My grandmother would make date cookies every Christmas but she never made a lot. She said they were incredibly fussy but she dutifully made a batch or two every year for my grandfather because they were his favorite cookie.
They became my favorite too!
I have the recipe and it's easy to make vegan if you want :)
Cookies
2 cups oat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup Crisco (I used smart balance margarine but earth balance would be good too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sweet or sour milk (I used soy milk)
In a food processor, I added all the dry ingredients and pulsed a few times. I added the margarine in chunks and pulsed in. Then I drizzled the milk into the top while pulsing. Then I transferred dough into a bowl and used my hands to make sure it was all incorporated. Divide into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten and chill.
Date Filling
1 lb finely chopped dates
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Bring to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Take the cookie dough and roll out as thin as possible. I used two sheets of parchment paper to roll the dough between so it would not stick to my rolling pin. Using a cookie cutter, get cookie shapes and transfer to baking sheets lined with more parchment paper. Keep reusing dough around the cutouts and re-rolling until all gone.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on rack. Once cool, take one cookie and carefully and generously spread filling. Sandwich with a second cookie.
There you go - my grandmother's date cookies!
The key is to make the cookies as thin as possible. It took me a while before I got the hang of it, but it's worth it.
The cookie cutter I used is large, but next time I make them, I'll use a smaller cutter so I get more cookies. I got about a dozen and a half which didn't feel like much for all the work I put into it!
Picture now added!
They became my favorite too!
I have the recipe and it's easy to make vegan if you want :)
Cookies
2 cups oat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup Crisco (I used smart balance margarine but earth balance would be good too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sweet or sour milk (I used soy milk)
In a food processor, I added all the dry ingredients and pulsed a few times. I added the margarine in chunks and pulsed in. Then I drizzled the milk into the top while pulsing. Then I transferred dough into a bowl and used my hands to make sure it was all incorporated. Divide into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten and chill.
Date Filling
1 lb finely chopped dates
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Bring to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool.
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Take the cookie dough and roll out as thin as possible. I used two sheets of parchment paper to roll the dough between so it would not stick to my rolling pin. Using a cookie cutter, get cookie shapes and transfer to baking sheets lined with more parchment paper. Keep reusing dough around the cutouts and re-rolling until all gone.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool on rack. Once cool, take one cookie and carefully and generously spread filling. Sandwich with a second cookie.
There you go - my grandmother's date cookies!
The key is to make the cookies as thin as possible. It took me a while before I got the hang of it, but it's worth it.
The cookie cutter I used is large, but next time I make them, I'll use a smaller cutter so I get more cookies. I got about a dozen and a half which didn't feel like much for all the work I put into it!
Picture now added!
