1 and cups chopped dates (You can buy them chopped

in the store or chop pitted dates yourself.)

1 and cups orange juice (if you"ve chopped the dates

yourself, use only 1 cup of orange juice)

4 and cups all purpose flour (don"t sift just scoop it

out and level it off with a knife)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup softened b.u.t.ter (2 sticks, 8 ounces, pound)

1 and cups white (granulated) sugar

3 eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a gla.s.s with a fork)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips Approximately cup white (granulated) sugar for later Walnut halves to decorate the cookies Hannah"s 1st Note: Hank, the bartender down at the Lake Eden Munic.i.p.al Liquor Store, suggested that you could use cup of orange liqueur mixed with 1 and cups of orange juice to plump the chopped dates. (It was snowing and I didn"t have orange liqueur when I tested these, so I used straight orange juice.) Put the dates and the orange juice in an uncovered saucepan on the stovetop. Heat on MEDIUM HIGH until the liquid just barely begins to boil. Quickly turn the heat down to SIMMER. Simmer the mixture on the stovetop for 20 minutes. Then pull the saucepan off the heat, turn off the burner, and let the mixture cool for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Hannah"s 2nd Note: If you"re in a hurry, you can speed up this cooling process by sticking the pan in the refrigerator until the mixture is approximately room temperature.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. (I stir mine gently with a whisk so that everything"s mixed together.) Set the bowl aside.

Hannah"s 3rd Note: I used an electric mixer for this part of the recipe. You can do it by hand, but it takes some muscle.

Mix the softened b.u.t.ter and sugar together until they"re light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is a uniform color.

Check the date mixture to see if it"s cool enough so that it won"t cook the eggs. If it is, you can work with it now. If it"s not, have a cup of coffee and let it cool a little more.

Take your bowl out of the mixer and blend in the date mixture by hand.

Fold in half of the flour mixture carefully. The object is to keep the dough fluffy.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fold in the remainder of the flour mixture.

Put approximately cup sugar into a small bowl. Drop the dough from a teaspoon (or Tablespoon if you want larger cookies) into the bowl of sugar. Form the drops into b.a.l.l.s with your fingers and move them to a lightly greased cookie sheet (I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprayed it lightly with Pam), 12 cookie dough drops to a standard-sized sheet.

Place a walnut half on top of each cookie, pressing it down slightly.

Bake the Chocolate Date Drops at 350 degrees F. for 9 to 10 minutes, or until just lightly browned. (Larger cookies will take a bit longer to bake.) Yield: 5 to 6 dozen deliciously soft cookies.

CHOCOLATE MINT SOFTIES.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

2 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate

cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, pound) b.u.t.ter at room

temperature

cup brown sugar, firmly packed

cup white (granulated) sugar

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

teaspoon chocolate extract (if you can"t find it, just use

vanilla)

2 cups flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)

cup sour cream

cup very coa.r.s.ely chopped pecan pieces (you"ll want

some big pieces)

Line your cookie sheets with foil. Leave little "ears" of foil sticking up on the side, large enough to grab later. (This is so you can slide the cookies and the foil right off the sheet when they"re baked.) Unwrap the squares of chocolate and break them apart. Put them in a small microwave-safe bowl. (I use a 16-ounce measuring cup.) Melt them for 90 seconds on HIGH. Stir them until they"re smooth and set them aside to cool while you mix up your cookie dough.

Hannah"s 1st Note: Mixing this dough is a lot easier with an electric mixer. You can do it by hand, but it"ll take some muscle.

Combine the b.u.t.ter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat them on medium speed until they"re smooth. This should take less than a minute.