30 lg Pitted dates
30 lg Walnuts, halves
1 1/4 c All-purpose flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
4 tb Butter
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
3/4 c Light brown sugar, firmly
-packed
1 Egg
1/2 c Sour cream
Glaze:
4 tb Butter
1 c Confectioner’s sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
2 tb Milk, up to 3 T
Adjust a rack to the top position in the oven and preheat the oven to
400. Cut parchement to fit cookie sheets. Slit one long side of each
date, stuff with one walnut half or a few pieces of walnut. Close the
date around the nut and set aside.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set
aside. Cream the butter, add the vanilla and the sugar and beat to
mix well. Add the egg and beat thouroughly. On the lowest speed
gradually add half the dry ingredients, then all of the sour cream,
then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl after each
addition and beat only until combined. Transfer the dough to a
shallow bowl for easier handling.
Using two forks, drop each stuffed date into the the dough and roll it
around until it is completely coated. There will be enough dough to
cover each date, but don’t overdo it or you won’t have enough to go
around. Using the forks, place the dough coated dates 2-3 inches
apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
While baking, prepare the glaze. Melt the butter and mix it well with
the remaining ingredients, using only enough milk to make the mixture
the consistency of soft mayonnaise. Keep the glaze covered when you
are not using it.
Remove the cookies form the oven. With a pastry brush, immediatley
brush the tops with a generous coating of the glaze. Transfer cookies
to a rack to cool. Let them stand until the glaze is dry. NOTES
: The dates I purchased from the Coop were huge. We cut the date in
half and stuffed them with walnut pieces. These aren’t the most
beautiful cookies but boy are they good.
Yields
30 Servings