Fresh Ginger Date Cookies are the perfect cookie for Christmastime, or anytime! Made with fresh ginger, which adds a zingy spiciness to it, along with powdered ginger, lots of dark molasses, and chopped chewy, gooey dates, these cookies have a lot of really interesting flavors happening. They’re coated with turbinado sugar which adds a gorgeous sweet, sparkly coating and a delightfully crunchy texture.

If you’re looking for a unique, easy cookie recipe to add to your repertoire, look no further than these fresh ginger and date cookies. You’ll be surprised at how much flavor can be packed into an innocent little cookie! With the fresh, spicy ginger, chewy and sweet dates, and warm, smoky molasses, these cookies are anything but ordinary.
I like making these year-round, but they’re especially festive around the holidays. I’ve got a batch in my freezer right now just waiting to make an appearance at a Christmas party in a few weeks… and it’s taking all my self control to not dive in and grab one (or four) to much on right now!
These are healthier than many other cookies since they use half the amount of sugar than your average cookie. Yet, they are still delightfully sweet because of the natural sugars in the dates, fresh ginger, and molasses (without being TOO sweet). Not to mention, ginger is really good for you.
I know you’ll love these fresh ginger and date cookies as much as I do. And be sure to check out the video in the recipe card below.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh ginger – no substitutes here! It’s essential.
- Powdered ginger – you can substitute this with a little more fresh ginger if you like.
- Dates – I use whole dates and pit and chop them myself – they are gooier and softer than pre-chopped dates (but feel free to use those to save on some prep time). See below for other dried fruit options.
- Turbinado sugar – this is optional, but highly recommended. It’s for rolling the cookies in before baking. Regular sugar can be used instead, or it can be omitted if you like.
- All-Purpose Flour – I’ve also used whole wheat and spelt flour for these with great results for a bit of a healthier outcome. See below for more on this.
- Butter – I use salted, but feel free to use unsalted with a pinch more salt added.
- Molasses – I like Grandma’s original molasses. Don’t use blackstrap, as it’s a bit bitter.
- Sugar
- Egg
- Salt
- Baking soda
How to make Fresh Ginger and Date Cookies
In a large bowl, mix together molasses, softened butter, and sugar. Add an egg and mix again. Add some fresh and powdered ginger, baking soda, and salt, and mix. Finally, add flour and mix until just combined. Use a cookie scoop to measure out the dough, and roll in turbinado sugar and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake, cool, and you’re done!
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
What kind of cookie scoop should I use?
I used an OXO medium cookie scoop for this batch you see pictured (about 2 tablespoons). I also like making tiny cookies with an OXO small cookie scoop (about 2 teaspoons). Whichever size you decide to make is fine, just adjust cooking time as needed.
If you’re in the market, I recommend buying a 3-pack of different size scoops, which are great for all kinds of things (like meatballs!).
Can I use whole wheat or spelt flour instead of all-purpose?
To make these cookies a bit healthier, you can substitute whole wheat or spelt flour for the all-purpose. These flours are more dense and will absorb more liquid. so use about 2 tablespoons less for this cookie recipe. The texture and flavor will be different, but these flours work well with such a flavorful cookie!
Can I freeze them?
Yup! I like to flash freeze on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a zip-top bag.
Can I use other dried fruits besides dates?
If you can’t find dates, I’ve made these with other dried fruits before (apricots, figs, and a combination of both). You can use another kind of dried fruit if you want (I bet golden raisins would be delicious!), or you can omit them. OR, you can add pieces of chocolate! These cookies are flexible… as long as you have the base dough, try mixing in other fun ingredients. You can’t go wrong.
Other favorite holiday cookie recipes
Other fresh ginger recipes
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Fresh Ginger Date Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter (one stick, or unsalted, see notes)
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger peeled, grated on a microplane zester (from about a 2" piece)
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt (see notes if using unsalted butter)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (see notes for whole grain flour)
- 1 cup dried dates pitted and chopped
- ½ cup turbinado sugar for rolling, more if needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or two with parchment paper (if refrigerating dough, wait to do this until just before baking,
- In a large bowl, add the stick of butter (soften in the microwave if necessary), molasses (½ cup), and sugar (½ cup). Mix together with a hand mixer until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute on high speed.
- Add the egg, mix again for another minute or so.
- Add the grated ginger (2 tablespoons – you can grate it directly into the bowl if you like, the exact amount isn't super important here), ground ginger (1 tablespoon), baking soda (½ teaspoon), and salt (¼ teaspoon). Mix together until well combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour (2 cups) and mix together until just combined. Fold in the chopped dates. For best results and easier rolling, refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes (you can skip this if you're short on time).
- Place the turbinado sugar (½ cup) into a small shallow bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons in size), scoop the dough into the sugar and then toss to coat. Place rolled cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet (see video for a visual on how to do this).
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges (adjust time for different size cookies). While the first batch is baking, you can set up the next batch on a second baking sheet if you like. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- A medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) will yield approximately 24 cookies. You can easily make more, smaller cookies with a small cookie scoop, just be sure to cook for a shorter time,
- For unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon more salt to the recipe.
- You can use other dried fruit in place of or alongside the dates, such as figs, apricots, or golden raisins.
- If using whole wheat or spelt flour, use 2 tablespoons less.
- How to freeze: place the already cooked cookies back on the parchment covered baking sheet after they’ve cooled and place in the freezer for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Then, transfer to a zip-top bag to store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This post originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious on December 22, 2014. It has been republished with new photos, improved recipe instructions, and more pertinent information.
Ang
Hi I love this recipe but without the turbinado coating. May I ask if what is the cookie texture after bake pls?
Elizabeth Lindemann
The texture is chewy and has a little bit of a grain to it because of the whole grain flour. It’s super moist though, so the grain isn’t unpleasant. Hope that helps!
Ang
Thanks so much. Love it!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Emma
Amazing cookies! Thanks for the recipe. I made them to take to Thanksgiving weekend. I didn’t tell my husband they had dates in them (or he wouldn’t have even tried them), but he really liked them as well. I left the first batch in too long because they seemed too soft at 7, 9, even 12 minutes, but they hardened up very quickly once I took them out of the oven. The second batch was perfect at 10 minutes in my oven. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and nice job hiding the date addition hah!
Dan
Very much liked the crunchy exterior and general texture. I would reduce the amount of molasses and increase the dates and ginger.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the feedback- would love to know how they come out with these different amounts, if you try it!
Disha
Can I leave out the egg from the recipe?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, I’ve never tried it, and the egg helps bind everything together. You may want to try a “vegan” egg- such as a chia or flax egg (chia or flax seeds mixed with water to create an egg-like binder). Here’s more on that. If you try it and it works, I’d love to know so I can add a recipe note for the egg-free readers! https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Ingrid
Made these and they were a hit. I added in addition some chopped up crystallised ginger as well. Thanks for the recipe! As a tip when rolling, and I do this for any mix like rum balls, cake pops etc, wear disposable gloves and the mix doesn’t stick to your hands, bonus of clean hands and importantly no wastage of the yummy mix
Elizabeth Lindemann
LOVE that tip about disposable loves! Definitely trying that next time. So glad you liked it!
Julia
Thanks for your quick reply -I figured it was 2 cups so went ahead with that – oven is heating up now – they smell delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)
Julia
Hi, just want to clarify how much flour. In the ingredient list it says 2 cups but the instructions refer to only 1 cup of flour. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Gah! Thanks so much for catching that. It’s 2 cups :-) I’ve been going back through my old recipes and adding the ingredient amounts in the directions so people don’t have to scroll up and down so much… but that also opens the door up for more mistakes! It’s fixed now. Thanks again, and if you make these cookies, I hope you like them!
Kalene
Do you mean 1/2 stick butter AND one cup butter? Or did you just mean 1/2 stick of butter? Also did you mean one cup chopped date’s or one cup of dates full sized and then chop them up? This was confusing to me and I think I might have put the wrong measurements. Please let me know so I can make these right. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Good questions! You need one stick of butter, which is the same as 1/2 cup (I’ll fix the recipe wording now- I’ve been finding a few errors lately after changing some things around, so thanks for putting this on my radar!). As for the dates, either will work honestly, but I’d chop them up and then measure them, to get more :-) Hope that helps, I’ll adjust the recipe card!
eve
if you put the mixture in the fridge overnight would that be ok?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I think so! It might be a little harder to scoop but just put some muscle into it (or use a good cookie scoop) :-)
emma roberts
Fantastic, loved them. Thank you for the recipe x
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them! :-)
Jen
These are legit the best cookies ever!! So gooey/chewy with a crispy exterior. Thanks for this keeper of a recipe!
Elizabeth
Thanks Jen! I totally agree- they are my FAVORITE! Glad you liked them :-)
Kathi G
I made a quarter batch (portion control for me) and good thing!! We ate them all while they were still warm. Nice and spicy with the fresh ginger. I used medjool dates ( they’re the best). I used regular wheat flour- I don’t know if pastry flour is different. Mine did not spread at all- they stayed in a ball. Had to increase the baking time a few minutes. LOVED these… spicy ginger cookies are my favorite.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them!
Kerry cooper
Hi there, these felt too soggy to come out at 7 mins so I left them in for another 5! They then came out more like a gingernut biscuit with a crunchy outer and soft middle! Will have a go again xxx tastes amazing tho
Elizabeth
So glad you liked them, and thanks for the tip on leaving them in for a little longer!
Annemarie
Whoops – yes I can read- but only sometimes apparently!! Spelt flour is okay so it says in very first ingredient. And I know the truvia will sub in fine following package amount exchange for regular sugar. I’ll still use the turbino for the coati g though for that nice crunch. I’m set to bake today. I’ll let you know how they come out.
Elizabeth
Haha no worries! Looks like you have it all figured out- hope you like the recipe :-) Would love to hear how it comes out!
Annemarie
Can I sub spelt flour for the whole wheat and truvia for the sugar? Spelt has a nice nutty flavor and I’ve come to like it better than the stronger tasting white whole wheat. And I only have baking truvia sugar on hand – tastes just like sugar to me but it’s healthier they say. Thanks. Great recipe to make today!
Margo Haynes
I’m diabetic and cannot use natural cane sugar, would it affect taste in a negative way to use Splenda’s light brown
sugar mix that is half and half?
Elizabeth
I’m sure you could use that as a substitution! Artificial sugar always tastes different than regular to me, but I’d definitely still give it a shot. Dates have a lot of natural sugars in them and also molasses so make sure those ingredients are ok for you to use as well!
Barbara Manning
Thanks, Elizabeth.
I actually have some black strap molasses, and now I know where to use it!
I used in in a gingerbread I made, but it was just too strong a flavor — and made the bread look like a black brick. Not a success story at all. I want to use it up, and this looks like the perfect recipe for it!
Elizabeth
I love finding ways to use things up in my pantry. Hope you like the recipe! :-)
Monica
Hi can I use gluten free flours or coconut flour in these and would you know how much?
Thanking you Monica
Elizabeth
I’ve never tried either before, but I think you can sub regular gluten free flour for the same amount. As for the coconut flour… my experience with it is that the texture and the way it works is completely different from wheat flour. If you try it in this recipe, I’d love to know how it comes out! But if you don’t want to risk it, here’s a yummy looking Paleo ginger molasses cookie that uses coconut flour: http://www.paleorunningmomma.com/soft-paleo-ginger-molasses-cookies-paleo/
Ash
These were really beautiful thanks for a great recipe
Elizabeth
Thanks, and you’re welcome!
Victor Johnson
Spicy ginger cookies! My mom will love these! Thanks for this recipe. When she sees it in her inbox, she’s going to flip!
Fire Fly
Could AP flour be used in these? If so, are there any adjustments to be made? They are right up my alley but I don’t care for whole wheat flour and also only have AP flour on hand.
Elizabeth
You can definitely use all purpose flour! No adjustments necessary.
Fire Fly
Thank you for your prompt reply :)