Date Pinwheel Cookies

One of my favorite foodie things about the Holidays is the sweets, cookies in particular. This year I had the opportunity to bake one of my favorite cookies with my Grandma D. A moment that I will cherish for years to come. In my family, I'm sure in most families, we all have that one cookie we just can't get enough of. That one we just can't wait for! For me, it's the Date Pinwheel. A simple cookie that's just sweet and soft enough, but still has a nice crunch. Not to mention the delicious filling of dates and nuts. Perfect combination, if you ask me. While I may be a fan of many cookies, this one always makes me the happiest foodie. 

Now, this evening of baking cookies with my Grandma D was more than just that. I was going to use this night as a part of Grandma's Christmas gift. A cookbook about her, the family, and the recipes. The idea came around one day when I was chatting with my dear Auntie M at our weekly "meeting of the minds" coffee night. What started the idea was a simple thought, everyone loves Grandma's cooking but none of use really know the stories behind or how to make the recipes. So, we cam up with this simple idea. I would meet with Grandma D to cook each families favorite recipe and find out the stories behind the recipe while still telling Grandma's story. Next year for Christmas I will be printing the cookbook and it will be our gift to each household. I can't wait to get this started!

I used the cookie night as a way to show her and the family my plans. I through together a quick cover, recipe page, and a story. This recipe didn't really have a story about how it came to the family so I just talked about the night we shared baking. Here's a pic of the sample book and an excerpt from the story. 

"Last year I had asked Grandma for a copy of the recipe and she gladly gave it to me. Did I ever make them? No. So this year when she asked for me to join her in the kitchen to make these scrumptious cookies, I thought “It’s a date!”. I had hoped to get a back story on the recipe and where it came from, but this recipe just seems to have appeared. But no worries, if there’s one thing that can always happen in a kitchen, it’s talking. Grandma and I shared tips and tricks. She told me that I must not follow her measuring techniques when I start school as she just measure a little of this and a lot of that. She doesn’t do it the professional way, she does it better, in the best way, homemade. We also talked about things from our past and laughed at some memories. We had made our own story for this recipe. :-)"

Here's the recipe for the cookies followed by a few photos I snapped along the way to help see how they filling is spread and the cookies are rolled. Enjoy!

Date Pinwheel Cookies          [Printable Recipe]

Ingredients: filling

• 1 lb chopped dates, not pre-chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Ingredients: dough

• 1/2 cup lard
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
•  3 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Cut dates in pieces and cook with sugar, water, and nuts until thickened and dates begin to break down. 

Set aside to cool. In another bowl blend the shortening with the sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder and stir into shortening mixture. 

Roll dough to 1/2 in thick. Spread date filling over dough. 

Cut into 4 sections rolling each into a log like a jelly roll. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate overnight. 

Slice and bake at 375 for 14-16 minutes.