Cookie Exchange – Date Nut Bars

The Women’s Ministry ladies at our church, met on Tuesday and each lady brought home made cookies, enough for an exchange; and extra for Christmas treat baskets for shut-ins and others.

We were blessed by a medley of Christmas Carols by two gentlemen from another church which was enjoyed by all. We invited them and their wives to have the benefit of lunch with us.

One of our ladies brought a large kettle of her home made minestrone soup which was served with side of a tossed green salad and dinner rolls. It was such a treat for us all as we fellowshipped together. I asked my friend what she did to make the rich broth in her soup. She told me the secret was to use two cans of beans and mash them in a blender until they were smooth. Then I asked her if she had included her recipe in our church cook book that was recently printed, and she said, “It sure is in there.” I told her, “My husband will really like this one.”

As lunch was over, we dismissed to the kitchen to gather our selection of cookies. I took about 6 cookies and when I arrived home, I cut each one in half and made a fresh pot of coffee. My husband and I enjoyed the cookies together.

One of the cookies was a fruit bar and it reminded me of my most wonderful recipe for Date Nut bars, which I will include here. Do print it and save it for your own use.

Date Nut Bars
1 ½ to 2 cups chopped dates,
1 cup lemonade,
1/4 cup sugar;

Bring above items to a boil, turn down and simmer 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from burner and add 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
1/4 cup chopped almonds or walnuts.

Separately in a large bowl, blend and mix well:
1  1/2 cups flour,
1  1/2 cups quick oats,
1/2 cup brown sugar,
1/2 tsp soda,
1/3 tsp salt,
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup margarine or butter
Pat one half dry mixture into a 9x9 pan. Spread evenly the date mix over the dry mixture.
Gently pat the remaining oat mix on top and press firm. Bake at 357 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

This post was entered in Food on Fridays at http://annkroeker.com/  Do amble on over to Ann's site for other delicious recipes !!