These delicious oatmeal date cookies are easy to whip up and have the perfect texture — crispy edges with a a soft and chewy center! Vegan + gluten-free.
My obsession with Medjool dates continues… this time in cookie form.
I’ve always enjoyed eating and cooking with dates. It’s kind of a problem, but not really because most of my creations turn out to be delicious. Some of my faves are my 4-ingredient samoas, snickers stuffed dates, date-based energy balls and now these cookies.
Before I go any further I have to tell you that we (me, Isaac and everyone who’s tried them) are obsessed with these cookies. I’ve already made two batches and I’m considering making a third for Thanksgiving Day.
Adding Dates to Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies have always been one of my favorites. I’ve made them many, many times — sometimes with raisins, other times with chocolate chips or coconut, but never with dates. Turns out adding dates to oatmeal cookies is a genius idea! The dates get soft and caramely after baking and every bite that contains a date is literally the best.
Also, the texture of these cookies is basically perfect! Trust me on this… or make these cookies and find out for yourself how tasty they are.
flax egg – 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water
maple syrup
coconut oil
vanilla
Medjool dates
walnuts
How to Make Oatmeal Date Cookies
Make flax egg – Whisk together ground flaxseed with water in a small bowl to make your flax egg. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until it thickens.
Mix dry ingredients – Combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Mix wet ingredients – In another bowl combine flaxseed egg, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla.
Combine the dough – Add wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in chopped dates and walnuts.
Place dough in fridge – Place dough in the fridge to setup for 30 minutes. Whatever you do, don’t skip this step!! It will result in cookies that spread too much while baking.
Bake – After dough has set in the fridge, drop round tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure you space the cookies out because they tend to spread a bit. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown at 350° F.
Cool – Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes then gently move to a wire rack and cool completely before eating or transferring to a storage container for later. Store cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
Love Oatmeal Cookies? Try These Other Varieties Too!
If you try these oatmeal date cookies, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how they turned out! Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers.
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped Medjool dates
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a small bowl whisk together ground flaxseed with water to make your flax egg and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients — oats, oat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl combine the wet ingredients — flaxseed egg, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in the chopped dates and walnuts.
Place dough in the fridge to setup for 30 minutes (do not skip this step).
Drop rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking stone. Make sure you space the cookies out because they tend to spread a bit. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes then gently move to a wire rack and cool completely before eating or transferring to a storage container for later. Store cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
You can buy oat flour or make your own oat flour by blending regular oats in a blender or food processor until they create a fine flour.
I used all the same ingredients except the coconut oil, I used butter, which may have been why they spread so much. I put the batter in the fridge for 30mins before baking. I put the required amount of baking powder and baking soda, but it made the cookies bitter and have a terrible after taste. I thought maybe I was just sensitive to the flavour but 2 others tried them and they said the same thing. I am an avid baker so was really disappointed.
I used all the same ingredients except the coconut oil, I used butter, which may have been why they spread so much. I put the batter in the fridge for 30mins before baking. I put the required amount of baking powder and baking soda, but it made the cookies bitter and have a terrible after taste. I thought maybe I was just sensitive to the flavour but 2 others tried them and they said the same thing. I am an avid baker so was really disappointed.
I made these for my kids and I “accidentally” ate most of them! I don’t think I should make these again because they are too delicious! I will definitely have to limit myself to one a day if I make them again.So good!
Haha love it!! So glad these cookies were a hit! Might need to make a double batch next time! And you could always store some in the freezer to limit how many are consumed. 🙂
I loved the oatmeal date cookies. They were delicious!!!
I made them two weeks ago and am going to make them again tomorrow. Thank you very much for an amazing recipe.
Ahh yay!! You’re so welcome, Natalie. I’m glad you’re loving these cookies. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
If I don’t have coconut sugar, would it be better to use brown sugar or regular cane sugar? And would the same amount be appropriate? I realize it’s not as healthy, but I’m trying to work with what I have on hand!
Made these today, except I didn’t have a blender or oat flour, so I used quick oats for the “oat flour.” A bit chewier and very oaty (which I prefer), but overall turned out amazing!! So good.
hi hi
this is a general comment — i haven’t tried these cookies yet. Am new to your site. I am looking at the amazing videos of amazing foods but! you don’t name the different videos so it is taking me quite a bit of time to figure out how to search for them and find the recipe. Anything to do about that? They all look great… would like to try a lot of them!
I love these cookies but haven’t made them in a year or two. I don’t remember having to make a flax egg the last time I made them- they always turned out great. Have you updated the recipe recently? Thanks!
I make these cookies all of the time and my family fights over them. They definitely are crumbly- but I love it. Especially over a bowl of vanilla ice cream. DROOL.
I am currently making them with dried plums/prunes because I didn’t have dates and I expect them to be just as good.
I always add cinnamon and a bit of coconut flakes 🙂
Ohh I’m sure they’ll be delicious with the dried plums/prunes instead of the dates. I’m so glad that these cookies are a hit with your family, Sarah! I really appreciate you coming back to leave a comment. <3
Made these cookies several time and have decided they will always be my vegan base moving forward! The dates make it taste wonderful, I mince them so it gives a ‘brown sugar’ richness you’re more used to for a normal cookie.
The key is following the directions for the flax egg and refrigerating the dough. I’ve swapped the walnuts for pecans and chocolate chips and added dried fruit and chia seeds and everyone who eats them asks for the recipe.
Why would you tell someone to preheat the oven at the first step when you need to put the dough in the fridge for 30 mins? sorry.. that kinda annoyed me. Might want to change preheating the oven to the 5th step instead of the first. Anyways.. Thanks for the recipe.
I followed instructions precisely, however, it didn’t work out as expected. The cookie dough spread across the whole pan when baked, and when I tried to cut the “cookie pizza”, it was extremely crumbly and started breaking. I assume that there was no binding ingredient included, which would explain the result. It also tasted too sweet for my taste, but maybe that’s just me 🙂 no matter what, thank you for the recipe! I am determined to try them once again, only include more flour, egg or flax seeds to keep the cookies from breaking.
I left the comment for these cookies on the page of the other oatmeal cookie recipe. Hopefully you can move it over to this recipe. These cookies are AMAZING!!!
These cookies are delicious! I alter them slightly. I omit the coconut sugar, add a couple chia eggs to help bind and add some sunflower seeds. I also create a combo of oat, almond and buckwheat flour to add some variety. Everyone loves them! My 2 year old could eat the whole tray!
Just made these and WOW! They are AMAZING! I can’t get over how delicious they are! Like the other comments have said, my house smells so good now, too. I did find that the cookies did not hold together very well and many fell apart, so I’ve stuck them into the freezer in hopes of saving them. Nonetheless, I’ll definitely be making these again! Thank you for the great recipe!
These are pretty awesome! The first batch I made was a bit wet and did spread quit a bit. I used the same ingredients, except omitted the nuts since I have some nut allergies. And they were so sweet. I admit to eating alot of the batter…so good.
I made them again this morning and added an additional 1/2 cup of oat flour. So 1 1/4 altogether. I may have put in one too many dates on the last batch, so I only put in 2 instead of three this time. These did not spread onto the whole pan like last time and look alot more like cookies and have that wonderful flavor. Next time I might add a bit of cinnamon to entice my son into having a few.
I was searching through old recipes I’ve saved because I was in the mood to bake and wanted a sweet treat and came across this recipe. So glad I was reminded of it! I made it multiple times last fall and it is a winner for sure. They are making my apartment smell delightful 🙂 Thanks!
I just made these but my batter was extremely runny. They all joined together and made a huge pizza. It’s ok I am going to cut them into squares because they are so good! But I subbed almond flour for oat flour, could that be why they were runny?
Ahh! I’m sorry you had issues with the recipe. I think it was probably a combination of using almond flour instead of oat flour and the honey. Hopefully they still tasted yummy. 🙂
Delicious! These are cooling on the tray now.. minus three more than when they were taken out. I subbed 1/3 cup mashed banana (1 small ripe banana worked perfectly) for the maple syrup and 1-1 xylitol for the sugar. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. It actually made 21 cookies for me and they’re simply amazing <3 I'm not a huge nut person, let alone walnuts… but this is just awesome. I had some left over from a loaf I'd done for Thanksgiving and decided to throw them in.
Watch out though, I could've eaten the whole thing of dough before even baking it!
I had the same problem . I mixed 1.5 T ground flaxseed with 3 T water let it sit for about five minutes and mixed it in at the end. I would probably mix it with the wet ingredients next time.
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I used all the same ingredients except the coconut oil, I used butter, which may have been why they spread so much. I put the batter in the fridge for 30mins before baking. I put the required amount of baking powder and baking soda, but it made the cookies bitter and have a terrible after taste. I thought maybe I was just sensitive to the flavour but 2 others tried them and they said the same thing. I am an avid baker so was really disappointed.
The taste of baking powder is overwhelming.
★
I used all the same ingredients except the coconut oil, I used butter, which may have been why they spread so much. I put the batter in the fridge for 30mins before baking. I put the required amount of baking powder and baking soda, but it made the cookies bitter and have a terrible after taste. I thought maybe I was just sensitive to the flavour but 2 others tried them and they said the same thing. I am an avid baker so was really disappointed.
Oh no!! So sorry to hear that, Mel. Did you change anything about the recipe? And you used 2 teaspoons or baking powder, right?
I made these for my kids and I “accidentally” ate most of them! I don’t think I should make these again because they are too delicious! I will definitely have to limit myself to one a day if I make them again.So good!
★★★★★
Haha love it!! So glad these cookies were a hit! Might need to make a double batch next time! And you could always store some in the freezer to limit how many are consumed. 🙂
I loved the oatmeal date cookies. They were delicious!!!
I made them two weeks ago and am going to make them again tomorrow. Thank you very much for an amazing recipe.
★★★★★
Ahh yay!! You’re so welcome, Natalie. I’m glad you’re loving these cookies. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
is it okay if I use canola oil instead of coconut oil? these look awesome
Hey Isa – Canola oil should work just fine. Let me know how these turn out for you!
they turned out great! Thank you so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that, Isa. 🙂
If I don’t have coconut sugar, would it be better to use brown sugar or regular cane sugar? And would the same amount be appropriate? I realize it’s not as healthy, but I’m trying to work with what I have on hand!
I’d use brown sugar instead of the coconut sugar and the amount amount. Let me know how they turn out for you.
Made these today, except I didn’t have a blender or oat flour, so I used quick oats for the “oat flour.” A bit chewier and very oaty (which I prefer), but overall turned out amazing!! So good.
★★★★★
So glad these cookies turned out for you, Madeline! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
hi hi
this is a general comment — i haven’t tried these cookies yet. Am new to your site. I am looking at the amazing videos of amazing foods but! you don’t name the different videos so it is taking me quite a bit of time to figure out how to search for them and find the recipe. Anything to do about that? They all look great… would like to try a lot of them!
Hey Mira – I don’t have videos for all my recipes. Is there a specific type of recipe you’re looking for?
My husband loves these cookies, thank you so much for sharing.
★★★★★
I love these cookies but haven’t made them in a year or two. I don’t remember having to make a flax egg the last time I made them- they always turned out great. Have you updated the recipe recently? Thanks!
Hey Kim! I don’t think so! You can still definitely use a regular egg instead of the flax egg though. 🙂
I make these cookies all of the time and my family fights over them. They definitely are crumbly- but I love it. Especially over a bowl of vanilla ice cream. DROOL.
I am currently making them with dried plums/prunes because I didn’t have dates and I expect them to be just as good.
I always add cinnamon and a bit of coconut flakes 🙂
Ohh I’m sure they’ll be delicious with the dried plums/prunes instead of the dates. I’m so glad that these cookies are a hit with your family, Sarah! I really appreciate you coming back to leave a comment. <3
These look great. How do you measure your oat flour? I’ve noticed that it can change between recipes. 🙂
Man people in the comments sure are ornery!
Made these cookies several time and have decided they will always be my vegan base moving forward! The dates make it taste wonderful, I mince them so it gives a ‘brown sugar’ richness you’re more used to for a normal cookie.
The key is following the directions for the flax egg and refrigerating the dough. I’ve swapped the walnuts for pecans and chocolate chips and added dried fruit and chia seeds and everyone who eats them asks for the recipe.
Just read the directions and adjust from there 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Nicole. I’m so happy to hear that you love these cookies as much as I do! Aren’t the dates amazing in the cookies?!?
Why would you tell someone to preheat the oven at the first step when you need to put the dough in the fridge for 30 mins? sorry.. that kinda annoyed me. Might want to change preheating the oven to the 5th step instead of the first. Anyways.. Thanks for the recipe.
I followed instructions precisely, however, it didn’t work out as expected. The cookie dough spread across the whole pan when baked, and when I tried to cut the “cookie pizza”, it was extremely crumbly and started breaking. I assume that there was no binding ingredient included, which would explain the result. It also tasted too sweet for my taste, but maybe that’s just me 🙂 no matter what, thank you for the recipe! I am determined to try them once again, only include more flour, egg or flax seeds to keep the cookies from breaking.
★★
I left the comment for these cookies on the page of the other oatmeal cookie recipe. Hopefully you can move it over to this recipe. These cookies are AMAZING!!!
★★★★★
No worries, Jen. I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these cookies. 🙂
These cookies are delicious! I alter them slightly. I omit the coconut sugar, add a couple chia eggs to help bind and add some sunflower seeds. I also create a combo of oat, almond and buckwheat flour to add some variety. Everyone loves them! My 2 year old could eat the whole tray!
Just made these and WOW! They are AMAZING! I can’t get over how delicious they are! Like the other comments have said, my house smells so good now, too. I did find that the cookies did not hold together very well and many fell apart, so I’ve stuck them into the freezer in hopes of saving them. Nonetheless, I’ll definitely be making these again! Thank you for the great recipe!
These are pretty awesome! The first batch I made was a bit wet and did spread quit a bit. I used the same ingredients, except omitted the nuts since I have some nut allergies. And they were so sweet. I admit to eating alot of the batter…so good.
I made them again this morning and added an additional 1/2 cup of oat flour. So 1 1/4 altogether. I may have put in one too many dates on the last batch, so I only put in 2 instead of three this time. These did not spread onto the whole pan like last time and look alot more like cookies and have that wonderful flavor. Next time I might add a bit of cinnamon to entice my son into having a few.
Absolutely Delicious!!
I was searching through old recipes I’ve saved because I was in the mood to bake and wanted a sweet treat and came across this recipe. So glad I was reminded of it! I made it multiple times last fall and it is a winner for sure. They are making my apartment smell delightful 🙂 Thanks!
this recipe is awesome! i prefer to under bake the cookies so it stays a bit chewy in the middle. thanks for sharing 🙂
So glad that you like them, Stella. Enjoy the chewiness. 🙂
I just made these but my batter was extremely runny. They all joined together and made a huge pizza. It’s ok I am going to cut them into squares because they are so good! But I subbed almond flour for oat flour, could that be why they were runny?
same exact thing happened to me but they still tasted delicious
Oh no! I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as planned. Did you make any substitutions?
Disregard I discovered what it was. My honey use instead of sugar, my conversion was off. Thanks!
Ahh! I’m sorry you had issues with the recipe. I think it was probably a combination of using almond flour instead of oat flour and the honey. Hopefully they still tasted yummy. 🙂
I just made these. They’re incredible! Subbed cashews for walnuts.
Yay!!! Thank you so much for making them, Leah! Enjoy. <3
Delicious! These are cooling on the tray now.. minus three more than when they were taken out. I subbed 1/3 cup mashed banana (1 small ripe banana worked perfectly) for the maple syrup and 1-1 xylitol for the sugar. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. It actually made 21 cookies for me and they’re simply amazing <3 I'm not a huge nut person, let alone walnuts… but this is just awesome. I had some left over from a loaf I'd done for Thanksgiving and decided to throw them in.
Watch out though, I could've eaten the whole thing of dough before even baking it!
Making these now but the dough seems dry and crumbly. What could I add??
I had the same problem . I mixed 1.5 T ground flaxseed with 3 T water let it sit for about five minutes and mixed it in at the end. I would probably mix it with the wet ingredients next time.