Date & Toffee Cookies

Name: Date & Toffee Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: Makes 18 cookies
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Add to recipe book

roubashahin.com.au

Desserts Snacks

Soft, chewy cookies packed with chopped dates and a melted toffee centre — finished with crushed pistachios on top.

PREP TIME

20 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling)

COOK TIME

10–15 minutes

SERVES

Makes 18 cookies

About this recipe

I’ll be honest, this one isn’t a traditional Lebanese recipe — but the moment dates go into anything, my brain switches straight into Middle Eastern mode. It’s funny how that happens. Dates have always meant home to me, even when they’re sitting in a cookie dough rather than stuffed into mamoul or baked in a cake. So while these Date and Toffee Stuffed Cookies aren’t rooted in tradition, they still feel like mine.

What makes this one different from my other cookie recipes is the toffee. I press a piece of toffee lolly straight into the centre of each cookie before baking, and as it bakes it melts down into this soft, sticky pocket in the middle. It’s such a small addition, but it changes the whole experience of the cookie — that contrast between the soft date-flecked dough and the warm, gooey toffee centre is what makes people go back for a second one. As a result, these have quickly become one of my favourite things to bake when I want something a little different from the usual chocolate chip situation.

If you love a good cookie jar recipe, you’ll want to add these to the rotation alongside my Bakery Style Cinnamon Cookies and my Rolled Oats Cookies — both are easy, buttery, and just as good with a cup of tea. And if it’s that chewy, nutty, slightly indulgent flavour you’re chasing, my Knafeh Cookies scratch a similar itch, just in a different direction entirely.

Ingredients

150 grams salted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup (125 grams) brown sugar, firmly packed
1⁄3 cup (75 grams) caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
2 cups (300 grams) plain flour
1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
18 Medjool dates, seeded and chopped
18-20 toffee lollies
Slivered pistachios, for topping

Notes from Rouba

Don’t skip the chilling time — the dough is soft, and a firm log makes shaping so much easier
Press the toffee in firmly so it stays put while baking
Use a stand mixer for the base — it gets everything smooth before the dates go in

Method

Step 1. Make the Dough Base

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced) (200°C conventional) (390°F).

In a stand mixer, add the butter, dark brown sugar, caster sugar, and vanilla sugar. Whisk until soft and well combined. Add the egg and continue mixing for a couple of minutes until the mixture is smooth.

Step 2. Bring the Dough Together

Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate soda, and baking powder together into a bowl and give them a quick mix to combine. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the mixer and mix until everything is well combined. Add the chopped Medjool dates gradually and mix until the dough comes together. The dough will be soft.

Step 3. Chill the Dough

Shape the dough into a log (approximately 32-26 cm long), cover, and place it in the fridge for about an hour or until firm and easier to handle.

Step 4. Shape and Fill

Once chilled, remove the dough log from the fridge and use a sharp knife to slice it into rounds approximately 2 centimetres thick — you should get around 18 cookies.

Press two halves of a toffee lolly into each round, then roll it into a ball to enclose the toffee. Place onto a lined baking tray and press each one down to flatten. Top with slivered pistachios, pressing them in gently. Leave about 11⁄2 to 2 centimetres of space between each cookie on the tray.

A FEW THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO KNOW

The dough feels very soft — is that normal?
Yes, completely. This dough is meant to be soft, so don't be worried when you take it out of the mixer. It will firm up beautifully in the fridge, which is what makes it easy to slice later. Just trust the process and get it into the fridge as is.

Can I use a different type of toffee?
Yes — any toffee lolly or chewy toffee that softens well when baked will work. Just make sure it's soft enough to melt slightly in the oven rather than staying rock hard.

Why does the dough need to chill for so long?
The dough is quite soft straight after mixing because of the dates, so the chilling time firms it up enough to roll and shape properly. Skipping this step will make the cookies harder to handle and they'll spread more in the oven.

Can I freeze these cookies?
Absolutely. Once you've shaped, filled, flattened, and topped the cookies with pistachios, you can freeze them just like that. Lay them in a single layer with baking paper between each layer so they don't stick together. When you're ready to bake, take them straight from the freezer and bake as usual, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time.

What's the best way to roll the dough into a log?
The easiest way is to use baking paper. Tip the soft dough onto a sheet of baking paper, then use the paper itself to help you roll and shape it into a log — this way your hands aren't fighting the softness of the dough. Aim for a log around 32 to 36 cm in length, which will give you between 16 and 18 cookies once sliced.

The recipe uses 20 toffee lollies but only makes around 18 cookies — why the extra?
Because you never want to get to the last cookie and find yourself one toffee short. I always buy a little more than I need just to be safe. And honestly, who's to say you won't eat a couple while you're baking? No judgement here.