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Studded with sweet dates and a crunchy edge of almonds, enjoy these delicious cookies anytime for a snack or dessert.
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5 from 4 votes

Date Almond Butter Cookies - 6 ingredients, Egg free

These Date Almond Butter Cookies are whipped up with just 6 simple ingredients, combining to make a cookie that's all buttery and crispy.
Course Cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric
  • ½ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature (see note 1)
  • ½ cup powdered (icing sugar) (sift before measuring)
  • 1 ⅛ cups all purpose flour (same as plain flour -UK OR cake flour)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (add ½ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
  • ¾ cup chopped pitted dates
  • ⅓ cup flaked or chopped almonds

Instructions

To make the cookie dough

  • In a large bowl use a spatula to mix the butter and powdered (icing) sugar until it turns pale in color and light in texture.
  • Add all purpose flour (same as plain flour -UK) OR cake flour, salt and chopped dates. - Mix to form a crumbly dough.
  • Use your hands or a spatula to mix everything together until you have a soft dough.

Divide and shape the dough into logs

  • Divide the dough into 2 portions.
  • Roll each into an 4-inch (10cm)-long log which is about 1 ¼ inch (3cm thick) (see note 2)
  • Spread the flaked or chopped almonds on a plate. Roll each log in the almonds to coat. (see note 3)

Chill the shaped logs

  • Wrap each log in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30-45 minutes. (see note 4)

Slice and bake

  • Unwrap the logs, trim the ends if they’re uneven. Slice the logs into ¾ inch (1cm) thick rounds.
  • Although the sliced rounds appear small, they expand during baking and become standard (approximately) 2 ¼ inch (5 ½ cm) cookies.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking silicone mat.
  • Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven , and preheat it to 356° F / 180° C (160° C fan).
  • Place the cut out rounds on the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) between each one. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remember to rotate the baking sheet positions from front to back after 10 minutes (for evenly baked cookies)
  • Take the cookies out of the oven, let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes (they might crumble if moved while hot), then carefully shift them to cooling racks. Remember, cookies get firmer as they cool.

Storage

  • Once completely cool, store the cookies in an airtight jar for up to 5 days.

Notes

1.Butter: Use what you have, either salted or unsalted.
  • I used salted butter for this recipe. If you use unsalted butter, make sure to use ½ teaspoon of salt when the recipe calls for it, instead of the ¼ teaspoon indicated.
  • Get the butter out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking. All the ingredients are incorporated much easier and quicker in soft butter.
  • This also prevents overworking the dough, which produces dense instead of crispy cookies.
 
2.If you prefer larger cookies, skip the dough division. Instead, shape a thicker log and cut the cookies to your desired thickness. Just remember, baking time will vary based on the size and thickness of your cookies.
 
3. Make sure to coat the shaped logs with almonds before wrapping and chilling. The almonds stick more easily to the soft cookie dough
 
4. Do not skip the step of chilling the dough. This step cools and firms the log shapes making it easy to slice into disks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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