The Good/Bad Date Cookie

I don’t really go on a lot of dates.  I know, it’s okay – I’m shocked too.  But it’s sort of true!  A real classic date-night is a rare occurrence in my daily planner.    I seem to swim in a pool where the fish like to hook up but an actual dinner scenario is out of the question. However, when the rare instance that a real date presents itself… for example, “hi, Anne – I’m an adult with a sufficient bank account and would like to take you out to a nice dinner.” My head sort of explodes a little and I start swiftly pacing around my room nervously shaking my hands as if they had just announced on the news that a group of Martians who all look like Matt Damon just landed in town and I have 23 minutes to decide what to wear before they knock on my door and abduct me.  In other words – the actual initiation of being asked out on a date is so out of my world that I become a little neurotically anxious.  Just a little.  And why, really?  It’s silly.  It’s just dinner!  (At least to start.)  And I’m real good at eating.  So that’s nothing to stress about.  I guess the worry lies in everything else that happens when you’re with another human being:  communicating.  Will talk be interesting? Boring? Funny? Exciting?  So lame that I start staring at the fork and contemplate if mermaids really did use them to comb their hair and if so could I sneak it in my purse and head to the bathroom for a quick touch up?  Did mermaids exist?  Right.  Back to the person sitting across from me who liked me enough to treat me to something lovely.  *smile* As all these questions marinate in my brain pre-date night, I filter my anxiety into baking the “Good/Bad Date Cookie,”  with a combination of ingredients that when in perfect balance can enhance any date.  That way, no matter if the date was good, bad, mind-blowing, or mediocre – I’d at least have something sweet to comfort me in the end! 

INGREDIENTS:

2.5  cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1  tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2  sticks room-temperature butter

1  cup brown sugar

3/4  cup granulated sugar

2  room temperature eggs

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

sprinkling of cinnamon sugar

1  cup chopped dates  (Buy the PITTED kind!)

1  cup semi-sweet chocolate chips  

1  cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°

1st)  chop the dates into small pieces.  Warning, as most dates can be... this is a bit tedious cause they're so sticky.  After chopped, set aside.  

2nd) Whisk together dry ingredients:  flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  

3rd)  Using the mixer, cream the butter.

4th)  Then beat in the white sugar, followed by the brown sugar.  Scraping down the sides as necessary.

5th)  Once all creamy and sugary together, add the eggs, one at a time.  Followed by the vanilla.

6th)  Now gradually add in the dry ingredients...

7th)  Now add your dash of cinnamon-sugar as the last bit of flour gets blended.  (Dates go well with a little spice. ;)

8th)  Now comes the fun part!!!  Throw in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and the nuts.  (Use semi-sweet, they're not too sweet... not too dark, but somewhere in the middle is just right.)  And use pecans, because dates always go well with quality nuts.  ;)

9th)  Drop in the dates!  Dates are a sticky situation, so use your fingers to separate them and drop into the batter.  Let it blend, then drop some more in.  

10th)  I resort to the old wooden spoon to make sure everyone is mingling happily together and well incorporated.

11th)  Now drop into rounded tablespoons onto your cookie sheet!  (p.s. this dough is AMAZING.  If you actually make it to the baking part I'll be impressed.)

12th)  Now, bake for 10-12 minutes or until browned and the edges appear a lightly crisped.

13th)  Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for a couple minutes.   and oops!  These guys got bigger than I anticipated under the heat (usually not something to complain about) but for future notice, space your date-cookies out a bit. :)

14th)  Transfer to wire wracks to cool completely.   (There was a dozen.  I ate one.)

15th)  And finally, enjoy!!!  Now that's one guaranteed hot date. ;)