Simple, sweet, and vegan as-is, these Pecan Date Cookies are made with maple syrup and oil and have a fluffy texture similar to fig bars. These cookies are super versatile and come together in just under 30 minutes!
These Pecan Date Cookies are simple, vegan, and feel like they could be either breakfast or a dessert. They remind me of a cookie version of these Trail Mix Energy Bites, or a cross between granola bars and fig bars.
This recipe is part of my Lynn's Dessert series, which features classic bakery recipes that have been made hundreds of times. If you enjoy this recipe, make sure to check out one of the many other desserts in the series or leave a comment below to let us know what you think.
While I love traditional recipes like peanut butter cookies and snickerdoodles, these pecan date cookies are probably the most original recipe in Lynn's Desserts series.
This is the first dessert that Lynn ever baked me, and that's because she seems to make it almost weekly! And after making them myself I can see why.
Baking is usually an exact science, but these date cookies are surprisingly versatile and flexible.
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These cookies are
- Sweetened with dates and maple syrup (or honey)
- Vegan as-is, because they use canola oil as the main fat
- So versatile, because the jammy date center can be swapped with any type of jam or even peanut butter or melted chocolate
- Soft and a little crumbly, similar to a fig bar
Ingredients
- Oats: Choose rolled oats, AKA old-fashioned oats. I don't recommend Instant Oats or quick oats because they bake differently.
- Pecans: Or walnuts, almonds, or cashews. Like I said, it's a versatile recipe.
- Dates: In the style of thumbprint cookies, adding a dollop of jammy date to the center of the cookies makes them extra special.
- Maple syrup: Honey also works. We both agree that the cookies taste better with maple syrup because honey has a pretty strong flavor, however, it should be real maple syrup and not flavored corn syrup.
- Cinnamon: Optional but gives the cookies a nice fall feeling. Lynn prefers date cookies with no cinnamon or ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, whereas I prefer a strong cinnamon flavor at ¼ teaspoon.
How to make
Equipment note: These cookies require a food processor to break down the pecans and oats. If you don't have a food processor, pulsing with a blender should get the job done.
To make the date filling that goes in the center of the cookies, start by roughly chopping pitted dates. Transfer to a small sauce pot with water, and simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the dates are jammy. This takes about 5 minutes. Use a fork to mash the dates, as needed.
Pulse the oats and pecans until they reach a sandy texture. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, pecans, flour, cinnamon, salt, oil, and maple syrup.
The dough will be a bit sticky and oil but should still hold shape when formed into cookies.
Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop, or measure out 2 tablespoons. Form the cookies into little patties, similar to how you would black bean burgers. Indent the center to form a well for the date jam.
Place ~½ teaspoon (or more, it won't spread) of date jam into the center of each cookie. Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, or until the cookies are set.
Lynn's top tips
- Don't like dates or don't have any on hand? Use jam! Similar to thumbprint cookies, adding just a teaspoon of strawberry or raspberry jam in the center of each cookie does the trick.
- Honey works in place of maple syrup, but don't use granulated sugar or brown sugar because the cookie base needs the liquid from the syrup for the structure.
- Sprinkle the cookies with oats before baking to give them a nice appearance.
- From my experience baking these, using 1 cup of flour yields thin and chewy cookies, while 1 ¼ cups of flour yields cookies that are a bit puffier and closer to a fig newton texture. Feel free to experiment!
- Store at room temperature for several days. These cookies freeze well. The dough can be made several days in advance, just make sure to cover it tightly to prevent it from drying out in the fridge.
- Peanut butter or melted chocolate works in place of the jam. Or add chocolate chips to the dough. This recipe is similar to my peanut butter breakfast cookies recipe in that you can add all kinds of nuts, seeds, and add-ins.
More easy cookie recipes
Recipe
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Pecan Date Cookies (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (roughly ½ cup) pitted dates roughly chopped
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup pecans preferably raw unsalted; see note #1
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats AKA rolled oats; plus more for garnishing
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour see note #2
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon see note #3
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola oil see note #4
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional).
- Transfer the chopped dates and ¼ cup water to a small sauce pot. Simmer gently over medium-low until the dates are softened, about 5 minutes. Mash the dates with a fork or potato masher to break them down into a jammy consistency.
- In a food processor, pulse the pecans and oats together until they resemble coarse sand.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the broken-down pecans and oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, oil, and maple syrup. The mixture will be sticky and oily but should hold together easily.
- Form into cookie dough balls using a 1-ounce cookie scoop or by measuring out a large spoonful of dough (roughly 2 tablespoons). Flatten the cookies. Use your thumb to indent the center of the cookies, then transfer ~½ teaspoon of date jam to the center.
- Leave 2-3 inches between each piece of dough on the cookie sheet. The cookies will spread a little while baking. Garnish the tops of the cookies with oats (optional).
- Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes. 10 minutes yields very soft cookies, while 13 minutes yields cookies that are drier and a bit crumbly.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Nuts: Also works with walnuts or cashews.
- Flour: Using 1 cup of flour yields thinner, crisper cookies, while 1 ¼ cups yields softer and fluffier cookies. Both methods taste great; Lynn typically makes them with 1 cup, while I prefer 1 ¼ cups. From my experience, cookies with 1 cup require 1-2 more minutes to bake.
- Cinnamon: Optional. Lynn prefers these without cinnamon, while I find that the combination of maple syrup and cinnamon gives the cookies a really lovely fall flavor.
- Canola oil: Any neutral oil (as in the flavor isn't obvious) works here.
- A blender can be used in place of a food processor, as needed.
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