One type of Christmas cookie that we always had on hand around the holidays were sweet date cookies. Except for maybe the dates, I bet you have all the ingredients for these simple date-filled cookies in your pantry waiting to be used. As you will see, this date cookie recipe is in two parts. Part one is the cookies, part two is the date filling.
What do dates taste like?
Some people describe the taste of a date as a cross between a fig and a plum. Dates taste like a sweetened cross between figs and plums. The natural sweetness of dates is concentrated as they dry, making them a perfect filling for these date-filled cookies.
How to make date-filled sugar cookies?
Ingredients
For 30 cookies
Ingredients for cookies
- 1 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Filling:
- 2 cups chopped dates
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Cream fat and white and brown sugar. until fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla and beat well. Sift the dry ingredients together and add them to the creamy mixture. Mix well. Let the dough cool for at least an hour.
- Meanwhile, make the date filling by combining chopped dates, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and salt. Cool.
- On a floured surface (or dough cloth), roll half the dough at a time to just under 1/8 inch. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. (The recipe recommends using a thimble to cut a small hole in the center of half the cookies for the top. My mother always skipped this step.) Place 1 tablespoon of prepared date filling in the center of each plain cookie base. Place another round cookie on top (with a small hole if you follow the original recipe). Press the edges of each filled cookie together with the tip of a fork to seal. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes.