Tender butter cookies with gooey dates and toasted pecans. Family recipe from Kelly Jaggers. Makes 6 dozen cookies (2 cookies per serving).
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT120M
Total time: PT150M
Rating
4.81 stars (31 reviews)
Keywords
cookie recipe, dessert recipe
Ingredients
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups roughly chopped pecans, toasted
1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on low speed until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until they are thoroughly incorporated, about 30 seconds per egg.
After the last egg has been added add the vanilla and stir to mix. The mixture may look slightly broken at this stage. This is normal.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until the flour is almost absorbed by the butter.
Then add the pecans and dates and mix until everything is well distributed. Cover the dough with plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Scoop the chilled dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie to allow for spread.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookie is puffed, looks dry all over, and the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 90 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 4 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 13 mg
Sodium: 75 mg
Sugar: 6 g
Reviews
Jay Leipham on 2025-11-15 (5 stars): Yummy! I tweaked it, using extra pecans and extra dates; I macerated the chopped dates in 1/4 cup of date syrup while I chopped the pecans and worked the rest of the recipe up to their addition; I substituted 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar for 1/2 cup of white sugar; I added a teaspoon of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. I prefer larger cookies, so I made mine bigger, ending up with 29 cookies. I increased the cooking time to 13 minutes, and they were still a bit underbaked. 15 minutes might work better.
JALYN McCAIN on 2023-07-17 (5 stars): I found this on the original post from years ago, and made them (bc I LOVE dates). My husband ended up grabbing a handful every time he walked past the container. Within 2 days, the entire double batch was gone--and this is his MOST REQUESTED cookie.
We also love that these are diabetic-friendly--he can eat a few and not drastically spike. Thanks for this delicious recipe. We are lifelong fans!!!
Barbara Le on 2021-11-26 (5 stars): Have been making it every Christmas for four years to go on my Christmas platter of cookies. A favorite of the whole family. The very best warm from the oven. Turned out perfect every time. Did everything according to recipe.
Sally Bosson on 2021-03-08 (5 stars): I had dates, dried out and pretty awful. We never throw stuff out so I hunted for receipes. Soaked the dates and just had 1 cup so it had to do. Cut the sugar to 1 cup and added 1/2 cup of oats. Only had whisk so thats what I used. They took longer to cook but are 100% a hit. Can see me making these again!
Barbara Granzow on 2020-12-22 (5 stars): These are wonderfully tasty, even my 10 year old who is not a “cookie person” loved them!
I thought I followed the recipe exactly but mine did not spread out nice & thin like the picture... did not detract from the taste though!
Darla on 2020-12-06 (5 stars): I made these today!! I used half white sugar and half brown sugar.....love them!
Laura on 2020-11-15 (5 stars): I also used walnuts rather than pecans and the cookies are excellent! The recipes from your website that I've made have been a success - dinners, desserts and dips. :-) Thank you very much for sharing these great recipes, Tori!
