Christmas Date Cookies

## Book Reference

Candy Cane Murder

Do not preheat oven quite yet. This dough must chill before baking.

### Ingredients

* 2 cups chopped pitted dates *(You can buy chopped dates, or sprinkle whole pitted dates with a quarter-cup flour and then chop them in a food processor. I couldn't find chopped dotes, and a 10-ounce by weight container of whole pitted dates ended up being exactly 2 cups when I chopped them in my food processor.)*
* 1/4 cup boiling water
* 1 cup melted butter *(2 sticks, ½ pound)*
* 2 cups white *(granulated)* sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 4 beaten eggs *(just beat them up in a glass with a fork)*
* 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips *(that's a 12-ounce package)*
* 5 1/2 cups flour *(don't sift—pack it down in the cup when you measure it)*
* 1/2 cup white *(granulated)* sugar in a small bowl for later

### Directions

* Do not preheat oven quite yet. This dough must chill before baking.
* Pour the boiling water over the chopped dates, give them a stir with a fork, and set them aside on the counter to cool.
* Melt the butter in a microwave-sale howl *(I used a pint Pyrex measuring cup)* for 90 seconds on HIGH. Set the melted butter on the counter to cool.
* In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the white sugar, baking soda, salt, and eggs. Beat well. *(If you don't have an electric mixer, don't worry. You can do this by hand, but it'll take a bit of effort.)*
* Feel the bowl with the date mixture. If you can hold it comfortably in your hands, add it now and mix thoroughly. If it's too hot, let it cool another couple of minutes.
* Once the dates are mixed in, add the chocolate t hips to your bowl and mix. Then add the melted butter and infix thoroughly.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments *(that'll be 11 half-cups)'* beating after each addition. Take the bowl from the mixer, give it a final stir by hand, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to chill. *(Overnight is fine, too.)*
* When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F rack in the middle position. *(Yes, that's 325°F—most of my cookies bake at 350°F, but these are best if they bake slowly at a lower heat.*
* Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls with your hands. This dough may be sticky, so roll only enough for the cookies you plan to bake immediately and then return the bowl to the refrigerator.
* Roll the dough halls in the howl of white sugar and place them on a greased *(or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray)* cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them slightly with your hand so they won't fall off on the way to the oven.
* Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

**Yield:** 8 to 10 dozen great cookies. You can freeze any extras for up to 3 months in freezer bags.

**Hannah's Note:** All the Murphy men are crazy about Christmas Date Cookies. Michelle said she baked a whole batch one day when Lonnie was visiting her at Macalister. They ate about a dozen and then they ran out of milk. Michelle dashed to the corner grocery to buy some and when she got back, every single cookie was gone!

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.