Date Peanut Corn Cookie
Recovery, Cookies, and Ground Hog Day
This past week I participated in a Bake Sale hosted by
. In a few short hours the many bakers who came together raised over $4000 to support California Community Fund. The wildfires are finally out in Los Angeles but for the victims this continues to be a nightmare they walk through. I have held friends as they cry about insurance companies refusing to make good, brides to be who lost their wedding dresses days before their event, colleagues who are still sifting through their ashes. I have also spent days baking and cooking to support as many people and organizations as I can. Having two hands that can take action and make things is a powerful tool in overwhelming times. I entreat everyone to keep supporting those who are committed to long term support for our displaced community in the city of angels. To not be distracted by other news, but rather let your heart grow bigger in the face of a lot of heartache and let that push you take action towards a better world.
I made these cookies for the bake sale. I haven’t stressed over a recipe in a while - usually 3-4 tests and I have dialed something in, but sometimes a recipe becomes a white whale I chase to perfections inevitable black hole. When really it’s great, it’s yummy and it’s ENOUGH? It can be hard to know when a recipe - YOU are enough. So here are the cookies I could probably fuss with for another 20 iterations (literally) or I can share with you now the cookie which everyone loved. And if I give myself a little grace in these uncertain times I also love. Shout out to (again) to
for pushing me over the edge with enthusiasm to share with you here.
Date Peanut Corn Cookie
Makes 20-24
430g butter, room temperature
300g cane sugar
200g brown sugar
zest of two tangerine/mandarin
2 eggs
400g all purpose flour
170g corn flour
5g baking powder
3g baking soda
10g salt
6g cinnamon
350g dates, chopped small
100g peanuts, toasted
For rolling: 4g pu’reh black tea, 4g vanilla bean powder, and 300g cane sugar
Method: In a stand mixer bowl using a paddle attachment on low, cream together your butter, sugars and zest together till light a fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating between additions till combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together your flours, leaveners, salt, and cinnamon. Add to your bowl with the butter mixture and beat to combine. Stop mixer and scrap down. Add dates and peanuts and beat till just combine.
Use a blue portion scooper to make 2.5 oz cookie scoops. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make your rolling sugar. Use your palm to flatten cookie in your hand to one inch thick. Roll cookie in sugar. Place on sheet tray about 3 inches apart or 6 cookies a half sheet tray. Bake for 12-14 minutes till lightly golden brown.
Keep in cookie jar.
Note: Use a soft melty date not a dry chewy date to maximize the caramel and soft chew of this cookie. These cookies are great just rolled in vanilla sugar, but I think the black tea really bring everything together and makes them special.
XOXOX
Crushing: Trader Joe’s Sour Cream and Onion Rings Lentil and Rice Snacks. I eat bags of these, for crunchy for protein for flavor.
Streaming: Groundhog’s Day. Celebrate by watching before tomorrow - if there is a tomorrow, there wasn't one today!
Necessary Poetry:
Get my book Bread and Roses 2023. People can’t stop making the Miso Barley Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Apple Onion Rye Focaccia, the Chocolate Custard Pie in an all butter Sonora Crust, the Buckwheat, Yuzu, Coconut Chiffon Showstopper Cake and so much more. It was named a Best Cookbook of 2023 by the Los Angeles Times and Bon Appetite Magazine.
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So so excited to make these!!! Thanks for being part of the bake sale, Rose. Your support means so much!
Hi Rose! Is corn flour what we call cornmeal or corn starch?