Cookies

In case you don't have reservations for your favorite restaurant this Valentine's Day I invite you stay in with this sweet 'date' substitute.  This is one date you won't regret spending the evening with!  Just don't expect them to pick up a bottle of wine, or the check.

This recipe was found in "Our Favorite Recipes", a collection of wonderful old fashioned recipes from West Bend, Wisconsin.  I picked it up on a recent trip and I am in love with the simple, wonderful recipes. This particular recipe was submitted by Agnes Schultz.  Enjoy!!

DATE BARS (16 BARS)

FILLING

• 1-1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 2/3 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

CRUST

• 1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pastured butter
• 1 pastured egg well beaten

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a small saucepan cook dates, water, sugar, and lemon juice until thick, about 8 minutes, cool.

Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt.  Mix well, cutting in butter to coarse crumb stage.  Spread ½ crumb mixture in 9x9 pan.  Cover with filling.  Spread with remaining crumbs.  Brush with beaten egg.  Cook 20-25 minutes in preheated oven.  Cool and cut in bars.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES - THICK AND CHEWY (MAKES 18)

This recipe was taken from "The New Best Recipe" cookbook, and can be found on page 777.  I don't bake.  It is too cumbersome for me, and I typically don't have a sweet tooth.  So, this was an especially nice treat for Christmas. 

These cookies turned out great, even for a non-baker.  Let's just say...Santa isn't going to skip our house this year!

• 2 cup plus 2 tablespoon (10 5/8 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoon (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until just warm
• 1 cup packed (7 oz.) light or dark brown sugar (I used dark)
• ½ cup (3 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
• 1 large pastured egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used chunks)

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower - middle positions and heat the oven to 325°.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  

Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined.  Stir in the chips to taste.

Roll a scant ¼ c. of the dough into a ball.  Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves.  Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at the base, and again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface.  Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 ½" apart.

Bake until the cookies are light golden brown, the outer edges start to harden, and the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time.  Cool the cookies on the sheets.  Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.