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 light brown 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!