing touch.
- Keep a close eye on the cookies as they bake, especially towards the end of the baking time. Remove them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden brown for soft, chewy cookies.
- For perfectly round cookies: place a round cookie cutter (or large drinking glass) that is slightly bigger than the cookies over each individual cookie while they're still warm and move the cookie around in a circular motion until the sides of the cookie are perfectly rounded.
Recipe FAQs
Dates are a natural sweetener and can often replace refined sugar in a recipe. They are high in fibre and antioxidants and contain a small amount of protein. 100 g of dates contain 7 grams of fibre and 2 grams of protein. They also contain significant amounts of potassium, copper, manganese and magnesium along with a small amount of iron.
Store the completely cooled cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
While Medjool dates are a popular choice for baking due to their rich, caramel-like flavor and soft texture, there are other varieties of dates you can experiment with in this recipe like Deglet Noor dates and Barhi dates.
Yes, you can omit the pecans if you have allergies or prefer nut-free cookies. You can replace them with additional chopped dates or other mix-ins like chocolate chips or dried cranberries.
If you tried this Date Cookies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon molasses
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups dates chopped
- 1 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
- Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the molasses and vanilla, combining well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the rolled oats, until evenly mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped dates and pecans. Do not overmix.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). If your dough seems soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling your cookies.
- Using about 3 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add a few chopped dates to the top of each cookie for appearance if desired.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are lightly golden around the edges but still slightly soft in the centre. (It takes closer to 12 minutes in my oven.)Enjoy! (This recipe makes about 24-26 cookies.)
Notes
- Measure the flour carefully and accurately. The best way to do this is to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Use light or "fancy" molasses. It's best for cookies.
- Make sure your butter and eggs are at room temperature.
- Purchase plump, moist dates. If the dates you have are slightly dry, you can soak them in warm water for a few minutes to rehydrate them before chopping and adding to the dough. Just be sure to remove all excess water.
- If the finished dough is soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling into balls.
- Add a few bits of dates to the top of the cookies before baking for a finishing touch.
- Keep a close eye on the cookies as they bake, especially towards the end of the baking time. Remove them from the oven when the edges are lightly golden brown for soft, chewy cookies.
- For perfectly round cookies: place a round cookie cutter (or large drinking glass) that is slightly bigger than the cookies over each individual cookie while they're still warm and move the cookie around in a circular motion until the sides of the cookie are perfectly rounded.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I aim to respond to every single comment. I am so grateful when you trust me and try one of my recipe creations in your own kitchen. I love to hear how it went! Let’s connect on Instagram and tag me in your food pics!
‘Til next time,
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