- 3½ cups + 2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- Comes out even better if you store flour in the freezer
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt for dry mix, and a few pinches for topping
- ½ teaspoon "holiday" spices
- Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin spice, etc.
- 1¼ cups softened butter (salted)
- 1¼ cups brown sugar (dark pref)
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ bags of Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips
- 1 cup finely chopped dates
- Yes, chop whole dates. Wetting the knife occasionally will help.
- Don't get the pre-chopped date poops from the grocery store.
Makes eighteen 5 inch perfect crunchy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside cookies without nuts!
- If your flour is frozen, preheat oven to 375°F
- Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla, and spices then mix well.
- Add dates, mix well, and let sit for a minute.
- Add dry ingredients to wet slowly, mix just until combined, 5-10 seconds. Mix in chocolate chips last.
- If the flour was cold, the dough should be fairly cool and you can go on to the next step.
- Otherwise, smooth dough and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate 30 mins.
- Preheat oven to 375°F half way through refrigeration
- Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper
- Scoop big golfball size mounds of dough and sprinkle lightly with sea salt
- An ice cream scoop works well here.
- Bake just until golden brown highlights appear, 15-16 minutes.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack
- Use two baking sheets, one in the oven and one cooling/being loaded with dough.
- NOTE: DO NOT put dough on a hot baking sheet.
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