Date cookies are my favorite! Growing up, my mom would have an all-out baking binge session with my sister and I. It typically lasted a full weekend and we always had way more options for baked goods and candies than we really needed. But it quality time something we all loved to do. While I don’t get to bake like that with my mom anymore, my mom still likes to go all out for the holidays. Every year she will ask us what cookie we’d like her to make and every year my dad and I always pick the same one. Date-filled sugar cookies.
Why You Need to Try These Date Cookies
If you have never these date cookies, they are literally amazing. They feature a mild, chewy cookie with a soft center. No other date cookie we’ve tried has ever compared. This recipe came from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook from 1960. And while the year doesn’t seem like it should be that important, it is. After this year it changed and it was never the same in the new additions of the cookbook. Unfortunately, my mom has used this cookbook so much that the page with this recipe fell out and was lost a few years ago.
That was until my dad, heartbroken he hadn’t had his beloved cookies in a while, did some research and found it online. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who loved this particular recipe.
The ironic thing about this recipe? My mom hates dates. My mom has made these for so many years, just to make my dad happy. And while I might think people are crazy for not loving this cookie, it is alright by my dad and I. Just more cookies for us! This date cookie recipe yields approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
Date Filled Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Filling:
- 2 cups chopped dates
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375°
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Cream shortening and white and brown sugar. until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, beating well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Chill dough at least an hour.
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Meanwhile, make date filling by combining chopped dates, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and salt. Cool.
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On floured surface (or pastry cloth), roll half of the dough at a time to a little less than 1/8 inch. Cut with 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. (Recipe recommends cutting a small hole in the center of half the cookies for the top with a thimble. My mom has always skipped this step.) Place 1 tablespoon of prepared date filling in the center of each plain cookie bottom. Top with another round cookie (with small hole if you are following original recipe). Press the edges of each filled cookie together with the tip of a fork to seal. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes.
Recipe Notes
(Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook circa 1960)
If you love dates, you will love these date cookies!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
The filling looks kind of like a fig newton, but in tiny pie form!
Bitsy Copp says
Even if you don’t like dates you will love these!
Abby says
OH.. this brings back memories, my mom always made Date Pinwheels and they are still my favorite. Like you –my moms recipe has been lost & I haven’t been able to find another one like it. I must make your recipe they look so cute and I just love dates.
thank you for sharing
Philomena says
These were scrumptious! I have a few assembly tips. I rolled out my entire dough between two parchment pieces into a huge rectangle , it was literally the size of a large sheet pan. I then put it in the fridge to chill. When it was firm, I used a pizza cutter to cut it in half. I put one half back in the fridge while I worked with the other. I cut it into 16 squares. I put a teaspoon of jam in the center and then just pinched all the sides together not completely covering the jam. The look so cute like little packages. They were so yummy.
Another thing I did was put orange zest juice of the orange i zested and some grand mariner in place of some of the water for the date mixture.
Lastly, I added tiny chocolate chips to my cookie batter. I did this after I rolled it into a big rectangle. I sprinkled them on, replaced the top parchment and then rolled it a few more times to push the chocolate chips in. I think they complimented the orange and dates nicely ??
Cathy says
Oh my goodness, these look great! I love dates and put into a cookie would just make me love them more! 🙂 All month long I am featuring different holiday cookie creations for my cookie countdown to Christmas! I would love it if you stopped by to check it out! 🙂
Cathy
Lou Lou Girls says
This is fabulous! I love it. Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for being a part of our party! I hope you stop by on Monday at 7 pm. We love to party with you. Merry Christmas! Lou Lou Girls
Chris Marshall says
I have been looking for this recipe forever! My grandmother used to make them and they were my favorite. Thank you!
Carla says
Your mom never tried it with any other filling? While I love dates, and mostly don’t care for apricots, I’ll bet this would be excellent with them. Or with almost any fruit that could be prepared to a similar consistency – my dad would probably love them with mincemeat (~shudder~). Thank you (& your awesome dad!) so much for resurrecting this recipe! I can’t wait to a-try it, as is & b- start playing with it,with other filings!
Jane Blakelock says
My grandmother sent my mother a recipe much like this around 1959-60, which she had gotten from an acquaintance. Indeed, apricots (or strawberry jam) were the filling, using dried apricots cooked much as the dates here. Instead of milk, the dough incorporates sour cream, and there is no brown sugar used, nor top layer holes. The top layer is brushed w/ cream before baking, and the cookies are finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. They remain a favorite of family and friends.
Alberta. Johnson says
I bet home made Mi cement would be delicious in these. A must try for me.
Sam M | Atkinson Drive says
I can’t wait to try these – dates are my favorite!! Thanks for linking to the Pinworthy Projects party!
Elisabeth says
I recently started eating dates because I read they help with pregnancy and labor. I’ll have to try this recipe!
BONNIE says
yummo! Memories filled my head as mom made these pretty close to her recipe which is lost..I will make these
cici says
So glad I found this! My mom used to make these every Christmas. I thought it was from the old red and white “Better Homes” cookbook…thank you!
Tess Marine says
Is the filling made with fresh dates or the ones in the baking aisle that are in a bag already chopped?
Emilie says
These are not made with fresh dates but rather those found in the baking aisle.
Beth says
I made these last night and they are super delicious but they were really big cookies. I used a 2-1/2 inch cookie cutter. They are easy to make and easy to eat! I will definitely make these again.
Bananas says
My mum’s too…..she however always added to the dough, 1tsp of cinnamon and 2 tsp of nutmeg. For me it’s the nutmeg that makes the cookie! My cousins also love these and make them still (60 years later)
Jeanine says
This recipe was in the red checkered Betty Crocker book from the 1950s. Much loved.
Jon Ann Cruver says
Well, haven’t tried them yet…but they are, I’m sure, the same recipe that my Mom used years ago, And like your Mom, she baked them for my Dad! I know I have the recipe’s somewhere, but can’t find it, so I am very happy to see this. Thank you so much. I’m off to the kitchen right now…….
Chris says
Same recipe my mom used to make when I was a boy she would fill in entire plastic round container to the top and us boys would devour them. always loved them always will .
Peg says
These cookies are the exact ones made by many of our grandmothers from the 50’s and 60’s!
They are delicious and I’ve received many compliments and “please make more!” requests!
Thank you!
Anne Olson says
These cookies are indeed delicious!
I have an old Better Homes & Gardens cookbook open in front of me, with its faded red and white large checked cover.
The “Filled Sugar Cookie” recipe is on page 166. I wish. The only difference from your recipe above and what is printed here is that
the amount of dates for the filling here is “1 8-ounce package (1 1/2 cups) pitted dated, snipped”.
And stead of 1cup shortening above, my book’s recipe uses half butter and half shortening: it states 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening.
I don’t know if this old cookbook is from 1960 but it is quite vintage and I’ve been using it forever. The 1960 recipe may be the one you printed above as the publishers could have changed it in mine.
Nonetheless, I made your exact recipe above and it was wonderful and I really can’t tell the difference between that and the one I’ve always made from the book. Thank you!
Brian Steffa says
This is the same recipe from the same book that my Mother used to make at Christmas time. I bought some date paste and was looking for a good cookie recipe and found this! I have to try and find that Better Homes and Gardens cookbook as I remember seeing it all the time growing up.
Aimee says
I didn’t have shortening so I used all butter instead – I needed maybe a half cup more flour this way but they turned out so tasty!
Cheryl A Boyer says
My mother used to make these but with chopped nuts and I made them for years. Thanks for reminding me I have to make them again.
Saad says
Hello,
Would you happen to know how long do these last? Like after making them how long are they good to eat, and how to store them and rewarm them?
Thanks
Emilie says
Great question! We’ve always kept these date cookies in an airtight container and stored them at room temperature. They don’t tend to last too long in our house but when they have, we’ve kept them for a couple of week without issue. Hope that helps!
Sally says
Your recipe is the one in looking for with the chopped nuts that’s the one I’ve been looking for. Could you post your recipe for me
Donna Schumacher says
These are delicious! I also lost the old recipe so I’m glad that you have shared! I remember in the cookbook on the same page was a recipe for the pineapple filled version. Do you happen to have that recipe as well? I remember it included crushed pineapple and nutmeg but can’t remember the rest of the ingredients. I would love to have this recipe as well if you’d be so kind to email it to me!
Emilie says
I don’t, I’m so sorry! I hope you find the recipe you are looking for. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Sea says
The pineapple filling:
1 cup sugar
4 tbs flour
Stir in …
11/2 cup well drained pineapple (2# can)
4 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs butter
1/2 tsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup pineapple juice
Cook slowly, stirring constantly, until thickened. (5-10 min). Cool.
Fills 4 dozen cookies
P 197 Betty Crocker 1950
Pamela says
My mom used to make these but with nuts and strawberry preserves added to filling. I can’t find this recipe anywhere. Anyone know of it,? They were sooo delicious.
Courtney says
The story on this recipe is EXACTLY my childhood. In fact, I clicked this recipe because they looked like my favorite date cookies that my mom always makes for Christmas except she cuts a vent in the top like a little pie. My brother end up usually fighting over them. I am not going to make it home this year so I wanted to make the date cookies for myself.
Kiera says
I made these cookies today and while they tasted delicious, the dough was extremely stiff and difficult to roll out–the dough kept cracking and it was impossible to roll it to 1/8 inch. It seemed to me like there was too much flour in the mix, especially as the recipe did not follow the 3-2-1 for flour-fat-sugar ratio. I may make these again and reduce the flour to see how that goes.
Dawn says
I made these for Christmas for my 90year old father in law he said it took him back to when he was a ten year old helping a noweign family with sheep in eastern Montana. The wife would make them special for him if she knew he was coming to help. It really warmed my heart ho make a treat for him to have those good memories ??
Leslie Anne says
Been making since the 60’s. Yes the recipes do change from issue to issue for some odd reason. Not the only cookie & even bread recipes to change not for the better it seems. I have Mom’s 50’s book & my 72 book a wedding gift from Mom. So I have made this recipe into a bar cookie when for time. I also add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts to the date mix before heating. Yummmm!!!! All the ways you can make these. Not as great as a bakery in Livingston MT in the 50 & early 60’s. Close but theirs were larger folded over circles & had the walnuts. Dough would be bake to a rich darker brown. Always chasing the dream.
Karen says
These are my favorite cookies and my mom made them for me. She passed away 10 years ago and with her went the baking of these. I’ve never tried to bake them but this recipe sounds like hers exactly and I am going to make them.
Rangsi Syamananda says
So good and so easy. Despite the humidity of the filling, the cookies dough maintains its crispness after cooking. However, I replaced shortening by unsalted butter and add lemon zest and finely chopped roasted pecan to the date filling to give more flavors and reduce its sweetness. I will certainly use your recipe to make other fruit-filled cookies!
kristen says
Delicious! I used fresh dates abd just added a bit more water. I might try to make them a little smaller like the “little packages” of half moon
KRISTEN M DANZIG says
These are delicious! I used pitted medjool dates and chopped . Thank you ! Can’t eat just one!