Date roll cookies are sweet, soft and chewy slice and bake cookies, featuring a simple rolled cookie dough with a cooked date and pecan filling.
My Mother-In-Law Elsie made these delicious, soft and chewy Date Roll Cookies all the time, and in her memory I decided to make them and post the recipe!
She always made them for her family, and she made them for her friends! Elsie traditionally made her date roll cookies for us at Christmas, and mailed them from whatever state she lived in at the time. These cookies are THE cookie I will always associate with her. When I see them or the recipe, I cannot help but think of Elsie.
She’s been in heaven for a couple of years now, but I still make these date roll cookies occasionally (usually at Christmas time, in her honor). They are soft, chewy and delicious… and my husband and I love them. I hope you will, also!
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Date Roll Cookies Are Easy To Prepare
A simple cookie dough is made and rolled out. A date and nut filling is cooked, then spread over the dough, and then it is rolled into log shapes. The dough logs for the date roll cookies are refrigerated until really firm, then the cookies are sliced and baked!
The date roll cookies are very easy to make… the length of time specified in the recipe below is inclusive of “chilling the dough” time. I usually make the dough in the morning, and come back to it later in the day to slice and bake. No big deal.
I hope you will consider making these delicious date roll cookies. They are easy to make, and are really delicious, soft and chewy! Thank you for stopping by today, and I hope you will come back again soon. Have a GREAT day!
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Recipe Source: My mother-in-law (don’t have a clue where she got the recipe many, many years ago)
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
- 1 cup butter , melted, cooled to room temp
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs , beaten slightly
- 1 pound dates , chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- To prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, cook the filling ingredients until soft and thick (the dates will break down as you cook). Stir the mixture constantly as you cook, so the filling won't burn. Remove from heat, but keep the mixture "warm" until ready to spread onto dough.
To prepare the cookie dough: In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the melted, room temperature butter. Add the dry ingredients; mix well to combine thoroughly. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each half of the dough (one at a time) into a rectangle. Dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Your dough will end up being 6-7 inches wide, as well. Shape into a distinct rectangle, using your fingers to shape the dough.
Spread half of the warm (not hot!) date filling over the entire surface of the dough. Roll the dough up tightly starting from the long side of the dough. Once rolled into a log shape, carefully place the roll onto a baking sheet. Repeat process with other half of dough. Cover the two rolls with saran wrap or foil, and chill them in the refrigerator for an hour and a half. (At this point, if you want to save one of the rolls of dough for another time, simply wrap it in saran and foil; place back in refrigerator (will last for a couple weeks) or freezer (longer storage). This dough freezes well)
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the dough roll into thin slices (1/4 - 1/2 inch). Place slices 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake. When done, carefully remove baking sheet to a wire rack. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to the wire rack. Enjoy!
**The long prep times included chilling the dough time.These only take a few minutes to make once dough is chilled.
Make as many or as few of these delicious cookies as you wish. If you want to make a few at a time, cut as many slices as you want; put the rest of the dough back in freezer or refrigerator. If freezing the dough, remember to thaw completely before baking, but slice dough while partially frozen for best results.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!