Holiday Date Nut Cookie Bars – My Recipe Reviews (2024)

Ingredients

• 1 C (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
• 2 C sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon water
• 3 C flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 C chopped dates
• 1 C chopped walnuts
• decorating sugar (I used Wilton's)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.
2. In a small cup, mix the baking soda with the water and then add and mix into the butter mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time into the butter mixture and mix until combined. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and stir in the walnuts and dates by hand. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up some.
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. On a very lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a 7 to 8 inch roll, about one inch in diameter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough. Make sure the rolls are at least 3" apart as they will spread.
5. Press each roll lightly with your fingers along the length of the roll until the dough is about one-half the thickness of the original roll. Sprinkle each flattened roll generously with decorating sugar.
6. Bake for 19-21 minutes (don't over bake). Let sit on the cookie sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then slice the bars on a diagonal into about 1 inch wide strips. If you want smaller bars, cut the bars again (also on a diagonal so they end up looking almost like a diamond).
7. Using a spatula, move the cookie bars to a rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 days.

Notes

Nutrition Values are Approximate