Date-Sweetened Double Chocolate Cookies (whole wheat!)

Today we’re making date-sweetened double chocolate cookies!

Yes, you’re reading this correctly: these cookies are rich, dark, fudgey little brownie-like bites of joy and the only sweetener used is sticky-sweet medjool dates. 

It’s a cookie miracle.

After several attempts at date-sweetened cookies that were more like brownie-colored rocks, and a few others that were essentially just muffin tops, I was literally dancing around my kitchen when I landed upon this final recipe. 

They’re dense and gooey, ultra chocolatey, and perfectly sweet…aka my dream dessert/snack situation.

Here’s the cool thing: the batter is made entirely in the bowl of your food processor. <–affiliate link

The base of these cookies is (surprise!) dates. I always use whole medjool dates that I pit myself. You’re looking for large, plump, juicy, sticky dates, like the ones sold in little plastic tubs in the produce section of most grocery stores. Hard dry one’s aren’t ideal here. 

The dates go into your food processor with coconut oil and are pureed until they form a sticky paste. An egg joins the party to bind everything together, and then all the dry ingredients get added and quickly pulsed to form a dough. All of this happens in less time than it takes to preheat the oven, which is a total win in my book.

Finally, you’ll stir in some chocolate chunks, scoop out your cookies, and after just 6 minutes in the oven (yes, really!), they’re done. 

We’re talking 10-ingredient, 1-bowl, 20 minute cookies. 

Double chocolate whole wheat date-sweetened ones, to boot. 

I added a big pinch of flaky sea salt on top of each cookie since my tastebuds are all about that salty-sweet combo, but it’s totally optional. These aren’t the type of cookie that are so sweet they need the added salt on top to balance it out, but it’s still very much welcome if you’re a flaky salt lover.

Oh, and if you don’t have a food processor on hand, remain calm: I tried these in a bowl, mashing the dates and coconut oil with a fork, and whisking the egg in vigorously by hand, and the results were very similar. To me, the food processor method is simpler and yields more consistently perfect cookies, but I’ll leave instructions in the recipe notes below if you want to do it all by hand! 

If you’re a fan of fudgy brownies, naturally sweetened desserts, easy recipes, leftover cookies for snacking on later in the week, or all of the above, you absolutely need these cookies in your life. Maybe tonight? I think we can all squeeze in a 1-bowl, 20 minute recipe on a weeknight, right? 

Right. 

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or take a picture of your cookies and tag me on Instagram! I love seeing my recipes in your kitchen! 

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Date Sweetened Double Chocolate Cookies

Chelsea Colbath

Thick, chewy, fudgy double chocolate cookies sweetened entirely with dates! These cookies are made right in the bowl of a food processor, and take only six minutes to bake.

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Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 10 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup medjool dates, pits removed (about 8-10 large dates, tightly packed into measuring cup)
• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil at soft room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat or all-purpose flour spelt, einkorn, or whole wheat pastry flour would all work interchangeably in this recipe
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Put dates and coconut oil into the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender and puree until fully combined. A few small chunks of unblended dates are fine.
• Add egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and process again to fully combine with the date mixture. Finally, add cocoa powder and flour and pulse just to combine.
• Remove the blade from the food processor and use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chunks, using this opportunity to scrape down to the bottom of the food processor and ensure that everything is fully mixed.
• Scoop the cookie dough onto the sheet pan using a large cookie scoop (~3T each) to yield 10 total cookies. Slightly flatten each ball of cookie dough, since these will barely spread in the oven.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are slightly puffed up and just barely cooked through. Do not overbake these cookies or they take on a very dry, cake-like consistency. I recommend baking for 8 minutes exactly, and only adding an extra 1-2 minutes if absolutely needed.
• Sprinkle cookies with flaky salt as soon as they come out of the oven (if using) and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Leftovers can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Notes

Be sure you’re choosing dates that are large, plump, and sticky. I prefer to buy Medjool dates with the pit still in them, and remove the pits myself, as they tend to stay fresher longer that way. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 15 minutes before using. 

If your coconut oil is solid/hard at room temperature, either run the sealed jar under hot tap water for a minute or two, or pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it up a bit before using.

To make this recipe without a food processor: First, soften the dates by microwaving them in a bowl for 30 seconds (or soaking in boiling water for 10 minutes). Then add them to a mixing bowl and use a fork to fully mash them until there are no chunks remaining. Add the coconut oil and mash it into the dates with the fork, then add the egg and switch to a whisk, whisking vigorously until the three are combined. This will take a while, but eventually it will form a mostly homogenous mixture. Finally, add in all remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Scoop + bake as directed above.