OK, I love going on a date with my sweet hubby, but I’m talking the Real thing. Dates! Sweet, chewy yummy Dates! I buy bulk packages of quality dates to eat just plain. As my sister can tell you, I will search for Date Cookies at bakery venders at the Pride of Dakota events and at Craft Fairs that we go to. If I find someone selling them, I buy way more than I should. I don’t even have to share because my hubby doesn’t like them.
I have been searching for ages for a great Date cookie recipe. And now I’ve found it. For those Date lovers out there, I think you’ll enjoy this one as much as I do. They are no more work than making a frosted sugar cookie.
Date Filled Cookies
1 1/2 cup Shortening
1/2 cup Butter, soft
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 T Buttermilk
2 tsp Vanilla
6 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
Cream together the shortening, butter and sugars. Add in the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix until dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. While dough chills, make Date filling.
Date Filling
3 cups Dates, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Water
3 T Lemon Juice
Dash Salt
In a small saucepan, bring Dates, sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and salt. Let cool completely.
When ready to roll out cookies, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
On a flour covered surface or pastry cloth, roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time to approximately 1/8 inch thickness. Cut rounds using a 3 inch cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. (If you don’t have a large round cookie cutter, no problem. Try a large mouth jar or a glass.) Place bottom round on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Top round with 1 T of the cooled date filling then top that with another cookie dough round. Press the top round down just a little bit so that the edges meet the bottom round. Then using a fork, crimp the edges of the two rounds together to seal in the date filling. (Ball up the scrapes and add them to the next 1/4 of dough).
Bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are just turning brown.
Makes approximately 40 to 42 cookies.
