They visually kind of remind me of these, which are the best...cookies...ever...:)
Date Pinwheels
My mom made these for many years, we thought it was some kind of thing she made up on her own, but it turned out to be a recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from early Sixties! Late in her life, I resolved to learn a few key recipes from her, about 10-20, and this was one of them. I had to go observe her actually cooking these dishes and watched her like a hawk taking notes, because she was famous for leaving out key steps..:) The hardest part is working with the dough, as it isn’t like regular dough.
Two tips: First, the dough is very fragile, but don’t worry about having it crack or break as you either roll them out or cut them up…as long as you can wrap them in wax paper and get them in the freezer, you will be all set. Once in the wax paper, just use your hands to smooth them into more uniform rolls before freezing them. Secondly, I find it preferable to slightly over-bake rather than under-bake them. Slightly over-baking (going to a full 15 minutes cooking time) caramelizes the cookies a little which makes the flavor REALLY pop, and most people seem to prefer that.
Time: Preparation of rolls to put in the freezer: 1.5 hours, baking time not included
Yield: This will yield 80-85 cookies
Dough Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar and
1/2 cup granulated sugar
One egg
1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
One Recipe date filling
Cookie Dough
Thoroughly cream together butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one part in 12 x 8” rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread half of date filling over dough. Begin a long edge, role like jellyroll. Repeat with remaining dough. Wrap rolls in waxed paper. Chill several hours (Freeze overnight to make cutting easier). Slice into 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 400° about 8 to 15 min. (12 min. is optimal time for best results, but may have to leave cookies in for at least 15 min. or longer, be sure to check often if leaving in past 12 minutes. Remember that these cookies will solidify significantly as they cool, overcooking will make them hard and brittle which is just as bad as under cooking them.) Makes five dozen.
Recipe Date Filling
In saucepan, bind 1 pound pitted dates, cut up, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water. Cook and stir till mixture boils and thickens slightly. Cool. Just before using, add 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts.
Tips: Date filling consistency should be like jam. Spread gently on dough. Use a spatula to help roll the dough a little at a time, as it is delicate. Do not worry if the dough is cracked or disheveled after rolling, as long as the roll is intact. Place roll in freezer 2 to 3 hours. After baking, the keys will be very soft and unstable-use a spatula to place them on a rack to cool. As a cool, they will become fairly solid. Scissors work well to cut up the dates as small as possible when making the recipe date filling.
Mom made those too.
I am not that partial to dates but they are ok
Home and Gardens cookbook?
My mom was a Betty Crocker advocate. I was trained using the Gislen text.
Not too long ago I was browsing through my Betty Crocker cookbook (a wedding present from my mother), and I noticed that the Betty Crocker recipes were more of what we used to call Farm Cooking, after mom’s style of meat, starch, overcooked vegetables, and a dessert which sometimes was lime gelatin with shredded cabbage...
Very 50s and 60s
We didn’t have the burnt orange fondue pot though, ours was an avocado green to match the kitchen appliances...