Cooking
Page 58 in the old book / page 89 in the new book
These are soft cookies, each with a walnut-stuffed date inside and a thin glaze on top. I thought they were a little too sweet.
If these had been easier to make I might have liked them better. The dough is very thin - almost like a batter - and the stuffed dates must be dipped in it. Maida Heatter suggested using two forks to roll the date around in the dough until generously coated. I found this technique awkward and it took me a while to get the hang of it. Eventually, I found a method that worked for me. I would run the forks slightly below the date, lifting it and turning it.
I think I was muttering a lot while making these cookies - they weren't fun and the results were frustrating. The cookies came out various sizes and I didn't think they looked all that appealing. Surprisingly, most of the cookie panel loved them. Everyone was very impressed with the stuffed date and was wondering how I got the nut in there (which is very easy if you don't try to use a whole walnut half as specified in the recipe - I used half of a half, or a couple of smaller pieces). It was getting the date into the cookie that was troublesome!
Suzanne: "I LOVED these cookies. I could have eaten them all. I usually try to eat only one cookie, since I'm trying to watch my girlish figure, but I'm sure I'll be going back for more. Rating - 5"
Terri: "Although I love sweets, I thought the icing made the cookie too sweet. The walnut inside the date was a pleasant surprise. Cookie could have been bulkier - it is fairly flat with lump in middle (blind date). would be tasty with a sorbet. Rating - 3"
Laura: "Moist yummy cookie with delightful light glaze and a tasty surprise inside. Yum! Rating - 4"
Phil: "A blind date worth the risk. This cookie works at several levels – sugary sweet glaze and fruity sweet date with a textural mix of a cakey cookie and sticky date enveloping a chunk of walnut. Rating - 4.4"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.1
Next week - German Oatmeal 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 - Honey Date-nut Bars
Page 114 in the old book / page 152 in the new book After last week's cookies, these were a let-down. They weren't terrible, just blah. The fact that they have no butter was the first strike against them and, in spite of a generous amount of...
- 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 - Supremes
Page 86 in the old book / page 129 in the new book These cookies have a crumbly oatmeal walnut base, a sweet chocolate middle, and more of the oatmeal mixture on top, as well as an added sprinkling of walnuts. They're good, but too sweet for my taste....
- Mondays With Maida - Nut-tree Walnut Jumbles
Page 49 in the old book / page 82 in the new book As you may have already guessed from last week, I'm starting to have trouble thinking of something new to say about all these drop cookies. Don't get me wrong... I do like drop cookies, and they...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Blind Date Cookies
Page 58 in the old book / page 89 in the new book
These are soft cookies, each with a walnut-stuffed date inside and a thin glaze on top. I thought they were a little too sweet.
If these had been easier to make I might have liked them better. The dough is very thin - almost like a batter - and the stuffed dates must be dipped in it. Maida Heatter suggested using two forks to roll the date around in the dough until generously coated. I found this technique awkward and it took me a while to get the hang of it. Eventually, I found a method that worked for me. I would run the forks slightly below the date, lifting it and turning it.
I think I was muttering a lot while making these cookies - they weren't fun and the results were frustrating. The cookies came out various sizes and I didn't think they looked all that appealing. Surprisingly, most of the cookie panel loved them. Everyone was very impressed with the stuffed date and was wondering how I got the nut in there (which is very easy if you don't try to use a whole walnut half as specified in the recipe - I used half of a half, or a couple of smaller pieces). It was getting the date into the cookie that was troublesome!
Suzanne: "I LOVED these cookies. I could have eaten them all. I usually try to eat only one cookie, since I'm trying to watch my girlish figure, but I'm sure I'll be going back for more. Rating - 5"
Terri: "Although I love sweets, I thought the icing made the cookie too sweet. The walnut inside the date was a pleasant surprise. Cookie could have been bulkier - it is fairly flat with lump in middle (blind date). would be tasty with a sorbet. Rating - 3"
Laura: "Moist yummy cookie with delightful light glaze and a tasty surprise inside. Yum! Rating - 4"
Phil: "A blind date worth the risk. This cookie works at several levels – sugary sweet glaze and fruity sweet date with a textural mix of a cakey cookie and sticky date enveloping a chunk of walnut. Rating - 4.4"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.1
Next week - German Oatmeal 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 - Honey Date-nut Bars
Page 114 in the old book / page 152 in the new book After last week's cookies, these were a let-down. They weren't terrible, just blah. The fact that they have no butter was the first strike against them and, in spite of a generous amount of...
- 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 - Supremes
Page 86 in the old book / page 129 in the new book These cookies have a crumbly oatmeal walnut base, a sweet chocolate middle, and more of the oatmeal mixture on top, as well as an added sprinkling of walnuts. They're good, but too sweet for my taste....
- Mondays With Maida - Nut-tree Walnut Jumbles
Page 49 in the old book / page 82 in the new book As you may have already guessed from last week, I'm starting to have trouble thinking of something new to say about all these drop cookies. Don't get me wrong... I do like drop cookies, and they...