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.
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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!!