Picnic Cake, Date Cake or No Frost Cake Recipe

Bring water to a boil; add dates and soda, stir, remove from heat and let sit in pan to cool. Mix chocolate chips, brown sugar and chopped nuts together and set aside. Cream together sugar, shortening and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture; add vanilla with the boiled mixture to cookie mix. mix well; Pour into greased 9 X13 pan; Sprinkle top with Chocolate chip, brown sugar, nut mixture. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Don't over-bake.