Date Filled Drop Cookies

 
Today I am sharing a lovely old-fashioned date cookies recipe, which is one of my absolute all time favorite recipes!  It won't be long now before school starts up again and what better time to share a cookie recipe than now! 
This recipe for date drop cookies is one which I have been making for years and years.  No surprise, we are great date lovers in my family. We cannot resist anything with dates in it! 
  Simply put, we love dates and anything that contains dates, which is good news really as dates are incredibly healthy. Known as "nature's candy," they are filled with loads of nutrients and dietary fiber.
One thing which I have always loved is putting date syrup on my granola and yogurt in the mornings. I haven't been able to find any here just yet, but I live in hope! It was something I always kept in my larder back in the UK.
 I may even resort to making my own, so watch this space!  
When I was growing up we always loved it when our mother would make us Date Squares. She usually only made them at Christmas time and they were a real treat.
The recipe she used was my Great Aunt Orabelle's recipe, which was her mother's recipe. You can find the small batch recipe for those bars here.  You can also find the full recipe here.
 I also have a recipe for my sisters Raw Date Squares on site. You can find that recipe here, and I don't mind saying that they are pretty darned delicious and healthy as well. One of the nicest date things I have ever tasted was when I went to the Borough Food Market in London, England.  One stand had chocolate covered dates.  OH MY GOODNESS! They were the best things ever!  I have been dreaming about them ever since!
 But I digress, back to these cookies.  After all, that's why you are here.
You begin by making a lush date filling. Its actually really easy to make and uses only dates, water and a tiny bit of sugar.  Make sure you pit your dates before weighing/measuring them.
 Its really easy to cut your dates into bits using kitchen scissors. That is my preferred method. I usually cut each date into at least quarters. Just mix it with the water and sugar and then bring to the boil, then simmer until the dates melt into the water and you end up with a lovely thick, smooth mixture.
You will need it to cool before you proceed.
 
The cookies themselves are a pretty basic brown sugar drop cookie. You begin by creaming brown sugar and butter together.
I always use room temperature butter in my cookies. It blends perfectly. You could soften refrigerator cold butter in the microwave, but do not let it melt. Melting the butter would mess with the integrity of your cookie.
 As you can see these are a really nice sized cookie. Not too big and not too small.
You drop the cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet, make a slight hollow in the center and then fill the hollow with some of the date filling. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
 
These cookies are the perfect "milk and cookie" cookie!  Just right for afterschool snacks, or for popping into lunch bags.
They also freeze really well, either baked or unbaked. To freeze them unbaked, just prepare them to the point of baking and pop the baking tray into the freezer. Once the filled cookies are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight freezer container, with some wax paper in between the layers.
 They can be frozen this way for up to six months. When you are ready to bake them, just pop them out of the freezer and leave them at room temperature for about an hour and bake as per the recipe. 
You can also bake them and freeze them after baking.  Again, freeze in a single layer and then pop into freezer containers, with some wax paper in between to keep them from sticking to each other.
 One thing I have learned through the years is that freezing cookies is not a deterrent to keep me from eating the cookies. I like frozen cookies just as much as regular cookies!
Yes, I am a huge glutton. I remember one year when the children were growing up I had to do my Christmas baking twice. I thought I would get a heads up on the holidays and get started early and freeze them. You can guess the rest! 😁
 You needn't limit yourself to filling these with the date filling. You can also fill these with jam or marmalade, or apple jelly. All are delicious! 
You can also substitute the dates with chopped dried figs for another variation on the theme.  As well you can use chopped dried apricots, raisins, or even a combination of dried fruits.

Dangit!  Now I am sitting here wishing I hadn't small batched the recipe. haha  I could easily eat a full recipe of these delicious cookies all by myself, but then again, there is nothing to stop me from baking this small batch recipe again, and again  . . . and again!
Fresh cookies are the best, don't you think?  What's your favorite kind of cookie?  I really want to know!
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Date Filled Drop Cookies (small batch)

Yield: Make 12Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 20 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 32 MinThese soft brown sugar drop cookies are topped with a lovely sweet and sticky date filling. Everyone loves these! They are beautiful with a cold glass of milk.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 4 ounces dried pitted dates, chopped
• 3 fluid ounces water
• 1/8 cup sugar

For the cookie batter:

• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large free range egg yolk, freeze the white for another use
• 2 TBS warm water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup (140g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/3 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. First make the filling. Put all of the ingredients into a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the mixture is fairly smooth and thick. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.  Line a large baking sheet with some baking paper and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using an electric hand mixer.  Beat in the water, egg yolk and vanilla.  Whisk together the flour, salt and soda. Beat this into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined.
4. Scoop the mixture into 12 equal portions on the baking sheet, leaving at least two inches in between each.  
5. Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a small hollow in the center of each cookie.  Spoon 1 teaspoon of the date filling into each hollow.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before eating.

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