These Delicious Date Cookies are Made for Sharing (2024)

These date cookies are soft, chewy, and sweet, with some extra crunch from chopped pecans. Drop cookies are super easy, too. All you have to do is mix, drop, and bake! If you love dates but don't have the time to make more time-consuming sandwich cookies or date bars, these are perfect.

The whole family will enjoy these cookies, and they are perfect for a sweet everyday treat or a special occasion. Add them to your Christmas cookie list, take them along to a bake sale, or share them with your coworkers—they're an excellent coffee break cookie. You can't go wrong with these delicious little cookies.

If you end up with too many cookies, save some for another day—baked cookies and unbaked cookie dough freeze beautifully.

"These easy cookies may become a new family favorite! The chewy dates add a fruity sweetness along with the crunch of the pecans. The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the dates, as they can easily stick to your knife. But they make a lovely addition to this tasty drop cookie." —Tracy Wilk

These Delicious Date Cookies are Made for Sharing (1)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

3 cups (374 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (106 grams) light brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs, room temperature
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1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces pitted dates, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted if desired

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk or stir to blend and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until smooth and blended.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed just until blended, then fold in the chopped dates and pecans. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
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Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookie mounds.
Bake the cookies until set and the edges are lightly browned, 10 to 14 minutes.
Let the cookies cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Tips

To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm tap water for about 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients.
For cookies, the dates should be soft and moist. If they are very dry and tough, try steaming them over simmering water for a few minutes, or until they absorb some of the steam.

Recipe Variations

Replace the chopped pecans with chopped walnuts.
Add warm spice flavor to the cookie dough with about 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

How to Store and Freeze

Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
To freeze the cookies, arrange them in an airtight container or zip-close freezer bag and freeze them for up to 6 months.
To freeze the unbaked date cookie dough, drop it onto the cookie sheets and, instead of baking, freeze the mounds of cookie dough until solid and then transfer them to a container with sheets of wax paper between layers. Freeze for up to 6 months.
To bake frozen unbaked cookies, arrange the frozen cookie mounds on the prepared baking sheet and let them stand at room temperature for about 45 minutes—bake in a preheated 350 F oven as directed.

Do dates ever go bad?

Yes, dates definitely can go bad! If you dates look moldy or smell bad, it's time to toss them.

Why are my cookies hard?

Drop cookies, sugar cookies, and refrigerator cookies can become tough if the dough is overmixed. After adding the dry ingredients, mix them just until the dough is blended, and fold extra ingredients in by hand.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
170	Calories
9g	Fat
21g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36
Amount per serving
Calories	170
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g	11%
Saturated Fat 4g	18%
Cholesterol 29mg	10%
Sodium 87mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 21g	8%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 13mg	1%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 82mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

cookies
dessert
american
back to school

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