| USER COMMENTS — Add Your Comment |
These were excellent! They remind me of those coconut girl scout cookies that taste so good.
PC, Montpelier, VT |
I coudn't get the balls to stay together. The mixture was just too dry. This was very disappointing. Ended up throwing the whole mix away. Felt like there was an ingredient missing.
Brian, Billerica, MA |
The taste is actually fantastic. The only reason I gave it one star was because the dough would not roll. All it did was stick to my hands and crumble when trying to scrape them off my hands to the cookie sheet. It seemed to be missing some flour or at least a comment to flour your hands before rolling. Two friends who do a lot of baking both made the same comment about no flour.
Joanne Fisher, Medford, MA |
Was very good, best cookie recipe ever.
Martha Montez, Chicago, IL |
EDITORS' NOTE: We're sorry some of you have had trouble making this recipe. If the butter, date and sugar mixture isn't cooked long enough, you will not be able to form the dough into balls. Pitted dates that you chop yourself and dates that are purchased chopped will both work as long as you cook the mixture long enough. We've tried to clarify the instructions in Step 1 and have updated the recipe.
EATINGWELL EDITORS, Charlotte, VT |
I've made these delicious cookies, and rolled them in coconut while they were still sticky. They are a favorite of family and friends!
Denise, Boston, MA |
I, too, had a problem with rolling out the mixture. The mixture just wouldn't adhere. Appreciate if someone who was able to put these cookies together successfully could tell me what I didn't do correctly. Thanks....
marianne, CT |
I liked not only the combination of ingredients, but the supposedly ease of making these cookies, and was eager to try them out. However, I could not get the mixture to adhere to roll into a ball. I noticed like comments regarding getting the mixture to stay together were posted. I'd appreciate if someone who was able to roll the mixture properly could let me know what I didn't do correctly. Thanks much.
marianne |
These are SO good! They stuck together just fine and I used a cookie scoop so my hands didn't get yucky. Maybe the trick is to use the pitted dates that you chop yourself instead of those bagged, cubed dates from Dole. Those seem like they'd be too dry. I can't be sure since I only used the whole, soft, pitted dates that I chopped myself and it worked great.
Stacy, Los Angeles, CA |
This was a great recipe. My children loved them, and so did I. For me, the recipe worked fine. I chopped pitted dates and just kept stirring until turned to a thick paste. Everything stuck together just fine. They are a little hot to work with at first. My wife thought she remembered her Mom making something like this before, but I still would vote for them as a winner.
Tim D, Marshfield, WI |
Can't believe this recipe, as written, is a winning entry! The "dough" does not easily hold together to form a ball shape, too much sugar to be healthy, but the ingredients when combined though provide a wonderful smell.
Judith E Nelson, Manitou Springs, CO |
I am 50+ and we made these when I was a very small child, they are really easy, and taste great.
We did everything except adding the coconut with the cereal and flavoring. We shaped the balls and then rolled them in the coconut. This will make them stick together better.
Shipmanmom, AR |
If you are using pre-chopped dates that are covered in dextrose, try soaking them in water for 30 minutes to get the excess sugar off. Drain and dry them well before cooking with the sugar and butter. I had the same problem getting the cookies to stick together the first time I tried this recipe, but soaking the dates seemed to solve the problem. Good luck!
Mary Ann, Somerville, NJ |
I'm extremely disapointed that such a recipe won and Eating Well contest. It goes against the general philosophy of the magazine and even contradicts almost all the guidelines mentioned in the article:
"use sweeteners judiciously": dates + sugar make these way too sweet - we renamed them "sugar bombs"; "no hydrogenated fat" they contain butter and coconut "all-natural ingredients": they contain an overerly refined cereal "as much whole-grain flour as possible". No whole grains in this recipe. I'd suggest trying this with much less sugar, possibly mixing an egg in with dates instead of butter for more nutrition, adding nuts for more flavor and nutrition, and possibly a brown rice crisp cereal.
Ellen Lewis, San Diego, CA |
I did not have a problem with the dough coming together as the others mentioned, be sure and cook the dates and sugar mixture until it resembles a paste. These are yummy, like old fashioned rice crispy treats but for adults!
Lisa, Vashon, WA |
These are wonderful! I used a small scoop to form the balls while the mixture was still very hot. It worked great.
Liz, Minneapolis, MN |
These passed the very picky 4 year old test! A keeper in our house :) Brian I am guessing you didn't cook them long enough on the stove?? They were a bit dry until the last few min. It took about 10 min before the mixture resembled a thick paste & the butter had melted all the way.
Sarah B, West Sacramento, CA |
The cookies are fairly easy to make but I would cut the sugar down possibly to 3/4c and I would make small balls (I made some small and big balls). I liked them.
Dee, Greensboro, NC |
I used a a sandwich baggie while the mix was warm to roll them tightly into balls and it worked great, it helped keep the cookie together. I got alot of compliments, would definitly make again, very easy!
Sandy B., Jacksonville, FL |
Amazing & Simply Delicious! This was the easiest treat I have made to date. I was looking for a light but different dessert for the family this year. What a hit! They taste like little carmael apples with coconut! I can certainly understand why these won Best Cookie 2008.
Michelle H. Londonderry NH, Londonderry, NH |
Excellent cookies. I did have to squeeze pretty hard to get them to stick together, but it was well worth it. When cold, you can really taste the blend of sweet and salt, with a nice slight crunch coming from the rice krispies.
Paul, OH |
I can't believe this olde tyme recipe won! My family's been making Date Balls every year at Christmas for the last 30 years! Maybe I'll submit one of our other favorites to try to win next year :)
Amanda A., Chicago, IL |
Made these acording to the recipe as shown in the magazine. it was a flop in terms of the date/sugar/butter mixture...don't use chopped/pitted dates from the bulk section, they don't break down enough. even if these had rolled into the balls they would've still been waaaaaaay too sweet. maybe i can still resurrect these using peanut butter to cut the sweetness and make them stick together?? ;-)
t, Truckee, CA |
Thanks to Frances Van Vynckt & Eating Well. I love bringing popular things to a party and these were by far the favorite of everything at the party. Even the teenagers asked me for the recipe! I am making another batch today for work tomorrow.
Patti, North Attleboro, MA |
These were quick and easy! I made them for a bake sale and they were a hit. In addition to making sure the dates, sugar and butter is cooked long enough I found keeping my hands wet helped with forming the balls.
Martha, St. Loius, MO |
OK, I was invited to a cookie exchange and our oven is broken so I thought these cookies would have been the perfect solution. They won first place after all....I should have read the comments because I have gone through 2 batches with each tossed in the garbage because they just crumbled. The second batch I thought I would use less rice cereal and coconut to improve my chances of getting these things to roll. Now I have no cookies to bring. Just left a message to the host to ask if I could cheat and buy the freakin' cookies. How did this win?! Sorry to be such a whiner, but I hope so save someone else the frustration. Jeeeeeze.
bummed!, Orange County, CA |
We saw this recipe and decided to try it for a Christmas party we were attending. They were really easy to make - you do need to let the mixture get paste-like and it took at leat ten minutes on our stove - and you needed to really squish the mix together when rolling, but in the end they were a hit! We subbed sucanat in for sugar and used brown rice cereal instead of tradition crispy rice cereal. They remind us of rice krispies treats!
K. Shaw, Exeter, NH |
Does anybody know why you use unsalted butter and then add salt? Why not use the salted butter? Just wondering! :o)
Lillulu, IA |
These were as easy to make as I had hoped and just as yummy! I was surprised when I read other's comments on the diffculty they had. I imagine it was due to the fact that the dates, sugar & butter have to be cooked to a thick paste, not just combined. I would call these more a candy than a cookie, though. Tip - instead of trying to chop the dates, use scissors to cut them into small pieces & dip the blades into water between dates to keep them cutting smoothly.
Teresa, Westminster, CO |
These are good :). I used whole wheat cereal instead of rice crispies and cut the sugar down a tad. I also only used 6oz of dates instead of 8oz. Next time I will use nuts istead of coconut. Overall a good idea. I agree with another post that this is more like a candy than a cookie. Very sweet.
Kelly |
Yes. Too difficult to shape... so I put into a greased pan and cut into squares.
Laura |
oh...wow...these things were WAY too sweet...
and I don't understand how these could be considered an "eating well" recipe
I felt terrible as I was adding the huge amounts of sugar and butter to the already very sweet dates considering that I will only be adding so little rice cereal meaning there is a huge sugar to cookie ratio. I know this is supposed to be a cookie and it's supposed to be indulgent, but it's really way too sweet
Dates are naturally sweet on their own...
Goal? try to figure out a way to take out some sugar and substitute with something that will make a better paste
SweetTooth, Rowland Hts, CA |
Yum... Definitely cook the dates/butter/sugar longer than you think you need to. I cooked that combo for at least 15 min. The ingredients seemed to combine fairly easily, I rolled them still warm with plastic sandwich bags on my hands. They're VERY sweet, even using dates I chopped and pitted myself - I can't imagine what they'd be like if you used sugar coated prechopped dates. Next batch I'll probably try substituting with splenda or maybe just cutting down.
Ashleigh, Waterbury, CT |
I tried to make this cookie and it was a disaster! The recipe neglected to mention that the chopped, pitted dates should not be the pre-chopped and pitted kind from the produce department, because of the dextrose coating. The sugar and dates never formed the paste they were supposed to, and the mixture never developed enough cohesion to be balled into cookies. I ended up serving it like granola! If you try it, be sure to use fresh or very soft dates, not the prechopped kind!
Mylynda, Powell, OH |
I love these cookies - they are delicious and easy, and they're so rich that you only need one or two to enjoy. Just be sure to cook the dates & sugar & butter together for enough time.
Jan Brown, Jamaica Plain, MA |
This recipe is unique and worth tweaking to get it to your liking. I sprayed a little non-stick spray on my hands and squeezing while rolling is key. Don't be afraid of killing the crispiness by squeezing, they still come out good.
Cynthia Tompkins, Litchfield, CT |
I had no problems with the rolling. The mix stayed together just fine. Make sure you cook the mix long enough, grease your hands and roll the mix pretty firmly. I used dates from the bulk food aisle (someone mentioned they didn't work for her) and puffed brown rice cereal and am very pleased with the results. A quick, easy and delicious cookie!
Rachel, Washington, DC |
The first batch we made we didn't cook the dates/sugar/butter long enough and the balls would just crumble and were very hard to roll. Then we tried a second time after reading the comments. Make sure to cook the sugar mixture a very long time! Once we actually cooked it long enough these were extremely easy to make and roll.
Ashley, Flagstaff, AZ |
Works WONDERFULLY - Bring the butter, sugar and dates to a MEDIUM boil for about 3 to 5 minutes, allowing granulated sugar to melt and become more of a glue to hold the ingredients together...
2. Remove the pot from heat, then add, salt, vanilla and coconut... Stir together
3.NOW - Add stir in the cereal. Rice Krispies or ((( Corn Flakes, Bran Flakes work really good too.)))
4. After mixed together - Pour the ball of mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. - flatten the large clump of mixture out a little to help it cool faster. Make the balls however you want to form them..
*** I flattened the mixture out on the cookie sheet, allowed it to cool and cut it into tiny squares *** Being Flat keeps them from rolling off the plate for kids..
WONDERFUL TREAT!!!!!! Works well with a chopped nut of choice also and gives it a little more protein.
Chef_911, Lexington, NC |
To place this on the even "healthier menu" Follow the recipe and change a few items to be a little healthier.
Use SMART BALANCE Butter - Unsalted
1 Cup Splenda (instead of sugar)
Bran Flakes or Corn Flakes
ADD - Chopped / Crushed Nuts of choice.
Take care and I LOVE THESE
Chef_911, Lexington, NC |
My mother used to make this cookie, so it is NOT an original recipe. The reason the cookie doesn't hold together is because the winner cut the amount of butter in the recipe to make it healthier, but in the process, rendered the recipe hard to make. The original recipe also calls for the addition of one egg to "cooking part" of the recipe.
Deane, Orlando, FL |
The recipe in the December edition of the magazine did not include instructions on how long to heat the butter/date/sugar mix and therefore did not come out well.
Charlie, Wilkes Barre, PA |
I too had the same problem with the cookies not sticking together so I ended up melting some marsmallows (30 of them) that I had in the cubbard and added the ingredients to the melted marsmallows then pressed them in a pan and cut them like regular Rice Krispie treats and they turned out great! In fact I may alter the recipe and prepare them that way from now on.
Martha, Broken Arrow, OK |
This recipe is faaaantastic. I substituted 1/2 cup agave nectar for the sugar and added chopped pecans to the final mix. Wow! I have no doubt this recipe will be used over and over in my family.
Sarah, Saint Joseph, MI |
We made this as explained and cooked the date and sugar mixture at the lowest time listed - 8 minutes and even used a timer. Ours turned out as hard as rocks....maybe a horse could eat them.
Charr, Vashon, WA |
This reminds me of an old recipe my mom used to make. Mom used to roll the finished cookies in nuts, colored sugars or rainbow decorations. There were great!
Donna, Julian, PA |
I love love love these delights!!! I made at least 4 different batches of these over the holidays. The first 3 times I used Medjool dates that I pitted and chopped myself. They turned out amazing. The last time I made a batch I could not get the same dates and used sun sweet or dole pre-pitted, chopped (no sugar coating) dates and they definitely were not the same. I had a hard time when rolling - they did not want to stick together and they lacked the depth of color and flavor of the other dates previous. I did find the first batch to be a bit sweet so I cut the sugar in half and drizzled semi-sweet chocolate over them. Everyone who had them fell in love.
Chelsea, Oakland, CA |
these are very good. Be patient in forming the balls. Do not try to limit the amount of butter or sugar...the balls will not form...My kids love them
barth, Stroudsburg, PA |
Loved the cookies but altered the recipe. Way too sweet with the sugar so made them healthier by leaving it out and used brown rice cereal. It was quicker to pat into 8"x8" pan and then cut into squares when cool.
J. Vattes, Augusta, ME |
What a disappointment. I used Dole's pitted chopped dates but couldn't get the consistency needed to make the ingredients stick together. Additionally, the end result tasted waaaaaay too sweet. I'm surprised this won first place.
kparmelee, Naperville, IL |
Could you use something else besides dates?
Anonymous, WI |
I loved this recipy once i got it to work. I altered it in many ways, first i used raisend because i don't have/like dates, when you use the raisens soak them in hot water first, i cut the suger down to 1/4 cup and used brown sugar, marshmellows were needed because it wasn't close to sticking togther. It is best to cook for the full 15 min. As i said befor this recipy was great but it took a lot of altering to get it that way.
Llovetobake |
Facebook
del.icio.us
Digg
