Irresistibly Chewy & Soft Oatmeal Date Cookies: Your New Favorite Holiday Treat
Get ready to discover your new obsession: these incredible Oatmeal Date Cookies! They strike the perfect balance, delivering a delightfully chewy and soft center complemented by wonderfully crispy edges. Each bite is a symphony of textures and flavors, thanks to the sweet, tender Sunsweet Dates and the satisfying crunch of pecans. If you’re looking for a standout addition to your holiday baking list or simply a comforting treat any time of year, this recipe is an absolute must-try. (A huge thank you to Sunsweet for sponsoring this post and making these cookies extra special! Rest assured, all opinions expressed here are genuinely my own.)
An Unforgettable Culinary Journey: My San Francisco Adventure with Sunsweet
I am absolutely thrilled to share not just this fantastic recipe, but also the exciting story behind it! My journey to creating these incredible Oatmeal Date Cookies began with an unforgettable trip to San Francisco, where I had the immense pleasure of collaborating with Sunsweet. This experience was truly inspiring, filled with culinary insights and a renewed appreciation for wholesome ingredients. Before we dive into the delicious details of the cookies themselves, let me tell you all about the incredible events that led to their creation!
Last week, I was flown out to the beautiful city of San Francisco, a vibrant hub of culinary innovation and inspiration. The highlight of my trip was participating in an exclusive cooking demonstration led by the one and only Chef Sara Moulton! For years, I’ve admired Chef Moulton, watching her dynamic cooking shows and appreciating her unique blend of fun, sass, and profound culinary knowledge. Her approach to cooking is both educational and entertaining, making her one of my absolute favorite chefs to observe in action.
Meeting Chef Moulton in person was an absolute delight and quite a surprise! She is much more petite than I had imagined, with an incredibly charming and vivacious personality that lights up any room. She humorously mentioned that she often needs to stand on a box when filming her cooking shows, as most kitchen countertops are simply too high for her comfortable reach. Her down-to-earth nature and infectious enthusiasm instantly made the experience feel warm and welcoming.
A photo posted by Jen Nikolaus (@jen_yummyhealthyeasy) on
During the demonstration, Chef Moulton guided myself and two other wonderful bloggers, Liren from Kitchen Confidante and Rachel from The Chic Site, through the preparation of a delightful Shredded Butternut Squash with Dates and Pistachios. This dish was not only incredibly flavorful but also provided valuable insights into versatile ways to incorporate healthful ingredients. I was so impressed with it that I’ll likely share that recipe with you all very soon – it’s truly a dish you need to experience! Throughout her demonstration, Chef Moulton shared numerous expert tips, including efficient ways to handle butternut squash, and eloquently highlighted the significant nutritional value that Sunsweet Dates and Prunes can bring to a wide array of recipes. Her passion for nutritious and delicious food was truly contagious.
The Mystery Basket Challenge: From French Toast to Fabulous Cookies
After Chef Sara treated us to her incredible butternut squash creation – which, I must admit, we all devoured enthusiastically – the real challenge began! We were each presented with a basket filled with mystery ingredients. I felt a surge of nervous excitement at this part of the cooking challenge! The basket contained a wonderful assortment of delicious items, including cocoa powder, rich honey, various aromatic spices, rustic bread, an assortment of nuts, and of course, the stars of the show: Sunsweet Prunes and Dates, among other delightful surprises.
My initial thought upon seeing the bread in the mystery basket immediately turned to a comforting French Toast Casserole. I have a deep affection for making casseroles, perhaps because I grew up in a large family and now have one of my own. There’s something incredibly satisfying about preparing a generous batch of a delicious dish, letting it bake to perfection in the oven, and then serving it to a grateful crowd. It’s the ultimate comfort food for gatherings.
Ultimately, I ended up creating a delicious Prune and Date French Toast Casserole for the challenge. It turned out wonderfully, bursting with flavor and natural sweetness from the Sunsweet fruits. I seriously considered sharing that casserole recipe with you today, given how much I enjoyed making and tasting it. However, as soon as I returned home from my inspiring San Francisco trip, I was so energized and eager to experiment further with all the amazing Sunsweet products. I immediately set about baking these incredible Oatmeal Date Cookies, and upon tasting them, I knew instantly that this was the recipe I absolutely HAD to share with you first!
The Secret to Perfection: Sunsweet Dates & Crunchy Pecans
I genuinely believe that incorporating the Sunsweet Dates and perfectly chopped pecans truly elevated these cookies to a whole new level of deliciousness. They bring an incredible depth of flavor and textural complexity that makes these cookies undeniably good! If your ideal oatmeal cookie is one that is both delightfully chewy and wonderfully soft, yet still boasts those coveted crispy edges, then you are absolutely going to adore this recipe. These aren’t just any cookies; they’re a carefully crafted balance of comforting oat goodness, natural sweetness, and satisfying crunch.
For those who might be new to cooking or baking with dates, please don’t let them intimidate you! Sunsweet Dates are a fantastic ingredient, offering a natural caramel-like sweetness and a wonderfully chewy texture that integrates seamlessly into baked goods. They truly shine in this cookie recipe, pairing perfectly with the oats and pecans to create a harmonious flavor profile that will have your family reaching for seconds in no time. These Oatmeal Date Cookies are not only a delightful addition to your holiday cookie plates this season but are also perfect for enjoying throughout the entire year as a wholesome, satisfying snack or dessert.
Why Bake with Dates? Health Benefits and Flavor Boost
Beyond their delightful taste and texture, Sunsweet Dates bring a wealth of nutritional benefits to your baking. Dates are naturally sweet, meaning they can help reduce the amount of refined sugar needed in recipes, contributing to a healthier treat. They are also an excellent source of dietary fiber, which aids digestion and can help you feel full and satisfied. Furthermore, dates are packed with essential minerals like potassium, magnesium, and copper, as well as a variety of vitamins, making them a fantastic natural energy booster. Their natural moisture helps keep baked goods wonderfully soft and prevents them from drying out too quickly. So, when you add Sunsweet Dates to these oatmeal cookies, you’re not just adding incredible flavor and chewiness; you’re also infusing them with a touch of wholesome goodness.
Tips for Baking the Perfect Oatmeal Date Cookies
Achieving the perfect soft and chewy center with crispy edges in your oatmeal date cookies is all about a few key techniques. First, ensure your butter is truly softened, but not melted, for optimal creaming with the sugars. This creates a light, airy base for your dough. When adding the wet ingredients, blend until light and fluffy – this incorporates air, leading to a tender cookie. Most importantly, when you add the dry ingredients, dates, and pecans, mix on low speed only until just combined. Overmixing the flour can develop the gluten too much, resulting in tougher cookies. For baking, the 300°F oven temperature is crucial; it allows the cookies to bake slowly, achieving that ideal balance of soft and crispy without burning the edges. Keep a close eye on them during the last few minutes; they should be lightly golden brown. Transferring them immediately to a cooling rack helps crisp up those edges while the centers remain soft. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain their freshness and wonderful texture.
Versatile Variations to Enjoy
While these Oatmeal Date Cookies are absolutely perfect as is, they also lend themselves beautifully to customization. If you’re not a fan of pecans, feel free to substitute them with other chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds for a different flavor profile and crunch. For an extra layer of decadence, consider adding a handful of chocolate chips – milk, dark, or white chocolate would all pair wonderfully with the dates. A sprinkle of cinnamon or a touch of nutmeg in the dough can also enhance the warm, comforting flavors of the oats and dates. Experiment and make them truly your own!
Soft & Chewy Oatmeal Date Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups diced Sunsweet Dates
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300ºF.
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and oats. Mix with a wire whisk and set aside.
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In an electric mixer bowl, combine sugars and mix to combine. Add in butter and blend until a creamy, grainy paste.
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Scrape down sides of bowl then add honey, vanilla and eggs. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.
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Add the flour mixture, dates and pecans and blend at low speed until just combined. Don’t overmix!
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Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cooling rack. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
More Delicious Cookie Recipes You’ll Love:
If you enjoyed these wholesome oatmeal date cookies, you’re sure to find a new favorite among these other delightful cookie recipes:
Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies
White Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies
Ginger Crinkle Cookies
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Once again, my sincere thanks to Sunsweet for generously sponsoring this post and supporting delicious, wholesome baking! All thoughts and opinions expressed throughout this article are, as always, entirely my own.