12 Days of Christmas Cookies – Date Nut Bars

by Amy Johnson, Managing Editor, HockeyPub.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA — It’s got the texture of cake, in the shape and size of a bar cookie!  These Date Nut Bars are a really tasty treat (even if you think you don’t like dates!).  I used chopped pecans in this recipe, but you could substitute walnuts if you prefer.  A bit of shredded coconut would also add a slightly tropical taste.  One final suggestion to make this cookie exceptionally special for the holidays?  Soak the dates in a bit of brandy or rum mixed in with the boiling water.  Enjoy!

Date Nut Bars
Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Prep time: 15 minutes
Makes about 25 cookies

Ingredients:
1/3 cup boiling water
2 cups dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10×10 inch baking pan. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over dates, and set aside to cool.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening (butter) and white sugar.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the dates, including any water; mix well.

4. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda; stir into the date mixture.

5. Stir in the nuts.

6. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

7. When cool, cut into bars, and sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over top.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our next holiday cookie recipe – Santa’s Favorite Chocolate Chips!  And if you missed any of our previous recipes in this series, take a moment to check them out below:

Day 1 – Golden Chocolate Chunk Nutty Bars
Day 2 – Inception Brownies
Day 3 – Traditional Butter Cookies
Day 4 – Devil’s Food Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Day 5 – Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies
Day 6 – Easy Jam-Filled Cookies
Day 7 – Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Day 8 – Eggnog Cookies
Day 9 – Maid of Honor Tarts
Day 10 – Easy Chocolate Fudge

Tags: cake, christmas, cookies, dates, featured, nut, pecans, recipe