These tasty oatmeal date cookies use the natural sweetness of dates rather than any added sugar to make a relatively healthy, easy and delicious treat.
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For a long time my son didn't have a particularly sweet tooth, other than fruit. Unlike quite a few kids, 'cookie' and 'cake' were not words early on in his language development. In fact he wouldn't even try his own cake on his second birthday. I have to admit being pretty glad, but also knew that realistically that would change, even with parents who are not hugely sweet-toothed.
And true enough, it now has. There's one coffee shop that I go to where he almost immediately asks "cookie?" and starts pointing at various things he would like. While I don't mind now and then, I would prefer it to not be too much of a habit.
In preparation of that becoming more common, I wanted to make cookies that didn't have too much, or any, sugar in them to feel better about the times he does have them. But for both him and me, they still need to taste good. After all, it's still being sold as a treat. And these tasty bites most certainly fit the bill.
Using natural sweeteners
Natural sweeteners are a great way to make some sweet treats that bit healthier. Honey is one option, but you can also use various fruits like apple (often in the form of applesauce) or banana. In this case, the sweetness comes from dates.
I use either medjool dates or dates that are semi-hydrated (often labelled as "soft and juicy"). While both do tend to be a little more expensive, they blend a lot easier without needing to soak the dates first. With soaking, you have the chance that
Here I have added oats for a bit of texture and a little cinnamon for flavor. Both are pretty natural partners to dates and work well. I debated adding vanilla and didn't, but I think I might try it next time as I am pretty sure it would also be good.
You may look at the recipe and say 'what, half an egg?' I know, it's a bit odd, but I prefer to make smaller quantities as we don't get through cookies all that quickly. Feel free, of course, to just double the recipe.
These cookies hardly melt and expand in the oven. As a result, I recommend you flatten them a bit before baking. On the up-side, you don't need to worry about leaving too much space between them.
These oatmeal date cookies are soft, flavorful and so tasty. They're not chewy or crunchy, so I guess it's almost verging into scone territory. But they look like and are sold as cookies in my house, and get both kid and grown up thumbs up. And that's good enough for me.
Try these other healthier cookies:
- Spiced maple oatmeal cookies (GF, vegan)
- Maple chestnut cookies (GF, vegan)
- Healthy apple oatmeal cookies
- Healthy cranberry apricot cookies (GF, vegan)
- Plus get more sweet and savory snack recipes in the archives.
Sugar-free oatmeal date cookies
Ingredients
- 4 oz medjool dates 110g, pitted weight - around ½ cup, well packed (see notes re alternative)
- 2 oz unsalted butter ½ stick/55g, softened to room temperature and cut into chunks
- ½ egg beaten
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour 46g plain flour
- ½ cup oats 45g, old fashioned rather than quick
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
- Roughly chop the dates and blend with the butter and egg (food processor works well).
- Add the remaining ingredients and either pulse a few times if using a food processor or stir until combined. If using food processor, you may need to stir at the end to get everything well-mixed.
- Take spoonfuls and roll slightly in your hand then put on a baking tray and flatten slightly.
- Bake for approximately 15mins until starting to brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Wafa
Can we substitute butter with coconut oil?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes you could.
jennifer akridge
Could you freeze the dough?
Caroline's Cooking
I haven't tried with these specifically, but I see no reason why not - I would form them, place on a lined baking sheet until they freeze then transfer to a container/freezer bag. Then place on a baking sheet and bake from frozen, adding a couple extra minutes.
cindie petersen
These are superb!
Caroline's Cooking
So glad to hear you enjoyed!
Jacqueline Stevens
Just the kind of thing I was looking for. As per your suggestion I used vanilla extract instead of cinnamon and they were delicious! Going to make some more and this time will make a double batch! Thank you very much for posting.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear you enjoyed! They're a favorite here too.
Carina
I don’t mean to be rude, but in my opinion, these cookies aren’t really that delicious. I followed the recepie exactly as described (with just an addition of 1 tbsp of stevia). Firstly, I think the baking time can be less than 15 minutes because half the batch of mine became burned in the edges, or maybe, make the cookies less flat. On the second batch I baked 12minutes, and they were better, but still the taste wasn’t great. To be honest, I don’t really reccomend this recipe. It’s not horrible, just, not delicious enough imo.
Caroline's Cooking
I appreciate you being polite in your honesty! Different people have different tastes, and I do find with lower sugar baking in particular, not everything works for everyone. The recipe does say approximately 15 minutes, as ovens can vary, plus it does say to just flatten slightly as you'll see in the photos, so it's always worth keeping a close eye once you near the time for any baking, just to be safe. I'm not sure what dates you use, but we've been liking these with the semi-dry deglat noor rather than medjool dates recently. Also some people like a little cinnamon and/or vanilla in there as well.
Evelin Ledebuhr
Instead of using dates, I used 1/2cup of date sugar (dried powdered dates). I added soaked chopped Craisens and soaked and rinsed chopped walnuts (Soak about 15 min. and rinse. It takes the bitterness out. Also, I used Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix instead of flour. A little maple syrup can be added for moisture and a little more sweetness. I used 2 Tablespoons. Bake 10 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
The batter was delicious the cookies were almost as delicious as the batter.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear you enjoyed, and like the idea of date sugar as an option for some of the dates in here (I think I would probably still want some actual dates too, though can see craisins or raisins working as an alternative, though note craisins are generally sweetened if that's something people are trying to avoid).
Nadine
Did anyone substitute peanut butter for butter and if so, how did they turn out?
Caroline's Cooking
This isn't something I have tried - would definitely give a different flavor and peanut butter doesn't behave quite the same way in baking, though these don't rely on it for texture as much as many cookies. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out.
Kris
These are delish! they lived up to my expectations. I'm avoiding added sugar, so these are quite nice as they only have the fruit as sweetener. I put the dates with egg and butter in a food processor to chop them, then put in the dry ingredients and pulsed to mix. Very easy!! I got 15 cookies when I measured them by rounded tablespoons.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear you enjoyed them! And yes adding the egg at the same time as the butter and dates is how I've started making them as well, and I've just recently updated to reflect that.
Kate
I am vegan so I made a few adjustments and it turned out great! I added a splash of soy milk in place of the eggs and about a 1/4 cup refined coconut oil instead of butter. Cream the dates and coconut oil first then add a slash of vanilla extract and splash of soy milk to the food processor and blend again till combined. The only other adjustment I made was I added a 1/4 tsp kosher salt to the flour/oat mixture before mixing in the wet ingredients. Then I baked them for 14 min.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad you enjoyed and I can definitely see coconut oil working well as the fat in there flavor-wise.
jessica teye mensah
How do you calculate the nutritional content please
Caroline's Cooking
The nutritional data is calculated using an external tool which uses a catalogue of data for the different ingredients, then the values you see is based on a serving, so in this case it is 1/12 of the overall mixture. I should note, however, that the values are estimates - different brands can vary slightly, as can measuring.
Amy
Yummy! I doubled it and added some lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon , salt, flaxseed, a doing of stevia powder and 2 oz more butter..they turned out great! (I used a mix of einkorn and par for the flour). Thanks for the great recipe!
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear they worked out well, and like the idea of the lemon/cinnamon/vanilla additions - they are definitely very easy to play around with flavors!
Mary
Hi! These look lovely. On the oats- did you just stir them in whole, or do you blend them up to make them more of a flour?
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks - I just stirred them in whole so they have a bit more texture, but you could blend them a little if you prefer.
Christine
Hi there, what if I don't have egg? What can I use to replace the egg?
Caroline's Cooking
There are a few things that can act as an egg replacement - you can make a "flax egg" using some flaxseed meal with a little water, the only thing is you will get a bit of the texture of the flax coming through. Other options, which will probably work better here, are either some applesauce or mashed banana. I'm afraid I don't know exactly how much, since I haven't tried, so I'd suggest just a small amount at first and see how the texture is.
Nikky
Not much taste. But easy and only a small batch. And healthy.
Caroline's Cooking
Sorry you felt that way, but I appreciate they are relatively plain - I do suggest a few ways to add different flavors above which you might like to try.
Deborah Kuhnen
I made these last week as I'm doing a 'no refined sugar' challenge for the month of February and that includes honey/maple syrup. These were perfect as a sweet treat. I doubled the recipe and used a tablespoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of ginger, 1/2 a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt and a handful of raisins.
We loved them!!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Great, glad they worked for you and enjoyed. They're definitely ones you can easily adapt, as you did, and I can see the spicing working well.
Deborah Kuhnen
I completely forgot to mention that I used oat flour in place of wheat flour to make these gluten-free and it worked perfectly.
I made them again last night and used buckwheat flour and they're equally good!
Thanks again 🙂
Chris Bailey
Thanks for posting about the oat flour, I have some in the pantry and was hoping to switch it out for the regular flour to make it gluten-free.
I'm about to try this recipe with the kids now!
Caroline's Cooking
Glad it helped, hope you all enjoy!
Ankita
Hi,
How long these cookies can last !
Caroline's Cooking
To be honest, they don't ever get long in our house so I can't say for sure, but since they don't have sugar as such which acts as a preservative, they don't keep as long as typical cookies. A couple days, if kept in a sealed container, should be OK.
Brandon Jones
This recipe is ok, it’s missing salt and vanilla! Please add! I also doubled the recipe
Caroline's Cooking
Things like salt and vanilla are a little to taste, and I do mention you can add if you like. If they work as additions for you, then great!
Het-P
I tried these today! I made the following modifications:
Added: 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, 1tsp of cinnamon.
Baked them for 13minutes.
They were pretty good but abit dry.. wondering why that might be?? 🙂
Caroline's Cooking
Glad you liked them. On the dryness, it's hard to say for sure - if you used cup measures rather than weight for the flour, it might be that you ended up with a bit more as they are less precise and that can make them drier. Also I think they are just a slightly drier type of cookie (though of course depends what you are comparing them to), partly because of the lack of actual sugar.
Kim Lovely
Happy to find this recipe!!!! I am going to make these today. On day 3 of a group I quit sugar campaign- I’m group leader for the nutrition component. Will add some Lilly s chocolate chopped for a little extra treat.
Just a thought....
Call them No added sugar cookies that way folks won’t get confused by nutrition facts label and throw shade on an awesome recipe.
Kim Lovely Registered and Licensed Nutritionist
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks Kim, and hope you enjoy them. Yes, maybe we'll change the name, we'll see 🙂 Either way they're tasty!
Annabel
Just made these with my 3 year old and apart from adding some edible glitter and stars on top to make them 'moon cakes' we followed the recipe exactly. Cooked for 12 mins only and they were lovely and soft. No refined sugar but high on the calories so I won't eat three one after the other next time!!
Caroline's Cooking
So glad you enjoyed them, the decoration sounds fun!
Gem
These are delicious. I add cacao power and cacao nibs to make them a little more sinful!
Caroline's Cooking
Thank you, I can imagine they were great in there! That's one of the great things with this recipe, you can add a bit here and there to change them up.
Sarah
This is recipe is perfect! I made a batch last night and my whole family loves it! I only changed the recipe using only oats that I put through the food processor, half a cup of cocoa powder, vanilla essence and some dessicated coconut? A life saver when you are sugar and carb free!
Caroline's Cooking
Glad everyone liked them, and sure the coconut was good in there too.
Gloria Blanco
I just tried these, and they are super! I do not miss the refined sugar. I used regular dates, wholewheat pastry flour, a tad of spelt flour, and a half teaspoon of vanilla. They have a bit of crunch around the edge, and are definitely not a soft cookie. I may add nuts from time to time. Thanks for such a great cookie, and healthy, too.
Caroline's Cooking
I'm glad you enjoyed them Gloria, and yes easy to make some slight adaptations. You definitely don't need the sugar, I agree.
Kate T
I just made these and they are great! I added some salt but that's the only change. Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking
I'm glad you gave them a go and enjoyed them - thanks for letting me know!
Audrey
I'm hoping to try these this week! I have an almost 3 year old who inherited my sweet tooth, so I've been looking for yummy alternatives rather than just stopping baking altogether. I've used dates in muffins and we both liked the less sweet option, so these should fit the bill! Thank you.
Caroline's Cooking
I hope you like them, Audrey! I also have a number of muffin recipes that use dates and other non-sugar sweeteners (and a carrot and banana bread) that might help with that challenge too!
Mary Bourne
These have sugar in them!!! Still looking for a TRULY sugar-free oatmeal cookie for a diabetic. Do people just nor realize how much concentrated sugar is in dried fruit? Dried fruit is forbidden for diabetics. Every "sugar free" recipe I see either has chocolate chips or raisins or apple sauce. Sugar sugar sugar.
Caroline's Cooking
Mary, I have used the term sugar to mean what is commonly known as sugar ie refined, as opposed to all the scientifically-termed sugars eg sucrose, fructose etc. I appreciate cooking for a diabetic has it's challenges and that this may not be appropriate, but it was not written for that specific purpose, but rather providing those, where appropriate, the option to have a less refined and what is generally considered a healthier form of sweetener, not to mention much less sweet than most cookies. I have tried to be clear on that in the post. Having had a look into diabetic options a little, I would suggest you maybe look at what sweeteners are possible and see if you can find recipes with those, or I also found that the American Diabetic Association has it's own desserts cookbook, which may have something. I hope you find what you are looking for.
Rubyjewel
I like the option of dates... due to having most of my small intestine removed... I can't process regular sugar... causes pain and dumping... artificial sweeteners cause pain and severe bloating... I have made a few recipes with dates and bananas and I seem to do okay with them... gives me a treat!! Thanks for the recipe... can't wait to try it!!
Caroline's Cooking
Thanks, hope you enjoy!
Iza
I don't think it has sense. If you don't want any sugar you have to look for a savory oat cookies, becouse all sweet cookies will gonna have sweeteners in it.
Shelley
https://www.google.com/amp/s/food.ndtv.com/facts/can-a-diabetic-consume-dates-you-will-love-the-answer-1768755%3famp=1&akamai-rum=off
Shirley
Check out the Diabetic website