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!

Overhead image of baked date cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts.
Made with chocolate chips, dates, walnuts, and oats, these Date Cookies are all you could ever want in a sweet treat!

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. 
A date cookie topped with sea salt with a bite missing.
Don’t forget to top your Date Cookies with an extra sprinkle of salt!

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! 

  1. Prepare. Preheat your oven, and grease a baking sheet
  2. Whisk the Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together until smooth. 
  3. 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. 
  4. Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients, and stir just until they’re combined. 
  5. Add the Mix-Ins. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, dates, and walnuts until they’re well incorporated throughout the cookie dough. 
  6. Bake. Scoop the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet. Place them in the oven just until the edges are a light golden brown color. 
  7. Cool. Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, and enjoy! 
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Close up image of a chewy date cookie with chocolate chips and walnuts split in half.
Keep a batch of Date Cookie dough in the fridge or freezer.

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
A stack of three golden date cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts on top of each other.
Prepare this easy Date Cookie recipe for holiday parties, bake sales, and afternoon treats.

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

Do dates ever go bad? 

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. 

Why are my date cookies hard? 

The most common reason for your cookies to turn out hard is either that the batter was overmixed or the cookies were overbaked. 

Can I make these cookies gluten-free? 

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!

Overhead image of chewy date cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts.

Date Cookies Recipe with Chocolate Chips and Walnuts

5 from 2 votes
Author: Food Dolls
Servings: 24 cookies
Prep: 10 minutes
Discover your new favorite dessert with this soft, chewy, and sweet homemade Chocolate Chip Walnut Date Cookies recipe!

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

1 Electric Mixer
1 1/4 Measuring Cup or Cookie Scoop

Notes

Make Ahead: The prepared dough can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Or, roll it into a log, and keep it frozen for up to 4 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 176IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe?Please leave a comment!

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Meet Alia & Radwa

Welcome to Food Dolls! We’re so glad you found us. We are Alia and Radwa, sisters who want to share simple and easy recipes with you. We hope you find recipes here that you enjoy making as much as we do! Learn more about us!

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