Grandma Rang's Date Cookies

My mother made these cookies for Christmas every year. She got the recipe from my father's mother. They were his favorite cookie. Although you can eat them as soon as they are cool, these cookies are best after they have been stored in a tight container for 2 or 3 days.

INGREDIENTS FOR DATE FILLING

1 cup dates
1 cup cold water
1 cup light brown sugar
dash of salt
2 T flour

PROCEDURE

Chop the dates fine and put in saucepan with the cold water, sugar and salt. Heat to boiling and simmer until dates are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir frequently. Mix the flour in 1/4 cup cold water and stir into the dates. Simmer another five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool before using as filling.

INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 large eggs
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

PROCEDURE

Measure sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the soft butter and cream together. Beat the eggs until lemon yellow and stir them into the sugar mixture. Add the soda, baking powder and salt to the flour, and sift into the sugar mixture about 1 cup at a time, stirring thoroughly between additions. The dough should be very stiff. Add a little more flour if necessary. Flour a large breadboard. Take 1/3 of the dough, work into a ball, place on the breadboard, press into a round pat about 1 inch thick, and turn over, making certain that there is plenty of flour on the breadboard. With a well-floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a 3 or 3 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Put one round on a well-greased cookie sheet and put about 1 tablespoon date filling in the middle. Top with another round and seal the edges by patting them with your fingers. Try not to make the cookie edges too thin. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cookies are lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on wax paper.

NOTE

My mother's recipe says to use a scant teaspoon of soda, baking powder and salt. You can replace the 3/4 cup butter with about 1/2 cup shortening, but the cookies are not as good. Use a spatula to handle rounds, as they are very tender. The trimmings can be worked into the next 1/3 of the dough without harm.