When family or friends stop by our house they are always offered a cup of tea or coffee. That’s just good manners. Adding a plate of freshly, home-baked cookies turns those good manners into hospitality. Baking a whole batch of cookies at one time is a terrible snare for me…I adore home-baked goodies, and sugar calls my name. The sugar beast within me is not satisfied until every crumb is gone. Because of this, I love a good cookie dough recipe that can be made ahead and baked as needed. The easier to mix up…the better. Today I put together a batch using yellow cake mix and ingredients I keep on hand. They went over big with my dear husband, so I thought I’d share the recipe.
Oatmeal Date Nut Cookies
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)
2 (18-1/4 oz) boxes Yellow Cake Mix (I used Betty Crocker.)
2/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
5 large eggs, beaten (I used fresh yard eggs.) 
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup uncooked oatmeal (I used steel-cut.)
1 cup chopped dates = 8 oz box
1 cup toasted and chopped pecans
Combine in a large bowl the cake mixes, oil, egg, cinnamon, oats and vanilla. (I did this by hand without any great effort.) Add dates and nuts and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11 – 14 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cookies will be set and slightly cracked when done. Allow cookies to rest on baking sheet for two or three minutes before removing to a wire rack for cooling.
This recipe can be easily adapted by substituting peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, walnuts, raisins, chopped dried fruit etc., for the dates and pecans. Oatmeal can be omitted without compromising the outcome of the cookie. Any flavor cake mix can be used.
Dough can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, and freshly baked cookies are just minutes away. Pre-shaped dough can be flash-frozen on a cookie sheet and placed in a freezer-safe container for longer storage. Pre-shaped cookies are ready to remove from the freezer, place on a cookie sheet and pop into the oven anytime you need them. Baking time would be increased slightly when using frozen dough.
If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes over at your house. I’d love to hear from you.
Until the next time…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
I love, love, love this. Cookies on hand has always been something I’ve dreamed about but had no idea was possible without all the preservatives of commercial dough! Thanks… Linda ;o)
In a word – YUM!!!
Pat, They really are good. I baked 12. We ate 12. They are crispish on the outside and soft on the inside. I’m not telling how many I ate.
oxo Judy
Hi Linda, I like the idea of dough in the fridge ready to make at will, because I don’t eat cookie dough. LOL. If you try these out let me know what you think. One nice things about these cookies is if they are allowed to stay around a few days they actually get better. On a side note…I’m still enjoying the lovely painted egg I was the fortunate winner of…that was a day or two ago.
oxo Judy
Hi Judy, I just found this comment in my inbox… lol I’m almost afraid to make them because I know that not only will cookies be made almost every day, but most likely several times a day..lol
I’m really glad you are still enjoying the painted egg.. ;o) I haven’t painted very many since then, but I have several sitting here looking at me.. lol
hugs, Linda
[...] then there’s the recipe for cookie dough that will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.. This recipe came from Judy over at Apron Strings and Other Ties That Bind. I love it. [...]
I love the simplicity of the cookie dough recipe and being able to do small batches. I have lots of “Empire Biscuit” dough already made but the idea of making about 100 cookies at a time tires me out before I begin. I am able to take out a “round” of dough and make them a little at a time. Thank you.
One more thing, in the fruit cake recipe, how do you make it “carrot cake”?