These vintage drop cookies taste phenomenal. Craggy and chewy edges surround an intensely rich center packed with sticky dates and toasted walnuts. They look like small jagged rocks. A warm blend of cinnamon and cloves makes your kitchen smell exactly like a Christmas morning. Generations passed this handwritten recipe down.

Prep Time 15minutes mins – Cook Time 15minutes mins – Total Time 30minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar packed
• 3 large eggs room temperature
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
• 2 ½ cups dried dates finely chopped
• 2 ½ cups walnuts chopped and toasted

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two heavy baking sheets with high-quality parchment paper to prevent the sticky bottoms from burning.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat them together on medium speed until the thick mixture turns noticeably pale and very fluffy.
Add the three large eggs. Mix each one in fully before dropping the next raw egg directly into the main bowl.
Activate the dry leavening agent. Dissolve the baking soda into the boiling water and stir until a distinct white foam appears.
Pour the foam into batter. Add the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and kosher salt while the mixer runs on low speed.
Fold in the white flour. Use a heavy wooden spoon to stir the soft powder until all dry white streaks vanish.
Add dates and toasted walnuts. Stir the heavy chunks into the thick batter using significant physical arm strength and deep patience.
Portion onto the lined pans. Drop rough tablespoons of thick dough while leaving two full inches of space between each cookie.
Bake for twelve to fourteen minutes. Remove them when the jagged edges brown but the puffy centers remain slightly raw and soft.
Cool on the hot pan. Wait five minutes before moving the fragile warm treats to a wire cooling rack to rest.

Notes
Storage: Keep in an airtight sealed tin. Place sheets of wax paper between the layers to prevent the sticky surfaces from permanently fusing.
Troubleshooting: Do not overmix the white flour. Using an electric mixer for the final stages activates the gluten and completely ruins the crumb.