Tahini Medjool Date Chunk Cookies. Crunchy outside, sweet/salty and soft-baked inside, these oatmeal cookies just might be better than chocolate chip!
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY NATURAL DELIGHTS®
My favorite Medjool dates now come in sweet little sprinkle-on-or-stir-into-anything-sized chopped chunks, and I am HERE FOR IT.
First new packaging, now this new chopped mini form – Natural Delights really knows how to spoil a girl. As if Medjool dates weren’t already snack-perfect enough, these new little Medjool morsels are nearly irresistible to eating by the handful (after handful after handful after…). And they are conveniently coated in a light dusting of coconut flour to keep the finger stickiness under control too. They think of everything.
But what I am even more excited about than the straight snack-ability is how perfect they are for baking! Or cooking. Or topping smoothie bowls. But COOKIES…
With the help of these new chopped Medjool dates I have created chunky, BETTER than chocolate chip, salted Tahini Medjool Date Oatmeal Cookies. And with only a quarter cup of sweetener for the whole batch, because those Medjool dates mixed in take care of much of the sweetening naturally but without the time/cleanup of having to blend them into date paste or chop them yourself.
I’m very happy chopped Medjool dates are now part of my baking life. Almost as happy as you will be when your mouth is full of one of these sweet-salty cookies.
And don’t think for even a second that I neglected texture in all my excitement about the caramel-like cookie taste – I would never. Tahini and almond flour keep them moist in the middle, oats give them a wholesome chewiness, and maple syrup makes the edges just crispy. They are the perfect mix of soft-baked but slightly crunchy.
And if tahini isn’t your thing (me two years ago, so I get you) swap it for almond butter or peanut butter or whatever nut/seed butter you like.
Chopped Medjool dates have just given cookie baking an easy, fruit-sweetened upgrade and you need to get in on this, friends!
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Tahini Medjool Date Chunk Cookies. Crunchy outside, sweet/salty and soft-baked inside, these oatmeal cookies just might be better than chocolate chip!
Instructions
- 1 cup (100g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (55g) almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (125g) tahini (can sub with a different nut/seed butter)
- 1/4 cup (80g) maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (60g) Natural Delights® Chopped Medjool Dates
Notes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almond flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the tahini, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Mix to form a thick dough.
- Fold in the chopped Medjool dates.
- Scoop/roll into balls and arrange on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (they will spread so don’t overcrowd).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 30ºF or until golden around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Enjoy, these are delish warm!
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 136
- Sugar: 6g
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: vegan, oatmeal, gluten free, dessert, baking, snack, salted, oil free
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These tiny chopped dates have been on the scene since the early 1990’s, which is when I began using them in my recipes.
They are primarily found in small, privately owned or co-op Health food stores.
You should be able to find them in the bulk foods section 🙂
Luv Ya!
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Oh really, good to know! They are new to me but I love them🤗
Hi Natalie,
I want to thank you for the best cookie recipe. I have been binging on your recipe for months now and everyone who tries them loves them. They are simple and the flavors are very complex!
Love them!
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Karla! I am so happy to hear you are loving and sharing these🤗 That is a perfect description. Thank you for the feedback, and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Bake at 30 F ????
Ty, Marilyn
Ah my bad, that’s a typo! It should be 350, thanks for catching it😊
Just make them and they are delicious !
Also tried the spiced chai chia pudding and wow !
Love your recipes 🙂
YAY!! I can’t believe you tried them already, but I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed them🤗 And the chia pudding too!
Yep! I was already in the kitchen looking for some recipes:)
I had all the ingredients on hand and they are really easy to do 👍🏻
Well that’s perfect, and I hope you loved them!
dates in everything is the best so I can only imagine how good these are! Will need to go pick up a fresh pack of dates to make some 🙂
Haha yes totally agree, these just make that even easier🤗 Happy monday Jess!
Dates make everything better! These cookies look so good, Natalie! 🙂
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Mmm yes I agree, very much like salted caramel and SO good😋 Thanks Ela!
Just made a big batch of homemade cashew butter & I have a hunch it is destined for these cookies! I love cookies that are nourishing enough to be called breakfast but still taste like dessert and meet all my cookie-cravings needs. I actually just ate a couple Natural Delights dates stuffed with nut butter and chocolate last night and it made me realize that life would be beyond dull without Medjool dates! =)
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Mmmm homemade cashew butter…I’m jealous rn😋 Ha what a true realization though, dates truly do make life better and definitely sweeter!
Can I replace the maple syrup with honey?
Yep, that will work too!
My daughter eats dates every day — stuffs them with choc chips and coconut flakes and takes them to school. I’m excited to try this with her. I am going to use sunflower butter so they will be school safe!
Oh I love dates stuffed with nut/seed butter and chocolate chips too…SO YUM😋😋 So already sounds like she has very good tastes haha, and I hope she loves these too! Just one warning, if you use sunflower butter with the baking soda they will turn green, so maybe skip the baking soda and just have them be a little less fluffy unless you want green cookies😆
Is it possible to sub the almond flour for coconut flour?
Hmm almond flour is very moist whereas coconut is very dry, so I don’t recommend it they will turn out dry and kinda crumbly. You could try oat flour though!
If I were to half the recipe, would I just use 1/4 tsp of baking soda?
Yep, that will work! Enjoy 🙂
Love finding plant based recipes with ingredients I have on hand! They’re in the oven right now. They aren’t spreading out, they’re staying in balls. Not sure why, but it could be the 1/4 c pecans and 1/4 c vegan chips I added 😀
Hmm could be that, did you make any other changes? Well they will still be delish as balls, but you can flatten them a little bit before baking next time too!
When you’re buried under three feet of snow….you bake, of course 😆 and when I saw this recipe come through in an email with the words tahini and dates, I knew this would have to happen immediately! Tahini is life (we go through at least a jar a week because I’m an addict) and it makes me SO happy that you’ve crossed over to the other side 😉😂 OK, so since we’re pretty much stranded at home with all the snow and I had to make these now, I went ahead and chopped some dates and tossed them in coconut flour and I am happy to report it worked perfectly! Now, the cookies themselves…my new favorite! They’re buttery, melt-in-your-mouth delicious with wonderful pops of caramel, salty goodness! Thank you for not skimping on the salt here because it plays so well with the tahini and maple syrup!! My first batch in the oven did not spread out, which I’m totally not complaining because they were still AMAZING 😍 but the second batch I flattened just a little before baking and they looked exactly like yours! Excellent recipe! I’m off to enjoy another cookie with some coffee and watch the snow fall ❤️ hope you’re having a great week so far!
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OMG 3 FEET??? Haha wow that is impossible for me to imagine, but sounds fun and crazy all at once😆🤗 And yes, definitely reason to do tons of baking! Oh trust me, you are not the only one who is glad I finally converted to the tahini loving side. I still like it best in baking/sweet stuff, but something about it combined with maple syrup creates the most magical caramel-y flavor. You and your tahini toffee sauce (yes I still remember and make that!) are definitely to thank for helping win me over too😘 So happy you liked these cookies and area already on batch 2! Much love and I hope the weather calms down a little soon🙈
These are SO GOOD!!! I must have made mine way bigger than yours, I only got 6, they arent huge but whatevs coz they are DELICIOUS!
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Ha no such thing as too big a cookie🙌😂 I always ended up eating these two at a time anyways, but I am SO happy you liked them Sarah!
I totally thought those were chocolate chips! That is so cool that they make little bits of dates bite size like that, so much easier to avoid having to chop them up! I love almond flour in oatmeal cookies, this is how I make mine and they are so delicious! Tahini sounds like a lovely addition and it’s such a bitter seed butter that I bet the date pieces really help balance them out. I also really like how thick and chunky they are, extra hearty cookies that you can feel good about eating. I especially like the salted part too, that always amps up desserts so deliciously. I hope your hand is feeling better!
Ha they’re not AS sneaky as the psych out raisins that look like chocolate chips, but still nope no chocolate here (shockingly lol). Although chocolate chips added in too certainly wound’t be bad😉 I am so glad I finally tried the oat + almond combo in cookies, I love it in cakes but it’s just as good in cookies! And yes, extra salt ALWAYS🙌 Happy weekend!
Can’t wait to try these! Except- I’m out of maple syrup!!! Any suggestions for substitutes? Or is it a must to get my butt up and out to the grocery and just buy some maple? Thanks!
Any liquid sweetener will work! Hopefully you have another one on hand so a grocery store trip does not stand between you and COOKIES😬🤞
I was suspicious. Better than chocolate chip? I love dates. But that’s one mighty bold claim there. However, my suspicions were TOTALLY unfounded! These are the BEST cookies on your blog (and they’ve got some stiff competition there). You’ve got serious wizard skills balancing that tahini bitterness with maple syrup and dates to give it such a moreish taste and texture! 🙌🙌 The whole family loved them (including the 3 year old who previously told me that dates were much too brown for him)!
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Whoa!! That is high praise, I am soooooo happy you loved them so much Aleks🤗🤗 I didn’t think I could top chocolate chip either, but the sweet/salty flavor of these did it for me so I’m glad you agree. Too much brown😂 Lol well I’m glad these cold convince him otherwise! Enjoy the rest❤️
OMG!!! These are good cookies.
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Brilliant recipe and it’s so so good! Finally got around to baking last night and they’re delicious right out of the oven and kicks my salty and sweet cravings at once. Theyre also so filling 😊 thanks for the lovely recipe
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YAY!! I am so happy they were a success, and totally agree the sweet + salty is EVERYTHING😋😋 Thank you for the awesome feedback, and enjoy the rest!
Ahh I love your recipes! I don’t have the minis available where I live, could I just chop some regular dates instead?
Of course! I’ve already had a reader do that and worked perfectly 🙂 Enjoy!
Made them, oh my so delicious! Sweet but not too sweet, might be my new go to cookie recipe 😊
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Aw yay!! I am so happy you loved them, that is wonderful feedback😊😊
I made these today, with some substitutions. I didn’t have any dates 🙁 so I used raisins. I also didn’t have quite enough tahini, so I supplemented the rest of the amount with almond butter. Mine didn’t flatten at all, but I took a glass and flattened them a bit immediately after removing them from the oven. They are a delicious treat! Can’t wait to try with actual dates!
Loving the sound of your version and great idea to flatten them a bit while they are still hot! I am SO happy you enjoyed them😊 They are really yummy with the dates, but now I kinda wanna try a raisin batch…
amazing, followed to a T
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YAY!! So happy you liked them🤗
love this recipe. i’ve made these cookies at least five times now! i use raisins instead of dates, and sometimes throw an egg into the batter to help them stay together. served with milk and they are true perfection <3
YES!! I am so happy you are loving them, and I bet they are delish with raisins, maybe some extra cinnamon added in too😋 Thanks for the feedback Sofia!
These cookies are delicious! I made them with my 4 year old (who is a date lover) and they were super simple for us. We usually have whole dates from the bulk section of our grocery store, but they were very easy to chop. The cookies turned out soft and chewy with a little crunch on the outside, and the flavor was sweet with some salty – perfection! Plus, I can feel good about my daughter eating these. Only change I made was in the last minute of baking I flattened the cookies out with a fork, much like I would with peanut butter cookies. This was my first recipe from your site, so I look forward to trying more!
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I am so happy you both liked them, Kate! Your description is perfect I couldn’t agree more, I love salty/sweet treats the most😋 And great idea stealing that trick from PB cookies, thanks for sharing! Enjoy and can’t wait to hear what you try next. Happy saturday😊
These sound like they might be delicious. I love dates, tahini and oats. But adding maple syrup or any sweetener to something with dates would make them too sweet for me. Is the liquid sweetener crucial for the texture of the cookies? Could I add water or lemon juice or milk or something else not sweet?
Nope, not essential! I’ve had readers make them without the sweetener and just dates already😊 You can swap it for milk or water, although that will make the cookies softer/chewier, or more tahini!
These are OUT OF THIS WORLD! Soo soo good! Dates and tahini combo was genius! I also added pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie spice. Now I need to figure out a way to make them less dangerous (increasing oats and may be adding bananas and apple sauce) because I just ate half of the pan!
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YAY!! I am so so happy you loved them, and I want to try them with those spices that sounds amazing😋😋 Ha I getcha, any fruity additions will make them more soft/chewy but still delish!
Hi! These cookies tasted DELICIOUS but I had one problem with baking. They did not spread at all. They just stayed in balls. I had to press them down with a spatula when they were done to flatten them out. I subbed the tahini for peanut butter..do you think that’s why? It was a pretty running peanut butter, similar to the tahini consistency…
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Probably not the PB, that should be fine, but that can just happened with healthier cookies since it’s the combo of fat/sugar that causes spreading. Just press them flat before baking next time 🙂
I have made other healthy oatmeal cookies with a ton of ingredients. These cookies are a cinch to put together and the best recipe yet! I love the addition of a nut butter taste, it reminds me of my mothers peanut butter cookies but a ton healthier.
Thank you for this great recipe.
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That is amazing feedback, thank you Chris! I agree, the nut butter makes them so much richer😋 I love them with tahini, but cashew and almond butter are both really good too. Enjoy!
These sounded amazing, and then the batter was even better! They almost didn’t make it to the oven 😉
However they’re baking and not spreading, much like others experienced. I tripled the recipe (1st time our…!) and so I’m wondering should I have tripled the baking time, for them to spread? Thank you!
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Hahaha I agree on the batter…SO GOOD😋 But the spreading issue doesn’t have to do with bake time, and if you triple that they will burn so I don’t recommend it. Just press them flat before baking!
These are so tasty, salty & sweet! I actually might cut back on the sweetness a little next time if possible, but yes delicious, trying not to eat them all today! They didn’t spread for me either as others have mentioned, but that’s fine. They’re slightly crisped on the outside and soft on the inside.
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I am so happy you liked them! I can see that working, with the date chunks the cookie part doesn’t need to be super sweet😋 Thanks for the feedback, Kristin!
We love these cookies! I’ve made them before, but when I saw tahini on sale this week, it reminded me to make them again for our weekly potluck. I do have to flatten them myself before baking, but they always turn out great, even when I overcook them a bit. 🙂 This time, I added pecans to half the batch for a nice little crunch. I’ll probably be saving those for me, they are super yummy. Thank you for the plant-based sweets, especially without refined sugars and oil. I really appreciate it!
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I am so happy you like these, Sarah! Great idea to add some nuts for extra crunch too, I will have to try that next batch 🙂
Oh my these are mighty good! I think this is my new favourite cookie recipe. Thank you!
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Whoa that is amazing feedback! I am so happy you loved them Darlene🤗
Made these for the first time and was overall very happy with them. Very tasty (especially warm!) and easy to make.
In my first effort the dough was just a little too dry, so I might up the tahini a bit next time.
I did roll the dough into balls and found they held that shape, so I smushed them down and next time would do that before putting them in the oven.
Thumbs up!
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I am so happy you liked them Joe, yes so so good warm😋😋 Thanks for the feedback!
I just made these and they are pretty good except they didn’t expand at all! I substituted almond flour with whole wheat flour and maple syrup with honey, could that have affected it?? Other than that they taste great- and healthy!
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It was probably the flour swap, the gluten in wheat flour will hold them much tighter than almond flour which is higher fat and doesn’t really bind much at all. So happy they were still tasty though!
Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
Sure! They will just be slightly less chunky textured, still so very delicious 🙂
I love dates, tahini, and anything reminiscent of salted caramel so I knew I’d love these. They are delicious! I’m always surprised by how good tahini is in desserts, even moreso than peanut butter and I love peanut butter. I read the other comments before making them so I knew to press them down before baking, which was a good idea because they did not spread at all. Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
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I am so so happy you liked them Molly! In baked stuff is my favorite way to tahini I think, the salty/sweet combo really makes it shine😋 Thanks for sharing your feedback, and enjoy the rest!
Hi Natalie, looking to do some baking but I don’t have almond flour on hand. Could I sub oat flour or all purpose and how much would you recommend for the substitutions? I tried researching the ratios but couldn’t get an definitive answer. Also- your blog is adorable, can’t wait to try the recipes! Thank you!
Almond flour has a lot more natural oil/moisture than oat so it would make the cookies super dry. You could use another nut flour or grind your own nut flour though! Or try this recipe instead: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/chocolate-chunk-oatmeal-cookies/#tasty-recipes-15432
I’ve made this recipe probably 10 times now – totally addicted! I always use peanut butter but follow the rest of the instructions to a tee. We were out of maple syrup this time around, so I substituted molasses and dare I say it…I think they might be even better! The molasses gave a beautiful dark color to the cookies and they taste awesome! Thanks so much for this recipe!
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Omg MOLASSES!! I have to try that, I absolutely adore molasses it sounds delish. Might have to throw in some cinnamon and ginger too. I am so happy you love these, thanks for the feedback and idea Mikaela!
Can i use instant oats instead of rolled oats?
Sure! The texture will just be slightly less chunky😊
These were really good. Had to modify though! I used a different brand of tahini that is saltier than my norm, and usually find desserts too sweet. So combination of saltier tahini and reduced maple syrup left them too salty for me. I added an additional handful of oats and a bit more vanilla to help offset the salt (used kosher). Added splashes of water to get them to stick. I only used 40 g maple syrup and still, I can reduce some since the dates are so sweet. Moist Inside and crisp on the outside even with my modifications. Thank you!
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I am so happy they still turned out yummy! I am always a fan of modifying to your tastes, appreciate you sharing your version😊
what can I substitute the almond flour for? Would more oat flour work? Or all purpose flour?
Either would work, but use slightly less (about 1/3 cup). Hope you love them!
For some reason I can’t print this recipe – it redirects me to the home page of the blog. May be a bug. Please fix soooon! So I can give the recipe to a friend asap. 🙂
I am aware of that and working to fix it, so sorry Emily!
Thank you for this beautifully simple recipe! I made them with chopped dried figs instead of dates, and they’re incredible!
Oh I love that swap, dried figs are my fave! I am so happy you loved them Hannah😊
hi! I will bake these cookies but I’m Italian and we use celsius degrees…at which temperature should I bake these cookies?
350F is equal to about 180C. Hope that helps and I hope you love them!
Love these so much! But am I the only one whose batter is so formless that it’s kinda hard shaping them? mine turned into granola 🙁
Oh no!! That shouldn’t happen, sounds like your batter came out way to dry for some reason. Did you measure by weight or cups? And how thick/thin was your tahini? Try starting with jsut 1/2 cup oats next time and add slowly if you need more to make sure you avoid that issue!
I measured everything by weight and used thin, runny tahini. I wasn’t able to mold the batter into cookie shapes as it all just kinda fell apart
:(( I’ll try again today and slowly incorporate the wet ingredients. I’ll update too!
I am not sure what happened then, but yes cut way back on the dry ingredients and adjust as need be!
That happened to me once. I think it had to do with the Tahini that I used. I used Trader joes Organic Tahini, didn’t come out as good as when i use a different brand. It made really yummy granola though.
. These cookies are so good and so easy to make. I have them often. I sometimes add protein powder to justify eating them for breakfast.
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I am so so happy you enjoyed them Dawn😋🤗
Can these be frozen? Thinking of making these as a Christmas gift but would need to store them for a week after baking.
Yes these do freeze well! They will be dry after a week in the fridge or at room temp, so freezing would be my best rec 🙂
Super delicious cookies, and very satisfying as well. I did not have vanilla so I added some cardamom powder which turned out great.
I would probably cut maple syrup in half next time just so it’s less sweet.
Given these cookies don’t really spread, is it ok to not add baking soda?
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Oh I love the sound of cardamom in here, that sounds delicious! And yes you can add baking soda but it probably won’t make a massive difference on the rise/texture, won’t hurt either though 🙂 So happy you tried them and appreciate the feedback!
Thank you for sharing. 2020 focused on making more vegan and plant based meals, and this year trying to find some healthier desserts! These were delicious… like others mentioned, mine didn’t flatten out. Pulled them out and squished them a litte 🙂 then put them back in for a couple more minutes. So good.
I am so happy you liked them Claudia!! Appreciate your feedback very much. And lots of vegan desserts around here so I hope you try out some others soon too 🙂