Date Nut Filled Cookies

1. For the dough: Cream together the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, eggs, flour, and milk. Continuing mixing, adding in the baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract until everything is combined. The dough will be soft and a little sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (This is an important step to the overall texture of the cookies.)

2. For the filling: In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water, mixing well. Stir in the remaining water, lemon juice, and chopped dates. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the dates are cooked and soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in finely chopped nuts. Cool to room temperature before using.

3. To assemble and bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line 20 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

4. Using 1/2 of the dough, roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/8″ thickness. Add flour as necessary to roll out without sticking to the surface or the rolling pin. Cut the dough into rounds, using a biscuit or cookie cutter. A 3″ round works very well for this cookie.

5. Place each round of dough on the baking sheet leaving at least a 1/2″ to 1″ between each cookie. Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of date-nut filling onto the circle and then top with another round of dough. There is no need to seal them shut as they will do so while baking. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Makes 18 cookies.

6. Bake the cookies until lightly golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies can be frozen in Ziploc or airtight container for up to 1 month. Completely thaw at room temperature before eating.

Recipe is adpated from Filled Raisin Cookies by Brown Eyed Baker.