Michigan Rocks From Washington Post Recipes

MICHIGAN ROCKS

Steps:

• Set oven to 325degrees.
• If using whole dates and walnuts, chopped them. They don't need to be chopped real small, about the same size as the raisins or even a little larger is good. Set aside.
• Cream the sugar and butter. Add the eggs and mix well.
• Stir the baking soda into the 4 oz. of wine until it dissolves.
• Add the flour, the wine mixture and the cinnamon to the sugar.
• At this point, I use a wooden spoon to continue.
• Add all the walnuts, dates, raisins and vanilla and stir by hand until mixed well. Batter will be soft and loaded with the fruit and nuts.
• Drop by tsp on to a cookie sheet and bake till edges are brown.

MICHIGAN ROCK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the dates in half (in thirds if they're large). To get the dates soft, place them in a bowl with warm water for about 30 minutes, draining in a colander to remove any excess water.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.
• In a separate bowl, add the butter and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add white and brown sugars and beat until mixed. Then beat in one egg at a time. Lastly, add in the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
• In a small bowl or cup, combine baking soda with warm water and add this into the batter. Add in dates on a low speed until they are just evenly distributed (do not overwork the batter).
• Slowly combine dry ingredients into the batter, about one cup at a time. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the walnuts.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Form the cookies to be slightly larger than a golf ball and gently press them down, making sure the cookies are 2 inches apart.
• Bake for about 18-20 minutes. If you are baking more than one tray at once, switch the baking sheets halfway through (top to bottom, bottom to top). After a few minutes out of the oven, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

MICHIGAN ROCK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grase or butter baking sheets.
• Stir together flour, cinnamon, allspice and baking soda, and set aside.
• Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add flour to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in walnuts and raisins.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until a cookie top springs back when lightly touched.