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. 
UPDATED 12/9/2025
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, I cannot help but think of her.
She’s been in heaven for a couple of years now, but I still make these date roll cookies occasionally (usually at Christmas, 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
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.
Make 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 evenly in half.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll each half of the dough (one at a time) into a rectangle. The dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Your dough should end up being between 6-7 inches wide, as well. Shape the dough into a distinct rectangle, using your fingers to shape it as you go.
Add The Date Nut Filling And Roll
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.
TIP: At this point, if you want to save one of the rolls of dough for another time, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and foil. Place the wrapped dough log back in refrigerator (will last for a couple weeks) or the freezer (longer storage). This dough freezes well.
TIP: At this point, if you want to save one of the rolls of dough for another time, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and foil. Place the wrapped dough log back in refrigerator (will last for a couple weeks) or the freezer (longer storage). This dough freezes well.
Bake The Date Roll Cookies
When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F. Slice the dough rolls into thin slices (between ¼”-½” thick). Place slices 2 inches apart on ungreased or silpac lined baking sheets.
Bake the date roll cookies at 350°F. for 8-10 minutes. Don’t overbake these cookies! They should be golden brown and fairly soft. they will firm up slightly as they cool.
When done, remove the cookies from the oven and place the baking sheets on wire racks. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes (still on the baking sheets).
After the cookies have slightly cooled for 5 minutes (and begun to firm up, carefully transfer the cookies off the baking sheets and onto wire racks to finish cooling completely.
Once they have cooled completely, they are ready to serve and enjoy! Place them on a pretty platter and watch how fast they disappear!
I hope you will consider making these delicious date roll cookies. They are easy to make, and are really delicious, soft and chewy! I’m confident you will love them.
Thank you for stopping by today, and I hope you will come back again soon. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!
Looking For More COOKIE Recipes?
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- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Giant Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Oaties (no bake)
- Lemon Meltaway Cookies
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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!
Though I have not made the cookies from this recipe, I am very excited to have found this beloved sweet treat! A very dear friend’s grandmother would make these and he would bless us with with these amazing cookies for the holidays. Thank you, thank you thank you! I cannot wait!
Thanks for your note, Lisa. I hope you enjoy these yummy cookies!