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Date-Filled Spicy Sugar Cookies

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Submitted by: domesticgoddess3759591

 

These special cookies have a cooked filling of dates, lemon, ginger and molasses that's sandwiched between thin layers of sugar cookie dough.
 

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, cut in half crosswise and sliced open
  • 1/2 cup (unsalted) butter
  • 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar, divided
  • 2 whole eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup chopped dates
  • Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon date molasses (or regular molasses)
  • 3 egg yolks
  • Coarse sanding sugar (for dusting)

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Method

Warm 2 tablespoons of the cream in the microwave, in a small shallow dish. Add vanilla bean and allow to soak 5 minutes. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 2 minutes. Lift vanilla bean from cream and scrape to remove the seeds inside. Add seeds and the warmed cream to the mixing bowl; beat an additional minute. Beat in whole eggs just until mixed in. Set aside. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients and mix into mixer mixture until combined. Wrap and chill 2 hours. To prepare filling, place chopped dates, lemon zest and juice, along with the remaining sugar and fresh ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch with water. Stir into date mixture with date molasses; bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow filing to cool without stirring. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a heavy cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Divide dough in half; roll out each half into two rectangles of equal size and 1/8-inch thick, on a cold surface. In another small bowl, mix egg yolks with the remaining 1 Tbsp. cream. Lightly brush one side of on rectangle of dough with some of the egg and cream mixture. Spoon 12, 1-tablespoon mounds of filling onto dough 3 1/2-inches apart. Cover with the second sheet of cookie dough, pat down and cut around mounds with a fluted 3-inch cookie cutter. Gather excess dough; roll out and repeat process to form 4 additional cookies. Place cookies on cookie sheet, brush tops of cookies with remaining egg-cream mixture; sprinkle tops with sanding sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

 

Notes: Date molasses can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores. If unavailable in your area, use regular molasses. Also, finely ground nuts may be used in place of the sanding sugar. These cookies are well worth the time spent making them.

 

Number of Servings: 16 cookies

 

Submitted by: domesticgoddess3759591 ()

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