date filled cookies

my mother’s recipe

This recipe is more of a memory than a taste. It’s been years since I’ve eaten a date filled cookie made by Mom. She doesn’t cook any more; she lives in an assisted care facility. I have fond memories of these as a kid, especially warm out of the oven.

Mom used to use a glass to cut two circles, put a dab of filling on one and cover it with the other.

dough
2 cups crisco(margerine)
2.5 cups brown sugar
1 cup warm water
4 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups oatmeal

filling
2 lbs. dates
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water plus the juice of 1/2 lemon
grated lemon zest
Cook slowly on top of the stove until sugar dissolves. Remove & store overnight.

Make the filling ahead of time. Cream the shortening, add the sugar gradually, and then the water. Add the dry ingridients which have been sifted except oatmeal. Add the oatmeal last. Roll the dough and chill (the dough, not you). Roll out the dough and cut into circles using a round cookie cutter or a drinking glass upside down. Place one teaspoon filling on a circle of of dough, cover with another circle of dough, and then press the edges together to seal it. Bake at 400 degrees for ten minutes.

Just writing this makes me want to make a batch.