Our quick and easy Date Cookies recipe is the perfect fusion of classic chocolate chip cookies and wholesome oatmeal cookies, all with a delightful Middle Eastern-inspired twist. Sweet and chewy dates, decadent chocolate chips, and crunchy walnuts are all nestled in a soft, buttery cookie dough. It’s a mouthwatering combination that’s hard to resist!
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Chewy and sweet, these date cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts are a staple on our dessert table at all our holiday gatherings. However, they’re so tasty that we find ourselves making them all year long! They’ve got everything you could ever want in a cookie and then some.
Plus, they’re easy to make and great for gifting. Honestly, we can’t say enough good things. You’ll just have to try them and see for yourself.
What Are Date Cookies?
Date cookies are essentially a mashup of chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies with a sprinkling of chopped dates mixed in. As a result, they’re soft, chewy, crunchy, and sweet! Even better, they come together with simple ingredients and are super easy to make.
Why You’ll Love This Date Cookie Recipe
- Every cookie is loaded with a symphony of tastes and textures.
- The batter comes together with pantry staple ingredients.
- They bake in less than 15 minutes.
- One batch makes enough to feed a crowd for parties, bake sales, and more.
What You’ll Need
The base of the dough comes together with simple baking staples you probably already have on hand. However, the mix-ins are what truly sets this recipe apart making it even better than your local bakery’s cookies. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour – All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough, providing structure.
- Oats – Rolled oats are added to the batter for a satisfying, chewy texture.
- Baking Staples – Baking soda, kosher salt, and vanilla extract are included to enhance the taste and texture of the cookies.
- Butter – Unsalted butter creates a richer flavor and helps the cookies rise in the oven.
- Sugar – A combination of light brown sugar and organic cane sugar is used to sweeten the cookie dough while keeping it moist.
- Eggs – One egg and one egg yolk are included to provide structure to the cookies while enriching the flavor.
- Mix-Ins – The true stars of the show, Medjool dates, walnuts, and dark chocolate chips are what make these Date Cookies shine. Don’t forget to add a sprinkle of sea salt for garnish, too!
How to Make the Best Date Cookies Recipe
This is a pretty standard cookie recipe. Follow the steps below, and it’ll be ready in no time, leaving your whole house smelling like a bakery!
- Prepare. Preheat your oven, and grease a baking sheet.
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until smooth.
- Cream the Wet Ingredients. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter, brown sugar, and cane sugar until smooth. Add the egg, and beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add the egg yolk and vanilla, and beat one more time until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir just until they’re combined.
- Add the Mix-Ins. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, dates, and walnuts until they’re well incorporated throughout the cookie dough.
- Bake. Scoop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Place them in the oven just until the edges are a light golden brown color.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy!
Baking Tips
- Use Fresh Dates. Use fresh, soft dates so that your cookies are sweet and chewy. If they’ve gone a bit hard, heat them in a bowl of water in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Or, heat them in water in a small pan on the stovetop until soft.
- Avoid Overmixing. Combine all the ingredients just until the dough is smooth and no streaks remain. Continuing to overmix will result in dense, tough cookies.
- Portion and Space the Dough. Date Cookies spread as they bake. So, we recommend using a measuring cup or cookie scoop to portion the dough into ¼ cup balls and spacing them out on the baking sheet.
- Don’t Overbake! Keep a close eye on your cookies as they bake, and pull them out of the oven as soon as the edges begin to turn golden brown. They may look a little underdone, but they’ll continue to bake and set as they cool.
Flavor Variations
Because they’re so simple, these homemade date cookies can easily be customized with various flavors and mix-ins. Once you’ve got the base of the batter, try incorporating different mix-ins like:
- Dried raisins or cherries instead of dates
- Different chopped nuts like pecans or almonds
- White or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Unsweetened coconut flakes
How to Store
This cate cookies recipe is great to prepare in advance and keep on hand whenever a craving strikes!
- Make Ahead: Store the cookie dough covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or, roll it into a log, wrap it up in clingwrap and foil, and keep it frozen for up to 4 months! To enjoy, thaw it in the fridge overnight, or bake it straight from frozen. Just add a few extra minutes of cooking time.
- Room Temperature: Once baked and cooled, leftover Date Cookies can be transferred to a sealable bag or airtight container and stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to 5-7 days.
Common Questions About Date Cookies
Yes! Dates have a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature for at least 1 month. However, when kept in the fridge or freezer, they will stay fresh for up to a year if not longer. The most obvious sign of dates that have gone bad is the presence of mold or bugs.
The most common reason for your cookies to turn out hard is either that the batter was overmixed or the cookies were overbaked.
Sure, just swap out the flour with a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour, and make sure to use oats that are from a certified gluten-free facility.
More Tasty Cookie Recipes
If you love these date Cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts, as much as we do you might also fall head over heels for more of our scrumptious cookie recipes. Take a peek at some of our favorites below!
- Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Toffee Cookies
- Copycat Crumbl Mom’s Cookies
- Monster Cookies
Date Cookies Recipe with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup Medjool dates pitted and chopped
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- Optional: sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a cookie sheet, and set aside.
- In a bowl, add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream until smooth. Add the egg, and beat again to combine.
- Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, and beat again until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir just until the ingredients are combined and no streaks remain. NOTE: It is important not to overmix! Otherwise, the cookies may not turn out soft and chewy.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, dates, and walnuts.
- Using a ¼ measuring cup, portion the dough into balls, rolling them between two palms.
- Add the dough to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.
- Bake 11-12 minutes or just until the edges begin to turn a light golden brown. It’s okay if the center sill looks a little gooey!
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days.
Equipment
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe it’s amazing ! I’ve done that cookies about 6 times because they’re very quick, healthy and always well done without any problems. Love this website and your recipes 🫶🍪🍪🍪
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you, Kinga! 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
We really enjoyed the date chocolate chip with walnuts cookies. However, please, please make the recipe easier to find and easier to print. I have tried to get the recipe and print it for more than a half hour.
Hi Carol,
We’re sorry to hear this! What made it difficult to find? We’re always open to feedback on how to improve reader experience!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa