Oatmeal Date Cookies (vegan + gf)

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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.

Oatmeal date cookies leaning on each other on a baking sheet.

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.

Twelve oatmeal date cookies lined up in rows on a baking sheet

Ingredients in Oatmeal Date Cookies

  • rolled old fashioned oats
  • oat flour – store-bought or homemade oat flour
  • coconut sugar
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • sea salt
  • flax egg – 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons of water
  • maple syrup
  • coconut oil
  • vanilla
  • Medjool dates
  • walnuts
Oatmeal date cookies on a white plate.

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!

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3.91 from 63 votes

Oatmeal Date Cookies

These delicious oatmeal date cookies are easy to whip up and have the perfect texture — crispy edges with a a soft and chewy center!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 20

Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons oat flour
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 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

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g

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

Additional Info

Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: oatmeal date cookies
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

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86 Comments

  1. Hey there!! I was wondering for the coconut Blossom can you use honey instead?? Just a question I love all your recipes!!!!

    1. Hey Natalie – Do you mean coconut sugar? I wouldn’t swap honey with the coconut sugar as you’d be swapping a dry sugar for a liquid one and it might cause the cookies to be too wet.

  2. 2 stars
    I was so looking forward to these cookies. However, my husband and I both found that they tasted much too salty, unfortunately to the point of being inedible. Other recipes I have for oatmeal cookies call for almost half the amount of baking soda, and no baking powder. I usually follow a new recipe as it’s written the first time, but if I make these again, I’ll be making a number of adjustments.

    1. Hey Kate – Sorry to hear that. Did you just add 1/4 tsp of salt? I’ve made these cookies many times and haven’t had issues with them being overly salty!

  3. 5 stars
    Amazing as usual. My family including my toddler enjoyed this snack so much!
    Thanks so much and keep the good work 👍🏻

    1. Yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Fatima! So glad everyone loved these cookies. Thanks for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me!

    1. I haven’t tried it in this recipe, so I’m not sure how the cookies will turn out with a flax egg. Let me know if you try it!

  4. 5 stars
    We LOVED these. The flavor of sweet & a tiny bit salty were a perfect combo with the hardy oats and delicious walnuts. I made them exactly as the recipe called for, chilled fully and they turned out just like the photo. Plus, the house smelled so delicious on this cold, Fall night. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Woo!! So pumped to hear these oatmeal date cookies were a success, Lee Anne. Thanks so much for trying the recipe out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  5. 5 stars
    Made these today ad they turned out perfect! Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside! I added some mixed spice to them for added flavour. Delicious!

    1. Woo! So glad to hear these were a hit for you, Meeta! The addition of mixed spices sounds delicious. Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  6. 5 stars
    I didn’t use the flax egg, and I doubled the recipe and added in a little bit of my swerve Brown sugar to help double the Maple syrup. This recipe is so good, I was trying to find something to make for my 16 month old that had more fiber and nutritious benefits to it Then just turkey sausage and eggs every morning. Plus it’s a healthier snack. II did I really wanted the fiber component of the oats and the dates So I was happy when I stumbled upon this recipe. Super moist and crunchy exterior . I have had no complaints out of My son.

    1. Yay! I’m so happy to hear this recipe worked out for you, Rebecca! Thanks for coming back to leave a review and star rating, I really appreciate it.

  7. Brittany! I love all your recipes but these didn’t turn out for me as cookies – they were very thin and spread into one mass. I think too much oil? The flavor is good; I’m going to use as granola instead.

    1. Mine did the same thing. I even added an extra flax egg the second time I made them to see if that would help. They still spread out. I wondered if it was too much oil or not enough time in the fridge??? idk

      1. Hi Kris – I am sorry to hear they didn’t work out as you had hoped. Did you change anything about the recipe?

        1. Like I said, I added an extra flax egg to see if that would help, but it didn’t. Maybe my ground flax seed was too finely ground and the flax egg didn’t gel enough? Idk My mom suggested leaving the dough in the fridge longer (at least an hour or up to overnight) to see if that will help. So, I may try that next time. They are very delicious otherwise.

  8. 5 stars
    These cookies were very good! I adjusted them a bit to my needs. I reduced the coconut sugar and maple syrup to a 1/4 cup each, used a chia egg instead, and added 1 tsp cinnamon.

  9. 5 stars
    Love these! I kept making these and a texture would turn out all wrong, so I figured if they won’t come out right I might as well skip all the complicating steps like mixing the ingredients in separate bowls, making the “egg”, melting coconut oil beforehand, and chilling the dough … And they came out perfect. Just dump it all in a bowl, mix it, and toss it in the oven. It’ll come out perfect.

    1. Glad you found a technique that worked for you! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and share and leave me a review.