Oatmeal, Date, and Walnut Cookie

The past few months have been a bit insane but I'm glad to say that I'm back to baking and blogging about it. I now have the time to do some serious baking and hope to find a job in the process. Anyone looking for a somewhat experienced pastry chef??? LMK.

I made these cookies cause my Mom loves oatmeal cookies and I was doing the good son thing and paid her a visit. Usually I make these with dried cranberries but I came across this recipe using dates and walnuts. These are really easy to make and can keep for a long time. The cookie can be really soft and chewy if you prefer it that way...as I do...or bake them longer for a crispier cookie. You could even use dried cherries or even dried apricots. Give these a try. Thanks for stopping by.

Oatmeal, Date, and Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

3 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or quick-cooking oats

1/2 lb (250g) chopped dates (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line or silpat baking sheets.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside. Place the butter in bowl of mixer (stand-up or whatever). Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the sugars. Add the whole eggs, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the oats, dates, and walnuts on low speed.

Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons or use an ice cream scoop onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the mounds 2 inches apart. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes for chewy cookies and about 15 minutes for crisp cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 1 minute. Transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma Baking Book