Recipe: Sticky Date Cookies

Love the pudding, now love the cookies. Sam Parish of MOF MOF shares her recipe for a decadent treat that is sure to be a hit in the household on those
days when a cup of tea and a cookie are required.

Ingredients
100g pitted dates
½ cup firmly packed
brown sugar
80g unsalted butter, chopped
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 cup almond meal
cup plain flour
2 Tbsp milk powder (optional)
¼ tsp baking powder
1 egg
¼ cup crushed biscuits
(I use Golden Gaytime Crumbs, but shortbread would
work well here also).

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place dates, brown sugar, butter, vanilla essence, cinnamon and baking soda in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for two minutes or until mixture is bubbling.
3. Mix well to combine until dates have mostly dissolved, leaving some small chunks.
4. To make a caramel topping, transfer two tablespoons of the date mixture to a separate small bowl and combine with sour cream and a pinch of salt. Stand until required.
5. Add remaining ingredients, except biscuit crumbs, to the butter-date mixture and mix to combine into a cookie dough.
6. Divide into heaped tablespoons and, with wet hands, roll into smooth balls. On lined trays, press into 1cm thick rounds.
7. Use a wet thumb to create an indent in the centre of each cookie then fill with a heaped teaspoon of the caramel mixture.
8. Scatter cookies with biscuit crumb and bake for 12–14 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on trays before serving.