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Date Cookies

"With the hidden bourbon date filling"

date cookies

These date cookies look like a brown sugar cookie on the outside. And you only know they have dates - when you bite in and have the lucious bourbon date filling goosh out. It's a hidden surprise! If you don't have any bourbon on hand there are a few ideas and substitutions listed below.

Dates are a fairly common in Italian cookie recipes. We use dates, apricots and dried fruit quite a bit.

When I was a kid I thought dates were lame, and especially in desserts. But, as I've gained a wrinkle or two, I reverted back to my roots and my mom's cookie recipes she baked prior to her green hippie tangent era. If you have dates and were wanting to use them up I have one other date recipe on my site:

  • Date Bread
  • Both of these have been at my family dinners for a long time.

    I was trying to think how to classify this recipe. It's not a rolled cookie recipe. It's not like a cookie bar recipe. Closest I can think of it's one of those drop cookies recipes , but with one extra step between the "drop":

  • First: Drop 1 teaspoon of batter.
  • Second: Drop half teaspoon of bourbon date filling on top.
  • Then: Cover with half teaspoon of cookie dough and seal.
  • Happy Date Adventure! And thanks for stopping by -

    Owner and Creator of Italian Dessert Recipes

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    Date Cookies

    YIELD: Makes 3 dozen

    Ingredients

    * 1 cup packed brown sugar

    * 1/2 cup butter shortening (Yes, you read right - "shortening". *Gasp* I know!)

    * 1/4 cup buttermilk or water (I have used water and/or normal milk and it turns out ok)

    * 1 large egg

    * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

    * 1 tsp vanilla

    * 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

    * 1/2 tsp baking soda

    Filling Ingredients

    * 1 lb of dates (3 cups - about)

    * 1 1/2 cups of water

    * 1/4 cup of bourbon ( you can use water if you don't want the alcohol)

    Procedure

    (Prepare date filling first, let cool while making the cookie batter. See below.)

    * Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    * Mix brown sugar, shortening, and buttermilk, vanilla, and egg.

    * Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

    * Drop a rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough onto ungreased cookie sheet.

    * place a 1/2 teaspoon of date filling on the cookie.

    * Cover with 1/2 teaspoon of cookie dough.

    * Place in oven and bake about 8-10 minutes.

    * Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack after 10 minutes of cooling.

    Date Cookies Filling Procedure

    * Place all date filling ingredients in sauce pan EXCEPT the nuts!

    * Place pan on moderately low heat

    * Stir constantly until mixture thickens ( Stay there, don't get impatient!)

    * Remove from heat

    * Add nuts

    * Set aside and let cool while you mix up the cookie batter

    * Give yourself for this date project.


    What can I use instead of bourbon in the date filling?

    There are several things. But the bourbon gives the date filling that little punch.

  • rum flavoring
  • rum
  • orange juice

  • Can I substitute butter in place of the shortening?

    Let me start with - I HATE SHORTENING! And I mention that about every page when the substitution is asked about. But, I'm afraid the cookie would spread too thin and that bourbon filling surprise would melt into the dough - and there goes the best part. The hidden filling. These will spread even with the shortening, but the filling stays enclosed.

    Back to the Date Cookies Recipe


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