I love, love, LOVE Southern food so when my mother-in-law got me a new cookbook, Southern Living’s Off the Eaten Path: Second Helpings I read through it like a novel. It’s all the best recipes from Southern diners and I’ve bookmarked about fifty recipes I can’t wait to try. This cookie recipe is from Sweet P’s Eats and Treats in Pike Road, Alabama and it is not messing around. This has easily become my favorite cookie recipe – super chunky, full of all the good stuff, and gooey in the middle – yummmmmmmmms. Next time I’m making a double batch of these and eating every last one.

Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 tbsp vanilla
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried dates
1 cup soft wheat flour (I used all-purpose as I couldn’t find soft wheat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup plain granola

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat the brown sugar and butter on medium speed for about three minutes or until creamy.

Then add the egg and vanilla, beating well. Stir in dates and let stand for 5 minutes so that the dates soften.

Then beat at high speed for three minutes or until very light brown and creamy. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly, until well blended.

Stir in chocolate morsels, walnuts, coconut and granola.

Next drop large 3-tbsp-sized scoops of dough two inches apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Pat dough down (just once – they should be thick!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned – when you take them out they will be a little unset in the middle – that’s okay!

Cool on cooling racks for 15 minutes – this will set the middle. Makes about 16 cookies.