Caramel and dates are a perfect combination of flavors. Dates can be really sweet if you buy them processed. I choose whole fresh dates and diced them myself. I figured I would eat the rest as snacks during the week. Searching on the web for benefits of dates was an easy find. Apparently, it is a well know fact about The Benefits of Dates. I mean, really, what is not to like about something small and ever so sweet and very good for you.
I love cream cheese in my cookie because it gives the cookie moisture and softness that just butter can not match. But for this cookie, I chose mascarpone, and the taste is just incredible. So if you have never had a cookie with mascarpone incorporated into the cookie batter, please try it; you will not be sorry.
Adding walnuts helps to cut down the sweetness of the caramel and the dates so that it just melts in your mouth.
Caramel Chips with Dates and Walnut Cookie
Barbara HallIngredients
- ½ cup Butter unsalted 1 stick room temperature
- 1 ½ cups Sugar white 297 g
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 8 oz Mascarpone
- 2 ½ cups All-purpose flour 300 g
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 7 Dates pitted and chopped small about ¾ cup
- ½ cup Caramel Chips
- ½ cup Chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Take the large 7 dates, cut them in half, take out the pit, and dice the halves into small pieces. I did get about ¾ of a cups of dates when they were loosely added to the measuring cup. Don't smash them into the measuring cup to measure; it will be hard to separate them throughout the cookie dough when added. Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, salt, baking powder, and run a whisk through to blend.
- In a stand or hand-held mixer, add the sugar and butter to the bowl. At medium speed, blend the 2 for about 3 minutes. Add one egg and incorporate before adding the 2nd egg. Stop and scrape down the sides and across the bottom. Add the vanilla extract and mascarpone and blend. Stop the mixer and add the dates, walnuts, and caramel chips and turn the mixer on for about 30 seconds or less. Take the bowl off the stand and fold in the flour mixture till it is all incorporated. I do it this way so the flour is not beaten too much, which can happen with a power mixer. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350°, and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Taking the cookie dough out of the refrigerator and using a medium cookie scoop, place 12 scoops on one of the cookie sheet pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes (mine were perfect at 13 minutes). After pulling the cookies out of the oven, leave them on the cookie sheet pan for 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling. This recipe makes about 2-½ dozen.
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