Old Fashioned Filled Cookies

I shared one of my homemade mini berry tarts (see my June 18, 2012 post) with Ken who is my dad's very best friend. I've known him my whole life and he is like a second father to me.

Ken said the texture of the little tart reminded him of a filled cookie that he enjoyed when he was younger. My dad has also told me that he remembers his grandmother making raisin or fruit filled cookies.

And, my good friend Anne says she remembers her "Grannie" making date filled cookies.

Why is it so hard to find these old fashioned filled cookies today? They might be from the past but they are remembered fondly.

I decided I must find a recipe and asked Ken for his help. So he asked his sister Lucille who lives in upstate New York if she had a recipe she could share. Lucille found one and kindly sent it to Ken with the following note:

"Found this one recipe in old, torn & undated cookbook minus its cover. Copied it exactly as it's written in book."

The recipe had minimal instructions which Lucille wrote was common at the time.

Here is the recipe that Lucille found:

Filled Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour milk
1 scant teaspoon soda

Roll thin.

Filling for filled cookies:
4 tablespoons water
1 cup rasins, ground
1/2 cup sugar
juice 1/2 lemon

Cook & spread when cold!
 
There are so few instructions and no baking time or temperature but I knew I could make it work.

I decided to make a date filling instead of raisin and I made a few ingredient substitutions.

The end result was delicious and the recipe was easy. The finished cookie was softer than I expected but I liked it a lot. It reminded me of a date filled Fig Newton which for me is a very good thing.

Thank you Ken and Lucille! I am going to keep this recipe on file and am on a mission to make old fashioned filled cookies popular again.

Here's my new recipe:

Date Filled Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and buttermilk. Mix well.

Add baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Mix until it forms a soft dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Be sure to chill the dough at least an hour before rolling.

After it's chilled, roll the dough until it's just under 1/4 inch thick. The dough is quite soft and sticky so be sure to use enough flour.

Be sure to use enough flour when you roll the dough as it is rather soft and sticky.

Use small cookie cutter to cut squares or rounds and place on parchment lined baking sheets.

Use a small cookie cutter to cut rounds or squares.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.
Let cool and sandwich the cookies between a layer of fillng.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups finely chopped dates
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

Combine the filling ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the dates break apart and the filling thickens. Be sure to watch it and stir constantly.

Remove from heat and let cool completely before spreading between the cookies.

The cooled date filling.