Easy Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (With Dates)

These Chocolate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies are the make-ahead morning treat that’s worth getting out of bed for. They were a go-to of mine when I was waking up for my 3AM shift as a pastry chef! Best of all, you only need 10 ingredients and 15 minutes to make these delicious cookies!

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

My naturally gluten-free almond flour chocolate chip cookies have zero refined flour or dairy, are naturally sweetened with honey & maple syrup, and get an extra kick of chocolatey goodness with the addition of chocolate hazelnut spread. 

To add some textural interest, I include toothsome old-fashioned oats, chocolate chunks, and nature’s candy, also known as chewy, sweet dates. All I can say about this chocolate chocolate chip cookies easy recipe is YUM!

These chocolatey date oatmeal cookies are also a snap to make. All you need is 10 easy-to-find ingredients and all of 15 minutes to knock out this simple cookies-for-breakfast recipe. Who knew meal-prepping could be so easy? Now, let’s get to it!

Looking for more cookie recipes to add to your freezer stash? Try whipping up come Small-Batch Sugar-Free Oatmeal Cookies, Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies or White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies!

🍴Ingredients

As promised, you don’t need a long grocery list to make these healthy oatmeal date cookies. Here’s the simple ingredients you'll need:

• Rolled Oats - Also called old-fashioned oats, these give the cookies a lovely chew and a healthy dose of fiber. While you technically can swap in quick-cooking or instant oats, I don’t recommend it.
• Almond Flour - Any nut flour will work here. No need to splurge for blanched oat flour like in my many recipes for French macarons; these chocolate chip date cookies are intended to be craggy and rustic. 
• Baking Soda - Not to be confused with baking powder!
• Chocolate Hazelnut Spread - My homemade recipe made with a food processor calls for just 4 ingredients, no added sugar, and best of all, no palm oil! That said, you can feel free to replace with your favorite store-bought brand; just be sure to check your label and ensure if there’s any palm oil it is certified sustainable. 
• Pure Maple Syrup & Honey - I love the nuanced flavors that both of these liquid sweeteners bring to the table. Feel free to swap in one or the other, or opt for a different sweetener like date syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup.
• Vanilla Extract - Vanilla paste or powder will also work!
• Dates - Dried, pitted dates bring a big hit of chewy sweetness. I suggest using drier deglet noor or thoory varieties for easier chopping, but sticky medjools will also do the trick.
• Dark Chocolate - The darker, the better, especially against the sweetness of the dates. I suggest reaching for 70% or higher, and the best quality that you can get. Guittard, Callebaut, Ghiradelli, or Chocolove are all good options!
• Flaky Salt - I love the gorgeous pyramid shape of Maldon, but feel free to swap in your favorite.

⚒️ Equipment

Making my chocolate oatmeal chocolate chip cookies is a simple task requiring just the most basic kitchen wares. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bowl & Spatula - Surprise! There’s no creaming of butter or sugar for these healthy breakfast cookies. You can make the entire batch by hand, no mixer needed.
• Tablespoon or Medium Cookie Scoop - If you have one, a cookie scoop will make your life much, much easier and will yield perfectly sized treats. If not, feel free to measure by tablespoon and roll them with your (damp) hands.
• Baking or Cookie Sheet  - I highly recommend every home baker invest in a set of good, sturdy, unwarped baking sheets. They’ll make your life better!

📖 Step by Step Instructions

These almond flour chocolate cookies come together in a flash. Here’s how they’re made:

Step 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Step 2: Dry Ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the rolled oats, hazelnut flour, baking soda, and salt.

Step 3: Wet Ingredients. Add the tahini, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.

Step 4: Wet + Dry. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix to form a rather thick dough.

Step 5: Add-Ins. Fold in the chopped dates and chopped dark chocolate. 

Make-Ahead Tip: Dough can be made to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month. 

Step 6: Scoop. Scoop the dough into balls or roll by hand. Arrange cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, allowing two inches between each cookie and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. 

Pro Tip: If using clean hands, get them slightly wet so that the sticky dough doesn't stick as easily! For a flatter, less tall cookie shape press the dough down gently before baking.

Step 7: Bake for 10 minutes, watching for the edge to start to brown.

Step 8: Cool & Enjoy. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying!

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

These date chocolate chip cookies are pretty much my ideal breakfast (especially when served with a Rose Milk Chai Latte or Sparkling Iced Coffee), but there’s always room for customization. Here are some easy variations to try:

• Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. The original recipe calls for both maple syrup and honey, but you can easily swap out the honey for more maple or any other liquid sweetener you prefer.
• Add-Ins. Consider chunking up these healthy oatmeal date cookies with even more goodies like chopped, toasted nuts, other kinds of dried fruits, or different dark chocolate chips. Next time, you can also opt to add a little caffeine to the mix by adding in a few teaspoons of instant espresso powder!
• Different Nut Butter. Not a fan of Nutella? No worries! Swap in any other creamy nut butter you prefer like tahini, cashew butter, peanut butter, or almond butter. Feel free to use chocolate-flavored varieties to keep the double chocolate status.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Chill the cookie dough - Chilling the dough in the fridge before rolling it into balls makes it easier to work with. It also helps deepen the flavors and improves the consistency so you always end up with thick and fudgy cookies. 
• Making cookie dough ahead of time - You can make the cookie dough 1 or 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to bake. I actually recommend making the dough at least a few hours in advance of baking in order to ensure proper rehydration of the oats and almond flour, which leads to a super luscious consistency. 
• Freezing cookie dough - To extend the shelf-life of your goodies, wrap the dough tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge before rolling out and baking.
• Roll with wet hands - If you don’t have a cookie scoop, wet your hands a bit first so the dough doesn’t stick to as much.
• Certify your treats - If you’re gluten-sensitive, make sure you’re reaching for certified gluten-free oats as many can be produced in facilities that also process wheat. When possible and/or applicable, I also encourage you to purchase certified fair-trade chocolate and certified sustainable palm oil products.

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