Here are two popular cookies in my household.  Both recipes were inspired by recipes in Cooks Illustrated.  I like dates and have a ready source at a local Middle East market, so I use them in this oatmeal cookie.  The dates make the cookie! 

A word about the instructions might be in order. 
· The “cream together" refers to the established practice of vigorously combining fat and sugar while incorporating air—using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed.  Its called the creaming method. 
· “Triple-sift” refers to my preference to pour all dry-grain-like ingredients in a flour sifter and then sift them through three times to insure that flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, etc. are thoroughly combined. 
· Dates are seriously sticky.  For these cookies, lance each date open and remove the seed.  Then slice the date in half length-wise, and again to get four lengths.  Place the quartered dates in a prep bowl and cool in the fridge.  After awhile, take them out and dice each quarter length and return them to the fridge.  Take them out just before adding them to the mixer bowl.  Pull the diced pieces apart and toss them into the bowl, seriatim. 
· “Super Parchment Paper” refers to various types of non-stick, re-usable teflon or silicon-coated liners for cookie sheets and sheet pans. 

OATMEAL DATE COOKIES 
(Yield: about 2 dozen)
See Abbreviations, if needed
·   ½ lb (2 sticks) butter, ambient temperature
·   1C    light brown sugar
·   1C    sugar
·   2       eggs, ambient temperature
·   1.5C AP flour
·   ½ t    salt
·   ½ t    baking powder
·   ¼ t    grated fresh nutmeg
·   3C    rolled oats
·   1.5C dates (abt 10 dates) diced. Hold in fridge to unstick

1.  Preheat oven to 350F
2.  Triple-sift together flour, salt, nutmeg and baking powder and set aside
3.  Cream together butter and sugars in KA
4.  Add eggs
5.  Add flour
6.  Stir in oatmeal briefly, stir in dates briefly, remove KAB and finish by hand.  Hold in fridge
7.  Scoop dough with 2T scoop (#36) and place well apart on SP 
     with super parchment 
8.  Bake for about 14 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown
9.  Rack to cook

1.  Preheat oven to 325F
2.  Triple sift together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside
3.  Cream together butter and sugars in KA
4.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla
5.  Add flour mixture
6.  Remove from KA and work in chocolate chips.  Hold in fridge
7.  Scoop dough with 2T scoop (#36) and place well apart on SP
     with super parchment.  (Get 44 cookies with 1T, #60 scoop)
8.  Bake for about 17 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown
9.  Cool cookies on SP before racking.