Name: Oatmeal Date Cookies
Yield: At least 13 smaller cookies
Ingredients: 1 Cup Dried pitted dates, each cut into approximately eight pieces; 3/4 Cup Unsalted plant-based butter, softened; 3/4 Cup Light brown sugar, packed; 1/3 Cup Granulated sugar; 1 Large egg; 1 Large egg yolk; 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract; 1 1/4 Cups All-purpose flour; 2 Teaspoons Ground cinnamon; 1/4 Teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg; 1/8 Teaspoon Ground cloves; 3/4 Teaspoon Baking soda; 1/2 Teaspoon Salt; 2 1/4 Cups Old-fashioned rolled oats

Sometimes the idea of an oatmeal raisin cookie sounds better than the raisins themselves. I wanted the warm spices, brown sugar, chewy oats, crisp edges, and soft center—but with a dried fruit I was more excited about. Dates were the answer. Cut into small pieces, they stay soft and chewy while bringing a deeper sweetness to a familiar oatmeal cookie.

Ingredients

Dried pitted dates, each cut into approximately eight pieces	1	Cup
Unsalted plant-based butter, softened	3/4	Cup
Light brown sugar, packed	3/4	Cup
Granulated sugar	1/3	Cup
Large egg	1	–
Large egg yolk	1	–
Vanilla extract	2	Teaspoons
All-purpose flour	1 1/4	Cups
Ground cinnamon	2	Teaspoons
Freshly grated nutmeg	1/4	Teaspoon
Ground cloves	1/8	Teaspoon
Baking soda	3/4	Teaspoon
Salt	1/2	Teaspoon
Old-fashioned rolled oats	2 1/4	Cups

Instructions

Use kitchen shears to cut each date in half, cut each half in half, and then halve those pieces again. Do not soak the dates.
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream the softened unsalted plant-based butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy and evenly combined.
Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
Fold in the rolled oats and chopped dates until evenly distributed.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for approximately 2 hours.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet.
Portion the dough according to preference. Roll smaller portions into balls for thicker cookies, or make larger portions and flatten them before baking.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes. In the tested high-altitude batch, the same bake time worked for both the smaller rolled cookies and the larger flattened cookies.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool.

Freezing the Dough

The dough may be divided into larger, somewhat flattened portions and frozen. Dough frozen for approximately two weeks performed as well as, or better than, the fresh dough in testing. Let a frozen portion soften only enough to cut and shape it; a complete thaw is not necessary. Bake at 350°F for approximately 15 minutes.

Yield: At least 13 smaller cookies. The exact yield depends on how the dough is portioned.

Recipe note: This recipe was developed with unsalted Country Crock plant-based butter. The tested bake time reflects a Colorado high-altitude kitchen and may vary with oven and elevation.