Honey Date Nut Bars

Home-made cookies are traditional gifts during the holidays. This generous recipe makes enough to give and have some left for yourself.

3 eggs
1 cup honey
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 8-oz package pitted dates, chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Confectioner's sugar

Oven: 325 degrees

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add the honey, lemon rind, and salt and mix well. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Add to the honey mixture with the dates and nuts. Mix well.

Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax paper. Spread batter in pan and bake about forty minutes. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes, then loosen around edges with a knife. Turn out on a board to cool.

Wrap in foil, seal, and let ripen in a cool place for several days. Cut in 1/2-inch strips, then crosswise three times to form bars about 2x1/2-inches. Store in an airtight container. Before serving (or packing), sprinkle with a little confectioner's sugar. Makes about nine dozen.

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