I know that titling these cookies "The Best Gluten Free Oatmeal Date Cookies" is saying a lot, but I swear they REALLY are the best!
Want to know how I know they are truly the best? Because, every single time I have baked a batch of these to photograph they are GONE before I have time to snap a picture.
I mean, is there anything better than a brown sugar laced, buttery oatmeal cookie that's crispy outside and chewy inside? I think not!
Except for maybe T.H.E.S.E. particular buttery, brown sugar laced oatmeal cookies that are studded with chewy dates, vanilla beans, and cinnamon! YEEEESSS!! These cookies are so next level, that if I could bake a batch just for the soul purpose of letting everyone that ever saw this post try them, I would. Now that's conviction!
What's SO special about these Gluten Free Oatmeal Date Cookies?
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- The texture of these cookies is unreal! We're talking soft and chewy centers with a slightly crisp exterior. After multiple test runs with this recipe I determined that the most desirable texture is achieved by blending multiple types of oats. The recipe itself calls for 3 cups oats total. I personally prefer to use a blend of half quick cooking oats and half old fashioned oats, but if you don't have both types of oats on hand you can just use all of one kind or the other and they will still be absolutely delicious cookies. I find that the old fashioned oats have a more coarse texture while the quick cooking oats tend to melt together for a more homogeneous texture in the cookies.
- I am not a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies...like NOT A FAN AT ALL! But, the dates in these cookies are the perfect substitute. Those chewy little sweet nuggets melt right into the cookies which creates sweet little flavor pockets all throughout the dough without the texture disruption that raisins cause. (TBH: I'm not sure texture disruption is a REAL issue...but its the only way I cold think of to describe why I loathe raisins in cookies. We're just going to go with it!)
- I used my beloved vanilla bean paste in these cookies and it was SO worth it! The vanilla flavor really comes through, but if you don't want the added splurge you can always use the same amount of vanilla extract and these cookies will still be next level delicious!
The rest of the world can have their macarons and fancy galaxy cookies... I'll just be over here stuffing my face with these old-school, slightly reinvented Oatmeal Date Cookies!
If you’ve tried this Oatmeal Date Cookie Recipe, I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours!
PrintThe Best Gluten Free Oatmeal Date Cookies
Don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think about this Oatmeal Date Cookies Recipe in the comments below. I just love hearing from you and your reviews/comments really help other people that visit This Mess is Ours!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 min per batch
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: approx 40 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Gluten Free
Ingredients
½ cup plus 6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
¾ cup firmly packed, light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, see note
1 ½ cups all-purpose gluten free flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats, see note
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats, see note
1 cup pitted, chopped dates
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix again until completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In a separate small mixing bowl combine the all-purpose gluten free flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the butter mixture in the stand mixer and mix until completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add both of the oats and the dates to the mixing bowl and mix until incorporated.
Working in batches, use a spoon or a small ice cream scoop and form 2 tablespoons of dough at time into balls. Space the dough balls at least an inch apart on the baking sheet so the cookies have a little bit of room to spread as they bake.
Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to sit on the pan for 2 minutes before removing with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will be very tender and fragile the first few minutes out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool.
Notes
If you don't have vanilla bean paste, you can use an equal amount of vanilla extract. I just find that the paste has a more intense flavor.
You can use 3 cups total of either type of oats instead of using a mixture of both, however we really like the texture of the cookies when they are combined.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 87.4 mg
- Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.1 g
- Protein: 2.2 g
- Cholesterol: 21.5 mg
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What are the health benefits of dates?
Dates are high in Vitamin B and several necessary minerals, especially copper, magnesium, and potassium. Also packed with fiber and antioxidants, dates help promote digestive health and fight various diseases.
Gabriele O'Neill says
I made those cookies with the one modification that I replaced half the sugar with more dates: they were the bomb!
My husband already requested for me to use this recipe again. Even I myself (not a cookie person, usually) love them.
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi Gabriele!
I am so happy to hear that these Oatmeal Date cookies worked out for you with the modification, & that you & your husband both love them!! I will have to try replacing the sugar with more dates -- sounds SO good!
Gabriele says
Well, I've made those cookies half a dozen times now, with several different modifications (I'm GF, my husband is dairy free...): with real butter, with vegan butter, with GF flour, with regular wheat flour, with less sugar, with no sugar at all (replaced all the sugar with two mashed bananas) - they always turn out great!
The only difference is that with less, and especially with no sugar, the dough becomes super sticky and harder to handle, and the end result is not as fluffy, but somewhat dense.
But, having grown up on dense European bread, I don't mind that at all, because it's more of a to go breakfast than a sugary treat in that case.
Rochelle Unger says
These cookies are exceptional!! I made them vegan and gluten free by using an egg replacer and vegan butter. They turned out just like the description with a slightly crunchy outside and a softer slightly chewy inside. Love them! Thanks for the recipe. 😁
meg@thismessisours says
oh my goodness I am SO glad you love them!! They are my absolute favorite cookies of all time - so you made my day! I love knowing they worked with vegan butter and an egg replacement. Thank you for sharing!
Indya | The Small Adventurer says
These cookies really do look and sound absolutely delicious! When I first found out I could no longer eat gluten I was DEVASTATED, but luckily there is a lot of other options and substitutes available now, and I am yet to find a GF treat that I don't like! I'll definitely have to add these to the "to make" list 😋
thismess says
I know EXACTLY what you mean! I was pretty devastated myself when we went gluten free, but have now been living and eating this way for almost 7 years and really don't miss much. Maybe croissants...I do miss croissants. These cookies are so good though that they make up for what I'm missing out on. I sure hope you give them a try!