Date Drop Cookies

By Erin Kowal in sweet treats on December 11, 2019December 15, 2019

LRM_EXPORT_251238793627747_20191211_152449795 Let me pour you a cup of coffee, and tell you a little story about my grandma. Maybe because of her winter solstice birthday it was simply her season. Maybe it was because Christmas just seems to amplify the joy in many people. Either way, my grandmother shined around Christmas. Not only was her house the acting North Pole, where our parents’ presents lived before making their way under our tree, and she herself the wrapping queen, she also was the busiest baking elf prior to our Christmas celebrations. Every family Christmas party she would bring a gigantic platter of her cookies for our dessert spread. On top of that one huge tray, each of her four childrens’ family was given a large tray of their own to take home. There were too many kinds of cookies for me to remember them all now including: rum balls, seven layer bars, Nanaimo Bars, haystacks, and these, my beloved date drops.

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Apparently date drops were part of her traditional lineup for decades, but they came into my radar during my teenage years, at which time I also developed my palate for coffee. They are the perfect coffee cookie. 20191215_104902

Date drops get their sweetness from brown sugar and dates, and to me they provide just the right dose of sugar. They are buttery and a little chewy from the dates. They are without a doubt my favorite cookie. Grandma knew this and in college, and when I moved to Portland, she mailed me boxes of these for myself around the holidays. The recipe is quite simple, and contains no spices. I can imagine them being delicious with cardamom, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg added, and extra Christmassy with a dose of orange zest, but I can’t bring myself to alter the recipe. If you do it, I would love to hear how it goes!

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Date Drops

1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 # dates, chopped
3 cups AP flour plus 3T (Omit the flour if using boxed dates.)
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Combine 3 C flour, baking powder and salt.
Toss dates and walnuts with the remaining flour.
Gradually add and beat in most of the flour mixture to the creamed butter.
Add dates and nuts, and the remaining flour.
Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 14 minutes until golden brown.

Notes: My Grandmother always used boxed dates. The resulting cookie is firmer than if you use fresh dates, but still really good! Be sure to omit the extra four as boxed dates already contain an anti-caking agent.

Walnuts are the traditional nut for my family. I’ve adapted to pecans to accommodate my best friend’s allergy.

These are my submission to the Virtual Cookie Party 2019, hosted by Cosette of Cosette’s Kitchen. Be sure to check out all of the recipes from other bloggers!

Kathryn Pauline’s Sesame Blossom Cookies

Candice Walker’s Dark Chocolate Gelt with Matcha Mousse

Tawnie Graham’s (Krolls_Korner) White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

¡Hola! Jalapeño Peppermint Mocha Milk Fudge

Rylee Foer (abouttosprout) Spiced Honey Cardamom Cookies with Orange Glaze

Gina Fontana (Healthy Little Vittles) Cookie Dough Stuffed Dates

Christine Ma (Cherry on My Sundae) Southern Butter Pecan Skillet Cookie

Alexa Blay’s (Key To My Lime) Gluten Free Vegan Sugar Cookies for Cutouts

Tamara Giebel (The Herbalist & The Carnivore) Chocolate Espresso Dipped Hazelnut Lace Cookies

Mike Johnson’s (MikeBakesNYC) Chocolate Peppermint Macarons

Elizabeth Waterson (ConfessionsOfABakingQueen) Viennese Whirls

Lily Morello (lilybubbletea) Holiday Fuel Cookies