These date sweetened chocolate chip cookies are everything you love in a classic chocolate chip cookie without the processed sugar.

Packed with gooey chocolate chips and oh so chewy, no one would even guess that these cookies were made with 100% whole wheat flour and no processed sugar.

They’re the perfect cookie to satisfy your sweet tooth without being overly sweet.

Making these cookies is super simple too, you don’t need to be a baking expert to make these perfectly.

These cookies sweetened with dates are chewy, flavorful, and perfect as an afterschool snack or evening treat.

Plus, the dough freezes beautifully, so you can easily have cookies anytime the urge strikes.

Jump to Recipe – Print Recipe

Tray of date sweetened chocolate chip cookies

What you’ll love about date sweetened chocolate chip cookies

Who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie? They’re just so classic and universally loved, they’re a true crowd pleaser. Here’s what you’ll love about this particular recipe:

No added processed sugar. The chocolate chip cookie dough is sweetened exclusively with medjool dates. Dates are a good source of fiber, magnesium, calcium, among other nutrients.
So chewy. You’ll love how chewy these cookies are. Just take one bite and you’ll fall in love with them, I guarantee.
Nostalgic. This recipes delivers all the nostalgic taste and texture you expect from a chocolate chip cookie. They’ll transport you back to your fondest childhood memories.
No long soak time. Date sweetened recipes generally require a long soak time to soften the dates. This recipe doesn’t require any long soak time.

Ingredients

These extraordinary cookies don’t take anything weird to make. I bet you have most of the ingredients right now.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Medjool dates – These deliciously little sweet fruits taste like caramel and are what sweeten the cookie dough.
Whole wheat flour – Use either regular whole wheat flour (which is traditionally ground from red wheat berries) or use the more subtly flavored white whole wheat flour. Both offer great nutritional benefits. You can also use all purpose flour if you prefer.
Salt – Enhances the flavor of the cookie. Without salt, the cookies flavor would fall flat.
Baking soda – It not only helps the cookie rise, but baking soda also encourages the cookies to brown while baking, giving them a tantalizing golden color.

Melted butter – Lends moisture and flavor to the dough. Make sure to use unsalted butter. If you only have salted on hand, just cut out the extra salt called for in the recipe. You want these cookies sweet, not too salty.
Egg – One egg is called for in this recipe. Make sure it’s not cold when you use it or else it will solidify the melted butter.
Vanilla – Gives the cookies an amazing aroma and flavor. Vanilla has a place in almost any cookies recipe, this one being no exception.
Chocolate chips – Any type will do, such as semi sweet, bitter sweet, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or a mix of two types. Choose your own chocolate chip adventure!

How to make cookies sweetened with dates

These cookies are amazingly easy to make. All it takes is 6 simple steps to the tastiest date sweetened treat.

Process the dates and flour together in a food processor until it resembles wet sand. About 1 minute. Add the salt and baking soda and pulse to combine.
Whisk the melted butter, egg, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Mix the flour and dates in with the butter mixture.
Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
Chill the covered dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Bake the cookies in an oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 – 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Chocolate chip date cookie tips

Keep these tips in mind while you’re baking up these date sweetened chocolate chip cookies:

Make sure the egg is at room temp. Since this recipe uses butter, you need to ensure your egg isn’t cold when you add it to the recipe. Cold temperatures cause butter to solidify, making it clump up and not emulsify with the rest of the ingredients. Simply place the egg in a cup of room temperature water for 5 minutes to quickly and safely bring up it’s temperature.
Use a spring loaded cookie scoop. This is the fastest and easiest way to make evenly sized cookies. Similarly sized cookies bake more evenly.
Press down the cookie dough for flatter cookies. After scooping out the cookie dough into balls, place them 2” apart on the cookie sheet and then press them down slightly to help the cookies spread thinner. Skipping this tip will make for thicker, more mound like cookies. If that sounds good to you, don’t press them down.
Make sure the oven is up to temperature before putting in the cookies. You may be tempted to pop the cookies into the oven before it’s totally up to to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s important to wait until the oven is at the specified temperature so the cookies will bake properly.
Double the recipe to double the amount of cookies. Want more than 15 cookies? Simply double the recipe and you can make 30 cookies. Or freeze half the dough to bake up later.

Storage and freezing tips

While these cookies are best the day they are made, they can be stored for up to 3 days in an airtight container on the kitchen counter or in the pantry. They pack well in lunches or make for a comforting afterschool treat.

If you want to have cookie dough available for whenever the urge for cookies strike, you can also freeze the dough.

How to freeze cookie dough:

Scoop out generous tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.
Put the cookie sheet into the freezer and let freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from freezer and transfer the frozen dough into a freezer bag or freezer safe container.

Dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. When baking, add an extra 2 minutes to the bake time to allow for the dough being frozen.