Ritz Cracker Cookies

Directions

1. 1
   {"0":"Heat the oven to 350\u00b0F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.","2":"Place walnuts in bowl of small food processor or chopper and blitz for about 15 seconds, or until ground until small pieces - not into dust or a paste. Add the dates, 1\/4 cup at a time, and continue blending until the mixture is finely chopped.","4":"(Note: If chopping by hand, chop the dates until they are very fine, pieces no more than 1\/8-inch to a side. Finely chop walnut as well.)","6":"Place chopped walnuts and dates into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour the sweetened condensed over them. Stir thoroughly, then turn the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from scorching. Heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture darkens slightly and pulls away from the sides of the pan. (it will no longer be liquid. It will be a thick, gooey, sticky mixture.)","8":"Turn off heat. Use a small spatula or spoon to spread the mixture on the crackers. My grandmother places just a dab on each cracker; my mother and I use a heaping mound. It won't affect the baking time.","10":"When the crackers are covered, bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the crackers are just slightly more golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.","12":"To make the glaze, place the 1\/2 cup powdered sugar in a large glass measuring cup. Whisk in the cinnamon. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking vigorously. Whisk in the vanilla, and continue whisking until no lumps remain.","14":"Drizzle this glaze over the cooled cookies, and let them stand for another few minutes to let the glaze firm up.","16":"These keep very well in a covered container. They also can be frozen in a well-sealed container for up to a month."}