This recipe comes from my sister Linda Stradley and her website What’s Cooking America. These cookies are very chewy and delicious with a nice orange flavor topped with a light lemon glaze. They make a great Christmas cookie.

Orange Date Nut Bars

Ingredients:

Small amount of vegetable shortening for preparing pan

Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped

2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Lemon Glaze:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1¼ cups confectioners (powdered) sugar

Tip: Use a citrus zester and citrus juicer for fresh zest and freshly squeezed juice. Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare one 13x9x2 inch oblong pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening.
   
   Dough:
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar; use an electric mixer or wooden spoon and beat together until well blended. Add eggs, orange zest, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; stir until well blended. Stir in chopped dated and walnuts. (The batter will be very thick.)
   
   Bake:
3. Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave cookie in the pan to cool; place baking pan on a wire cooling rack to cool.
   
   Lemon Glaze:
4. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice and confectioners sugar; beat until smooth and creamy. Spread glaze on top of cooled cookie. Cut into 2 inch bars.
   
   Tip: My favorite tool to cut bar cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a pizza cutter or small kitchen knife to cut the cookie into bars.
   
   Makes about 3 dozen bars
   
   TheBakingPan.com
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