Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Dates are the New Raisins.

by

Are my eyes seeing correctly?

Does it really say TWO weeks left until Christmas

on the virtual Advent Calendar??!

Speaking of Christmas,

Santa’s snowmen helpers stopped by

and wanted to announce the winners from this weekend’s giveaway.

The 2 winners of a very merry,

Fork and Beans cookie jar & Dandies gift are:

 Rebecca

*AND*

Lizzie 

Congrats ladies!

Email me at: myforkandbeans@gmail.com

with your address so I can ship your gift off to you as soon as possible!

Day 8 of the “The 12 Days of Christmas Cookies”: Oatmeal and Date Cookies.

(((For those of you new to Fork and Beans,

we have been dedicating the first half of the month to

12 glorious gluten free and vegan cookie recipes

I have converted from my bloggy friend, Brooke))).

Call me crazy but oatmeal raisins cookies aren’t on the top of  my go-to cookie list.

I just never have been a fan.

It’s probably the raisins.

I hate raisins.

I used to pour Raisin Bran cereal into my bowl

and then spend the next 10 minutes hand-plucking each raisin out of my bowl.

Same went with cinnamon raisin bread…

or bagels…

or rolls…

or cookies.

I could never understand why someone

would willing choose raisins over chocolate chips to be put into their cookies.

So when Brooke handed me today’s recipe,

I wasn’t too thrilled about it, to be honest.

I was secretly wishing Greg was here to gobble them up

since it’s his favorite kind of cookie.

But since I was the only one home,

alone I baked,

alone I taste-tested my first batch…

and alone I sat, stuffing my face with a 1/2 dozen Oatmeal Date cookies.

My immediate thought was:

Why haven’t dates substituted raisins officially yet???

They are far superior than those shriveled grapes.

They are milder

and caramel-like,

without that weird “I’ve been in the bath way too long” texture in your mouth.

Great. I have become a dried fruit snob.

I cannot wait for WEDNESDAY for Greg to finally get back

after 2 months too long of being away from my side

I will hand feed these to him until the last one is gone.

(which won’t be hard since there are only 4 left).

Oatmeal and Date Cookie Recipe

Converted from Brooke’s recipe

makes 25-30 large cookies

INGREDIENTS:

  • 12 Tbs Earth Balance butter, softened
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1 Tb soft tofu, blended (as an egg substitute)
  • 2 Tbs water
  • 2/3 c. Authentic Foods all-purpose flour blend
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 c. GF oats
  • 8 oz chopped dates

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add egg in and beat thoroughly.
  3. Mix in water and vanilla.
  4. Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; add to egg mix until blended.
  5. Add oats and dates; mix.
  6. Form large cookies of parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
  7. Bake 15-17  minutes.

About Cara

Based in Chicago with her husband and son, Cara is the creator behind the site Fork and Beans: A place where kids can have fun with their food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex

    This recipe sounds amazing! I don’t eat processed sugars though (brown and white)- do you think it would be possible to substitute with agave? With gluten-free baking I always find it tricky to substitute!
    Thanks 🙂

    • Cara

      This is a question that can only be answered through experimentation 🙂 I wish I had a good answer for you, Alex–sorry! Let me know if you do try it. I’m curious in hearing how it turns out!

  2. Heather

    “I could never understand why someone would willing choose raisins over chocolate chips to be put into their cookies”

    I have ALWAYS thought the same thing!

    Dates indeed are amazing – i just started cooking with the this past year and am in love

    cookies + dates = FABULOUS!

  3. Isobelle

    I’m with Ash – I like raisins. But I kind of think they’re way too sweet so I don’t like to eat a lot of them. I’m not a big date fan either. But these look so yummy. They might have to be the first thing I bake for myself when I start eating properly again.

    Oh, and I made a wordpress account this weekend (spur of the moment thing) and I don’t like it. It’s really complicated. And you have to pay to customize it (I mean, what?). All I really wanted was to have snow on my blog. But that’s okay.

    • Cara

      Hmmm, looks like you are the only 2 defending the pro raisin side. Care to reconsider???
      You don’t have to pay to customize a site, do you? No, they have free ones!! And the snow! Good lord, is the snow in abundance over here!!

  6. Richa@HobbyandMore

    that first cookie looks like it is suspended in the air with some magical strings attached! ok i dont hate raisins.. but i cant eat anything in my oatmeal cookie other than nice chewy tangy dried cranberries.. no.. no chocchips for me.. just cranberries and lots of them!.. i just baked a batch of cranberry oatmeal cookies.. not oatmeal cranberry.. coz theres more cranberries than oatmeal.. its like a dark crimson color all over with oatmeal trying to show its face in between. Yes! thats my cookie! i think i’ll like dates in the cookies.. esp since hubbs cannot stand dates.. he thinks they look like big fat cockroaches.. so i cant keep them anywhere in sight and put any large chunks in things.. its tiny hidden dates which he will eat. have a fun day.. hope your wrist is better!

    • Cara

      I get a little wierded out myself by whole dates–they *do* look like roaches. Greg, however, eats them by the dozen (a reason why I cannot take him to the farmers market because he always wants to buy our entire money’s worth of veggies on dates). I love the idea of cranberries though–I think I would love that sweet and tangy flavor paired with the oats. I am going to try that next time (because there will be a next time–I liked these cookies that much!)
      Wrist is feeling *much* better. Been snapping strangely lately but when that happens, there is a release of pain and feels a lot better–thanks for asking!! xo

  7. Brooke

    I think we should be come the charter members of the “Dates are Better than Raisins Appreciation Society.” Also, love the idea of tofu in these! I didn’t know you could sub eggs with tofu!

  9. Lizzie

    Perfect timing – just yesterday I heard tell of a cinnamon date bread, that got me all excited because I love cinnamon bread, but can never find any that doesn’t have raisins, so the dates for raisins sub has been on my mind. I think it’s official – when I read “raisins” in a recipe, my brain will henceforth convert it to “dates!”

    p.s. I just emailed you with my info for the giveaway, yay!!

  11. coldandsleepy

    Ooooh… this is what I get for not reading your blog over the weekend! I missed a cookie giveaway! DOH!

    Mmmm, oatmeal. I am putting together a package for another GF friend for a swap and I am so totally going to steal half the things you made this month… she is going to be like “PLEASE NO MORE COOKIES.” It’s going to be great.

    Dates are a great idea! I like raisins but never in oatmeal cookies… I wonder if other dried fruit is good in oatmeal? Maybe dried cherries? Cranberries? Hmmm….

    • Cara

      Haha. I love how her plead to stop baking more cookies will only please you all the more 🙂 That’s my kind of friend!
      Cranberries are super good in place of raisins! I have the Clean Eating cookbook and there is a breakfast cookie recipe (with dried cranberries) in there that, when I make then, I can never stop eating them. They are so good!

  12. Laurel

    My sweetie’s favorite cookies, except he says he doesn’t have a favorite, except these are the only ones he ever asks for. Well, except for that. I’m sure Greg is going to love all the virtual cookies you feed him on Wednesday. I soooooo glad that you two are being reunited for the Holidays. Raisins are weird. Have you ever done the soaked in Rum before adding to baked goods? I’ve soaked them in hot water and other liquids. They get all nice and plumped up so when they bake they’re not quite so cringe worthy. Oh, lest I forget, CONGRATULATIONS Rebecca and Lizzie!

      • Laurel

        Yeah. I actually prefer dates, and craisins and dried cherries and coconut and chocolate. My FIL thought they were the bomb. My husband thought I was nuts and I just had fun ’cause I couldn’t eat them. “What are you NOT allergic to Laurel?” um, um Cara and friendship! <3

  13. Nora @ Natural Noshing

    I just made oatmeal cookies last night!!!! How funny, must be on the same wavelength 🙂 these look yummy and I love dates!
    Aww boo, i didn’t know you weren’t a fan of raisins…you were just being nice since i put a bunch of them in the biscotti 🙁 at least I know for next time!

    • Cara

      BAHA!! Here is the kicker–I totally *loved* them in the biscotti! And I swear I am not even saying that just for you. That is probably one baked good that I could handle them in because the crunch of the biscotti masked their strange-to-me texture. Don’t do anything different next time (next time? You mean I get another batch in a future date?? Woo-hoo!) seriously. I honestly loved them!!!

      • Nora @ Natural Noshing

        Haha you’re too sweet! oki doki I won’t change a thing 🙂 except that dates would be fantastic with that flavor combo!
        And yes you get another date and another batch of something next time we meet! 🙂

        • Cara

          YES!!!! And don’t use dates in the biscotti–raisins, please. Oh good lord, I never thought I would hear myself actually requesting raisins. See?? They are that good! 🙂

  15. Ashlae

    I can’t believe you don’t like raisins. To try to get off of chocolate, I’ve been eating raisins every night.. by the handful. And here you think they’re nasty, litttle, pathetic excuses for a fruit. Ohh, Cara.

    But, try eating a plain date. Blech!

    Alllllllso! So nice to see you putting your vanilla extract to good use – and using the blended tofu egg replacer method 🙂

    PS – these cookies look so dense and scrumptious. I want one. Now.

    • Cara

      There. I said it. I don’t like raisins. Please don’t hate me. We have everything else in common, we can still make it work…
      And hey, I like plain dates, watch your mouth.
      And one last thing, your vanilla extract is my favorite thing in the world now!! So far, it’s the best I have had. Thank you again <3

  16. Caitlin

    i was never a fan of raisins growing up, too! i always picked them out of raisin bran- gross! i love that you subbed them with dates! such a great idea 😉

  17. reid

    I agree with you on the date vs. raisins! Raisins uncooked are okay but in cookies they get soft again and wrinkly..
    These look really good and I bet your returning love will love them too. 🙂

    • Cara

      I am so glad to hear that I have fellow dried fruit snobs in my camp with me 🙂 I have a feeling our sentiment about raisins is going to anger some people…

    • Cara

      I am getting inside your brain Chinmayie 🙂 Well, to be honest, I really cannot take credit for it. Brooke is the boss and she tells me what to do so you have her to thank!