There’s nothing like a soft, homemade, oatmeal-raisin cookie! Dates and almond butter stand in for the more traditional ingredients of butter, eggs, and refined sugar. These cookies are rich and sweet, but without being heavy and greasy.
Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
- Total Time: 39 mins
- Yield: makes about 18 cookies 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 7 ounces pitted dates (11 to 12 Medjool or 22 to 24 Deglet Noor), chopped
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (will be ground into flour)
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup raisins (plus extra for the tops of the cookies)
- 2 ounces walnuts, chopped (about ½ cup; optional)
Instructions
- Place the pitted dates into a small bowl and cover them with water. Set aside for at least 15 minutes so the dates can soften. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grind the 1 cup of oats into flour with a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl, and whisk in the 1½ cups oats, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Pour the water off of the dates into a small bowl or cup. Place the dates, almond butter, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of the date-soak water into a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Stir the date mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients until all of the dry ingredients disappear. Stir in the raisins and walnuts (if using).
- To get the most uniformly sized cookies, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop (or you can use a soup spoon). Place 9 scoops of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. These cookies will not spread out during baking, so using your fingers, press each scoop down until it looks like an already baked cookie (about 2½ inches wide). I like to push 2 to 3 raisins into the top of each cookie at this point.
- Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until just starting to brown (or leave in longer if you want cookies that aren't as moist and soft). Remove from the oven and after 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
For a lower-fat, cakier cookie, use ½ cup of applesauce in place of the almond butter.
Almond butter is sold near the peanut butter, and will ideally be made of 100% raw (not roasted) almonds with no added salt, oil, or sugar. The price is higher for raw, but I like the taste better.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 14 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/18 recipe (1 cookie)
- Calories: 139
- Sugar: 10.4g
- Sodium: 1mg
- Fat: 5.8g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 20.8g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 3.3g
- Cholesterol: 0
Such great timing! I have a vegan potluck to go to this Saturday and was trying to think of something to take.
Yay! 😉
Yeah these look so good for school lunch boxes, my teenage boys cannot tell the difference with vegan baking, thank you for sharing 🙂
Hello! I really enjoy visiting your website and keeping track of any new recipes. Do you think baby prunes could be substituted for the almond butter if one wanted some nut-free cookies?
JMJ
Yes, or a ripe banana or applesauce maybe.
Thanks for your reply! I shall have to try these sometime. I love the idea of using dates in baked goods.:-) JMJ
These cookies are fabulous! I made them this morning for breakfast and I can't wait to make them again! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks so much Miles! 😉
I like this recipe and can't wait to try it! I make a similar oatmeal cookie, but I add 1/3 cup of flaxseed meal and use either very ripe bananas or apple butter for the sweetener; but i think the dates will be even better .... THX!!
Yum! 🙂
These look delicious Cathy, I can't wait to give them a try!
this could not be more simple yet more perfect! Oatmeal raisin all the way 🙂
Hi Cathy,
I saw this cookie recipe on your home page when looking for a soup recipe. I HAD to try them. Only had enough to make 1/2 a batch. YUMMY!!! So....the next day I made sure I bought what I needed to make a full batch!!! When I made them today I split the batch in 1/2 and then added some Enjoy Life brand Mini Chips to the one half. These Mini Chocolate Chips are non GMO Project Verified. The ingredients are: Evaporated Cane Juice, Natural Chocolate Liquor (Non-Alcoholic), Non-Dairy Cocoa Butter and that's it!! So......not sugar free I suppose due to the Cane Juice but adds some more (fairly harmless) fun for those who like chocolate. These cookies are SO DELICIOUS both with and with out the chocolate chips. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!!! P.S. I use my Pampered Chef Small Scoop (1 TBS) leveled off and it makes about 45 cookies that are a perfect little size.
Thanks Pam! 😉 Sounds yummy!
I made another batch of these WONDERFUL cookies tonight and solved the only difficulty I found when making them so I thought I'd share. When pressing them into cookie shape with my fingers - my fingers would stick to them and tear them apart. I tried using a silicone spatula....that sort of worked a little better but was still sticking some and still took me a long time. So.....here is my solution and it works really well. I take a small piece of wax paper about the size of the "finished" cookie and I smash the cookie into shape then carefully peel the wax paper away from the cookie and move onto the next one. After about 8-10 cookies the wax paper gets a bit sticky and so I just get another small piece of wax paper. Doing this has helped make these cookies as easy to make as they are delicious to eat (even the dough is good - and no raw egg to worry about). Thanks again Cathy for this great recipe!!
Great idea Pam! You can also use parchment paper or put a little water on your fingers first. 🙂
Did this with some of the date water ; )
Hi Cathy. These cookies are delicious! My husband is a very picky eater and kept coming back for more. My two granddaughters couldn't get enough of them. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. Can't wait for your cookbook.
That's great, thank you for the comment, Iris! 😉
Hi Cathy. As you can see from my previous comment, I started making these delicious cookies in 2015. I’m still making them in 2021. They are the best! Love all your recipes and the way you make food taste so good with just the right combination of SOS free ingredients. That’s no simple task. Can’t wait for your 2nd cookbook!
Aw, thanks so much, Iris! 😉
I hope to make these tonight but have a quick question. About how many cups of dates should be used? I have date pieces that are rolled in oat flour versus whole dates.
Thanks! 🙂
I'm not sure of the cups; maybe 1 cup?? 🙁 The date pieces are not quite the same, so not sure how that will come out; let me know. 🙂
It worked! I used 1 cup of them and followed every other part to a t. Perfection! These are exactly what I've been looking for! You're helping me save tons of $...now I can replicate the vegan date-sweetened cookies from the grocery store that I've been buying for $6/pack!!!
....AND an added bonus: discovering your vegan recipe blog! I can't believe I've never stumbled upon it!
Yippeeeeee!!! 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Amy! 😉 That's great the know about the cookies!
Did you measure this in cups or should I weigh it out? For example, one cup of oats...did you use a measuring cup or weigh it out?
I used a measuring cup; I usually only weight nuts and dates and potatoes. 🙂
These cookies are AMAZING! Can't wait to take some to my coworkers Monday and share your site! Granola is in the oven and Potato scramble is on the stove. THANK YOU for these great recipes. It's been a fun and tasty day of meal prep!
Yay! Love it! Thanks Melanie 😉
I made these today and they're wonderful. I substituted chocolate chips (Esselstyn approved chips) for the raisins and also used almond flour instead of oat flour. Thanks, Cathy.
Just made these within the hour! I didn't soak my dates since I have a Vitamix, and ended up adding almost a 1/2 cup water. That seemed to allow for a good thick mixture which worked for the cookies.
I sed all natural unsalted peanut butter instead of almond butter. These were the BEST no added sugar/oil plant-based cookies. Thank you for the recipe.
What a tasty, natural, lightly sweetened cookie! I added a 1/4 cup of unsweetened natural shredded coconut because I'm crazy about coconut. I did soak the dates in hot water for a bit and when I pureed the mixture (including the vanilla and 2T of soaking water) in my Vitamix blender it was very thick and I needed the tamper. I was worried the dough would be too dry (I added 1 more T of soaking water) and the cookies came out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe. I want to freeze some of the cookies to keep them fresh---hope that works out:).
Absolutely out of this world! My mom loves baking me cookies (I'm 28...) and she's been having a hard time making something that really *feels* like a cookie since I went vegan (and especially since I cut out sugar and oil). These aren't just good vegan cookies or sos free cookies, they're just good period. Thank you!
Thanks John! That's so cool that your mom loves making you cookies. 🙂
Hi, is there a substitute to the almond butter please? My husband cannot eat nuts as part of his reverse heart disease diet? Thanks
You can use a seed butter (if he can eat seeds) or you can use 1/2 cup applesauce in place of the almond butter, which makes a less rich, slightly cakier cookie.
Sharon MacRay ,a certified health coach of http://www.eatwell-staywell.com, recommended this blog when I said " I need to find good recipes for making vegan desserts She said try "
Cathy Fisher " blog and here I am. As a former caterer and culinary school creator in Tokyo Japan in the 80s; being vegan and living in Asia for 5 years, I learned to eat the culture food of the Orient. Now in baby boomer years first and foremost is , being healthier; and living longer is my foremost goal and your blog has made this possible. May I have the name of your book and where to buy it> Gloria p Goldman of ' A Pampered Affair."
Thanks for the comment, Gloria! 🙂 You can read about and purchase my cookbook here.
Excited about these because I can make them gluten free using gluten free oats! Hurrah!
I am new to eating a plant-based diet, and was skeptical about this recipe, but was very pleasantly surprised! I used seed butter instead of nut butter (allergic,) and left out the raisins (just don't like them,) but it all went great. I made you Beefless Stew the other night, which was delicious. I'm now a religious follower of your site. Thank you! This diet has relieved my pain and symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis by 75%. I am amazed and very grateful.
Wow! That's great, Susan! 🙂 Thanks for the comment and continued good health to you!
Awesome recipe! Love the flavor and texture of these cookies!! Thanks!
Just made these to bring to a potluck New Years thing. WONDERFUL! I used peanut butter instead of almond and otherwise went straight off the recipe. I live at about 6000 ft altitude and supposedly it should take about 5 minutes LESS baking time but it was more like 15 minute more! They came out perfect and delicious. Only regret not making a double (or triple) batch!!!
Oh yeah, I soaked the raisins as well, in separate container, then drained them before adding to the dough at the end. Pre-soaking raisins in raisin cookies makes them come out really plump and juicy! Schweet!!!!
I baked these this morning. Delicious.
To avoid sticky fingers when flattening out the raw dough before placing them in the oven, I dipped a tablespoon into the water used to soften the dates and then flattened the dough with the back of the spoon. No dough adhered to the spoon and the dough flattened out nicely.
A keeper recipe. Thank you
I really like these cookies and one of the best parts for me is that they look like regular cookies. I like the addition of the raisins pressed on top. Thank you!!
Delicious! This passed the non vegan husband taste test! YAY! I prefer chocolate chip cookies so made another batch and subbed them for the raisins and left out cinnamon. Perfect to satisfy my sweet tooth! A true fan of yours! Thank you for all your hard work!
Yay! 🙂 Thank you Barbara!
These are super awesome. I make homemade almond butter and for these cookies, I make my butter half almonds half pecans. It adds a sweetness from the pecans. The cookies are so soft and delicious. The best whole food plant based cookies I've had. I brought them to a work function and they were a hit there too.
Wow! Great cookie! Thanks : ) : ) : )
Just found this recipe - gold! I have oat flour. How much flour would 1 cup of oats make? I would like to use up my already ground oats.
It's the same measurement as oats. 🙂
How do I get s crunchier oatmeal cookie?
Since there's no oil or butter, they will not "crunch" up; if you want them less moist, just cook them a little longer. 🙂
I really like the flavor but the first pan came out a little dry. I cut the bake time down for the second pan and that helped. Any suggestion to add a little moisture?
Maybe add more almond butter; the fat will make it moist. Or maybe a bit of ripe banana(??)
Thanks Cathy -- I really like your technique for making the oat cookies (tried the cardamom apricot and tonight the oatmeal raisin). It will be my approach when re-making other recipes I have that use dates and oats.
I screwed up when using the low fat notes and simply replaced the 1/4 cup almond butter measure with 1/4 cup applesauce, and decided to keep the other 2 T almond butter. The batter was stiff but completely workable and we like the resulting cookies very much. With this alteration, I would not call them cavelike -- a little closer to a conventional oatmeal cookie, actually.
Sounds good, Chris! Thanks! 😉
I made these twice. Yummy. First time I almost burnt out my Nutribullet grinding dates, peanut butter and two the 2TBL of water. Also the batter was soooo dry, so I added 1/2 cup applesauce. I was able to roll into balls to shape. Delicious. 2nd time I made them, I put 1/2cup of applesauce into Nutribullet with chopped dates and a bit more water. Nutribullet handled it easily. The batter was softer and I was able to form like conventional drop cookies with a tablespoon, then press with a wet palm. Equally delicious.
I find the recipe is pretty forgiving. I used a 6oz dates and 1/2 cup peanut butter.
Can this be made with steel cut oats? Thanks
I have not tried it, but I think it could work. Google this substitution and see how others fared when making cookies. 🙂
Love these cookies! My husband has rheumatoid arthritis and is avoiding sugar. I am joining him in cutting sugar. These cookies really help satisfy our sweet tooth.
Thanks Arleen! 😉
I have made these several times and love them. Yesterday I tried using peanut butter instead of the almond butter, and found they tasted even better. Looking forward to trying with apple sauce as well another time
Wow, delicious cookies! Cathy, thank you for this recipe. Millie from Maryland
Thanks Millie! 😉
I wanted to love these. I really did. I've been a SOS vegan for +6 years now -- mainly raw vegan -- but I just didn't dig these. I REALLY appreciate the recipe and your effort, and the fact that your sharing great stuff, but I've yet -- and I've been searching -- to find a vegan SOS way to make baked desserts. There's just no competition to refined sugar, and it's really depressing. I have a major sweet tooth, but I just don't know how to emulate baked desserts such as cookies, cake, etc. They all use oil!
Any recommendations on how to make these things without oil, butter (vegan included), or margarine? Is there whole-food substitute for this stuff?
Sugar is another thing that's incredibly hard to emulate. Dates do a good job but it's just not the same. I want that sweet treat vegan and SOS!
Hi there, thanks for your comments. You can certainly make/buy desserts that are vegan and taste like traditional, but not that are healthy. That refined fat, sugar and flour is why it's so good (and hard to give up). There is no whole-food versions of these that taste the same or close. I hear you, I am a sweet tooth too. Different food, different outcome (in taste and health). My best advice, which you won't like: go without any desserts for a month, then start up with the whole-food, sos-free desserts, which will taste divine by then. 😉
Btw, it's not the food I dislike. I LOVE LOVE LOVE vegan SOS food. I eat it every single day.
It's the desserts that just are subpar, and that I'm trying to emulate. Vegan desserts are delicious, but they all use some sort of fat, and lots of non-SOS stuff.
great recipe! i’ve made with the almond butter and with the applesauce and both turned out great. thank you!
Do these freeze well? I made a double batch.
Baked goods freeze very well! 😉