An alternate name for these cookies would be Cleaning out the Pantry Cookies because that’s basically what I did. I was staring at my pantry shelves trying to think of something to bake when I realized that I had accumulated so many different things from my baking exploits that they were taking over the whole space. The discouraging thing, though, was that it was maybe a half cup of this and a quarter cup of that. Not really enough to use for a single recipe. That’s when it hit me. Why not just throw it all together and see what happens?
So, I made a big batch of a basic cookie dough with flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Once this was mixed, I just started throwing stuff in. Pecans (of course), almonds, macadamias, and hazelnuts. Chocolate chips. And some dates, too, for good measure. At the top of this post is a handy link to the recipe. Feel free to substitute whatever you happen to have on hand. Trust me – it’s liberating.
What resulted was not pretty, but very tasty. I made them quite big, too, so you were guaranteed a little bit of everything in one cookie. As I told someone to whom I gave a bagful, if you don’t like your first bite, keep going because you may like your second. An added plus to these cookies is that I now have a bit more room in my pantry. Of course, I’m likely to fill it right back up before too long. After all, it is almost holiday baking time.
October 19th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
I made cleaning out the panty cookies too…and that is what I also called them
I didn’t have dates though. Sounds yummy.
October 19th, 2006 at 7:14 pm
I hate cleaning, but if you can turn cleaning into something yummy to eat, then it’s almost worth it!
October 19th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
Oh! Chocolate chips and dates … I like that combination!
October 20th, 2006 at 7:52 am
I like that phrase “if you don’t like you r first bite keep going because you may like your second”. I think kitchen sink cookies or pantry cookies are always yummy – they just a have a different sort of cookie originality flare to them; your combo looks great.
October 20th, 2006 at 10:09 am
What I like best about cleaning out the cupboards is that it makes room to buy new things!
October 21st, 2006 at 3:20 pm
Sometimes I make “kitchen sink” cookies on purpose! Your nutty-choco-date cookies look really good.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I am looking for chocolate chip date cookie recipes. I would appreciate any you could email to me. Thank You. I just printed off this one with the different nuts. Thank You!!