Financial advisor Linda Croley was inspired by childhood memories of a family treat when she created these peanut butter-date cookies. “I get a great feeling when I bite into these cookies and think of my family who are around me today, and those whose memories I’ll always cherish,” says Croley. Once you try them, you may never make an ordinary peanut butter cookie again.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

ACTIVE TIME: 1 hour

TOTAL TIME: 3 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces pitted dates, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Drizzle
8 ounces white chocolate chips (see Tip)
1 tablespoon canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Beat brown sugar, butter, peanut butter and cinnamon in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Add egg and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat until well mixed, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in dates and walnuts. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.
3. Use a small scoop (1 3/8- to 1 1/2-inch) and drop balls of dough 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. (If you do not have a scoop, shape the dough by hand into 1- to 1 1/4-inch balls.) Gently press each ball to flatten slightly.
4. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To decorate: Place white chocolate and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on Medium, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. To drizzle, dip a fork in the chocolate then wave it over a cookie to create a lacy finish (see Variations). Let the chocolate set for at least 1 hour.

Variations: Instead of drizzling, dip the top side of the cooled cookies in melted white or dark chocolate and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per cookie: 114 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 0 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 15 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 55 mg sodium; 56 mg potassium.
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 1 fat

TIP: Tip: Most brands of white chocolate chips are actually not white chocolate at all; they’re called “white morsels” and contain no chocolate. We like Sunspire (made without partially hydrogenated oil), found in natural-foods stores or online at sunspire.com, and the Albertsons/ Shaw’s store brand, Essensia. Eight ounces chopped pure white chocolate can be used in place of the chips.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Prepare the dough (Step 2), cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

These cookies are moist and very tasty. My kids gobbled them up. You would not expect the peanut butter and dates to compliment each other so much. The white chocolate drizzle adds a decorative touch. The recipe was easy enough for my 10 year son to put together. Great recipe!

Anonymous, Kosciusko, TX

These cookies were delightful. I had difficulty chopping the sticky dates & incorporating them evenly into the mix, but they were definitely worth the minor effort.

Keri, Washington, DC

These are yummy. I made them with whole wheat pastry flour (not sure why the recipe calls for white flour) and left off the chocolate drizzle (more as a factor of laziness than anything else). I found the chilling to be unnecessary--I baked one pan immediately and the rest after chilling, and I couldn't tell the difference between the cookies. Definitely a keeper of a recipe.

Sarah, Renton, WA

Keri - the easiest way to 'chop' dates, is to cut them up using kitchen scissors.

KiwiRob, Timaru, NZ

We love this cookie! I dipped one end in chocolate and then in chopped walnuts as the variation suggested. They were decadent! This recipe will be added to the Christmas cookie list at our house.

JennyLiz, Goodyear, AZ

Good n tasty cookies. I like it. I hope u r again the winner of contest 2008 show more good cookies recipes best of luck.

Imran Khan, Karachi, PA