These soft and chewy Oatmeal Date Cookies are the perfect blend of wholesome oats, sweet dates, and the rich, nutty flavor of coconut.
If you love this recipe, you also love my Chewy Chocolate Dipped Oatmeal Cookies and Date Pinwheel Cookies.
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Once upon a time, I was the lucky recipient of an 11 pound box of dates from the extremely generous owner of a local produce market. As I lugged the box back to my car, I really had no idea what I’d do with them.
On my quest for date recipes, this Oatmeal Date Cookie recipe was sent my way and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I knew from the list of ingredients that this recipe would be a winner and boy was I right! These cookies are insanely good.
The dates just melt into the cookie as they bake and give them a sweet, chewy goodness. The addition of chopped walnuts and coconut add flavor and additional texture. And, I was thrilled with how they kept their shape after baking and stay incredibly moist and chewy for days.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, quick cooking or old fashioned oats.
- Sugar: Both granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Wet ingredients: An egg and pure vanilla extract.
- Dates: You can use any variety of dates but I love large, soft Medjool dates for baking.
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts.
- Coconut: Sweetened flaked coconut adds such great flavor to these cookies!
How to Make Oatmeal Date Cookies
- Butter and sugar mixture: Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Dry ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined.
- Remaining ingredients: In a separate small bowl, combine the oats, dates, walnuts, and coconut.
- Finish the dough: Add the oat and date mixture and mix it into the dough until well combined.
- Scoop: Use a small cookie scoop to scoop the dough and then transfer it to your hands and roll into a neat ball. Place the balls on a parchment paper lined or ungreased baking sheet leaving a couple of inches in between each cookie.
- Bake: Bake the cookies at 375 degrees F for 8 to 9 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes then transfer them to a wire rack too cool completely.
Storage Tips
This recipe makes enough to share with friends, neighbors, co-workers, postal workers, your kids’ teachers, the gardener, random people passing by your house. You get the point.
Even if you decide to keep them all to yourself, I predict they won’t last long. Just be sure to follow the storage tips below to keep them at their best.
Room Temperature: Allow your Oatmeal Date Cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before storing. This prevents condensation inside the airtight storage container, which can make the cookies soggy. These cookies are best stored at room temperature in a cool, dry place.
Freezing: For longer storage, these cookies freeze well. Place the cookies in an airtight container or resealable plastic bags and store them in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature.
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Oatmeal Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups oats, quick cooking or old fashioned
- 1 cup dates, chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or leave the baking sheet ungreased).
- Cream the butter and sugars with a hand mixer or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the oatmeal, dates, walnuts, and coconut. Add to dough butter/sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop a heaping tablespoon of the dough, use your hands to roll the dough into a neat ball, and place it the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between each ball of dough.
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
Adapted from Off the Meat Hook
This post was originally published on May 22, 2012. It has been updated with new text and images.
AND I almost forgot——I used PECANS in place of walnuts because I love pecans! :):)
OMG!!!! I just made these & just ate the first one! They are DELICIOUS & one of the BEST cookies that I have ever made!! My husband will LOVE them when he gets home from golfing! :):) I made 3 small changes–I used the chopped dates from the store, flattened the cookies slightly with a fork before I baked them & baked them for 10 minutes. PERFECT! Thank you Valerie for a GREAT cookie recipe! Becky
I’m so glad to hear that you like them Becky! We love them too 🙂
Date cookies?! What a novel idea!! I have never had date cookies, though we use a lot of dates in our desserts. The tough fiber of dates can be a challenge to work with, but you have made it look so simple and yummy!
Wow – 11 lbs of dates! I want to shop where you shop, haha!
This recipe sounds great! I’ve never tried dates in cookies, but love date-nut breads and the like.
Probably my most common use for dates is to sweeten things, especially if I’m making raw/vegan desserts. They make a great thick paste, with the perfect level of sweetness! In fact, I just used them in the last recipe I made, haha! Always have them on hand. 🙂
They are super sweet and would work great in vegan desserts!
What a great bunch of flavors combined to create an awesome cookie! These look so good, Valerie!
I’ve actually never tried dates in cookie form but I really want to give it a try now!
What a sweet surprise! I would be stumped for ways to use 11lb too. These cookies look fantastic. I love the nice thick ones.
They are going surprisingly fast. We have shared some with friends and family and it’s been fun to try them in different recipes.
Love the coconut-date combination. They look absolutely divine, Valerie!
Really random people passing by your house too? I’ll be there! =D These date cookies look so good, and wow you are really lucky to receive the dates from the store owner!
These look so good. I love dates but rarely cook with them. Must change that. Man I want to shop with you, score some free stuff. How lucky!
I never bake with dates! Though I love date nut bread… I’ve never thought to make anything but that! This looks like a yummy cookie!
I love dates! I think they are completely under-used, they go so well in sweet and savory dishes. Great cookies 🙂