Cooking
Page 115 in the old book / page 153 in the new book
I am certain that Suzanne has now become conditioned to fear all cookies shrouded in confectioner's sugar. The moment I approached her with these she recoiled. She ate one - reluctantly - but I'm afraid the score was fixed in her mind before her first bite. A big fat zero. Honestly though, I liked them, as did others.
These cookies actually were very similar to last week's. They had smaller amounts of dates and nuts, and had some healthy additions: whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and oatmeal. The other important difference was that they had pecans rather than walnuts. The texture was very much the same, but I think the flavor was better. Once again these cookies had no butter in them - which makes for quite a different date bar than I'm accustomed to. They have a firm texture and are not overly sweet.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "I didn't think it was possible, but these date bars are even dryer and chewier than last week's bar. They just don't live up to Cathy's standard of excellence. Rating - 0"
Denny: "Excellent! 4.9 only because of no chocolate. Rating - 4.9"
Laura: "Crunchy, nutty, tasty, ... and good for me, too! Rating - 4.0"
Phil: "Seemed like just the right ingredient mix for the granola eating, birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, kumbaya-singing, bongo playing set. While the dates once again shined through and powdered sugar added a nice esthetic and touch of additional sweetener, the total cookie seemed a bit dry and dense. Rating - 2.0"
Overall rating by the panel - 2.7
Next week - Viennese Linzer Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Icebox Cookies
Page 140 in the old book / page 175 in the new book I would classify these cookies as old-fashioned cookie jar cookies. They are sweet and crunchy with a generous helping of walnuts. Though they have an open, crunchy texture, they are quite sturdy and...
- Mondays With Maida - Texas Cowboy Bars
Page 112 in the old book / page 150 in the new book Now we're talking! These cookies have an obscene amount of butter in them, but there were just wonderful... thick, gooey, moist, ... delicious! A crumbly oatmeal mixture, which is used for both...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Aspen Date-Nut Fingers
Page 115 in the old book / page 153 in the new book
I am certain that Suzanne has now become conditioned to fear all cookies shrouded in confectioner's sugar. The moment I approached her with these she recoiled. She ate one - reluctantly - but I'm afraid the score was fixed in her mind before her first bite. A big fat zero. Honestly though, I liked them, as did others.
These cookies actually were very similar to last week's. They had smaller amounts of dates and nuts, and had some healthy additions: whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and oatmeal. The other important difference was that they had pecans rather than walnuts. The texture was very much the same, but I think the flavor was better. Once again these cookies had no butter in them - which makes for quite a different date bar than I'm accustomed to. They have a firm texture and are not overly sweet.
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "I didn't think it was possible, but these date bars are even dryer and chewier than last week's bar. They just don't live up to Cathy's standard of excellence. Rating - 0"
Denny: "Excellent! 4.9 only because of no chocolate. Rating - 4.9"
Laura: "Crunchy, nutty, tasty, ... and good for me, too! Rating - 4.0"
Phil: "Seemed like just the right ingredient mix for the granola eating, birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, kumbaya-singing, bongo playing set. While the dates once again shined through and powdered sugar added a nice esthetic and touch of additional sweetener, the total cookie seemed a bit dry and dense. Rating - 2.0"
Overall rating by the panel - 2.7
Next week - Viennese Linzer Cookies
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Icebox Cookies
Page 140 in the old book / page 175 in the new book I would classify these cookies as old-fashioned cookie jar cookies. They are sweet and crunchy with a generous helping of walnuts. Though they have an open, crunchy texture, they are quite sturdy and...
- Mondays With Maida - Texas Cowboy Bars
Page 112 in the old book / page 150 in the new book Now we're talking! These cookies have an obscene amount of butter in them, but there were just wonderful... thick, gooey, moist, ... delicious! A crumbly oatmeal mixture, which is used for both...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...