Mrs. Fields & iVillage 30th Anniversary Cookie Contest (686 photos) Fruit Cookies (23 photos)

One Nutty Date

My cookie is the taste of Christmas for me. Every year my family stuffs pitted dates with creamy peanut butter, rolls them in sugar and tops them with a walnut. I have fond memories of family time around the kitchen table,a few days before Christmas,telling stories of the past and present. This cookie has that flavor and wonderful memories. I'm happy to share it with you. I can also see a marketing campaign around bad "dates" and the way to get over them...cookies, of course!!! Ingredients: 1 cup packed brown sugar �� cup butter, softened �� cup peanut butter, smooth �� teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 �� cups all purpose flour �� teaspoon baking powder �� teaspoon baking soda �� teaspoon salt 8 ounces pitted dates, chopped 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped 8 ounces white chocolate morsels 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Directions: Heat oven to 375��F. Beat brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and peanut butter on medium speed in large mixer bowl until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt beat until well mixed. Add dates and walnuts stir to combine. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour prior to baking. Use a small cookie dough scoop (1 3/8 ��� 1 1/2 inch) and drop dough balls onto an un-greased cookie sheet. If you do not have a dough scoop, shape dough into 2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove cookies to a cooling-rack. In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate and oil for 30 second intervals on 70% power until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir after each interval. Drizzle cookies by dipping a fork in the chocolate then waving it over each cookie to create a lacey finish. Let chocolate set for at least an hour, then serve with milk or a cup of hot tea with lemon and honey. Makes 4 dozen. Variation 1: After the cookies have cooled, dip the top part of the cookie in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Variation 2: After the cookies have cooled, dip the top part of the cookie in melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.