Hey friends. Some of you have been asking about the Saveur Blog Awards which made me realize that I should have announced the big news here and not just on Instagram. Honestly, I’ve been struggling to process the whole thing and at a loss for how to best communicate all my feelings. I’ll keep working on it but in the meantime in case you missed it…. I won Editor’s Choice for the Most-Inspired Weeknight Dinners! The awards were full of good food, more cocktails than I typically drink in a year, panel discussions with industry leaders, and all the biscuits! It was great to get to know some of the other finalists and to explore beautiful Charleston and I feel flattered and honored to be recognized for my work. I couldn’t have done it without you so thank for your support and love. I feel so lucky to be able to share my passion for food, wellness, and sustainability with you and am excited to see what the future will bring. Thank you again!
Now, on to these Pecan Date and Coconut Slice and Bake Cookies. The holidays are quickly approaching so why not add another cookie recipe to the mix? You can never have too many cookies if you ask me. Anders’ mom always bakes up a half dozen or so different kinds for the holidays, most of which are old family recipes. My favorite are her springerle which are studded with anise and decorated with beautiful embossed prints. What’s your go-to holiday cookie recipe?
These cookies are slice and bake which means you can make them ahead of time, freeze them, and then bake them when you’re ready. They’re also packed with finely diced Diamond Nuts pecans, shredded coconut, dates and warming spices which make them perfect for the cooler days ahead. I’ll be adding these to my holiday gift baskets this year alongside some preserves and candied grapefruit peel. Continue reading for the recipe and have a great rest of your week…
*This post was sponsored by Diamond Nuts. Thank you for supporting my work by supporting my sponsors. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Pecan Date and Coconut Slice and Bake Cookies
Makes 12-18 cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 pasture raised egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon each ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg
2/3 cup Diamond Nuts diced pecans or walnuts
4 dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 c shredded coconut
PROCEDURE
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and coconut sugar. Beat on medium speed, until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and egg and mix again until combined. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the nuts, dates and coconut.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface and divide in half. With lightly floured hands, roll the dough into two logs about 1 1/4-inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or until ready to bake.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Remove the dough from the freezer. Unwrap the dough and slice into 1/2-inch thick discs. Place the cookies on the baking sheet, leaving an inch or so between each and bake for 9 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
Congratulations on the award!!
Do you think these could be made with a GF flour? Maybe rice flour or buckwheat? They look so delicious I really want to try them!! Thank you 🙂
Hey! Hmmm I dunno. I didn’t test them with a gluten free flour. I bet if you used a gf flour mix it would work but I wouldn’t do straight rice flour or buckwheat.
Thanks a lot! I will need to experiment a bit 🙂
Let me know how it goes…
I’m so glad to hear about your award…. yes, well-deserved, even though i wasn’t sure about the weeknight dinners aspect. much of what you share is in my treats category. like maybe “best healthy treats” award ! either way, no matter the title, they chose well!
Congratulations on your well-deserved award, Sasha!