Emma Liebold's Date Pinwheels

Featured Cookbook

Book Description

From the original short story "The Giving Christmas Cookie," which shows a family brought together by a special cookie recipe at Christmas, to nearly 50 scrumptious recipes with mouth watering photos, to the timely, easy directions for making homemade "Gifts in a Jar," Christmas Cookies Are for Giving shows that old-fashioned Christmas gifts are an antidote to cynicism about Christmas. The secret to celebrating your family and friends may not be in the mall, but in your pantry where youâ€™ll find the ingredients to make Butterball Santas, Cranberry Decadent Cookies, and Vanillekipferlâ€”The Giving Christmas Cookie.

... (more)

Christmas Cookies Are for Giving: Recipes, Stories and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts

Authors: Kristin Johnson, Mimi Cummins

Date: October 2003

ISBN: 0972347399

Publisher: TYR Publishing

Hardcover

ORDER/INFO

Emma Liebold's Date Pinwheels
Recipe from: Christmas Cookies Are for Giving
by Kristin Johnson, Mimi Cummins
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

It was always a Christmas tradition as neighbors for Mimi, Kate and I to enjoy recipes from my grandmothers, Kay Liebold and Hannah-Barbara Johnson, and from my great-grandmother Emma Liebold. The warmth of family memories complements the sweet richness of the dates. Emma Liebold passed down her recipes to her family, and her love of writing to me. It’s fitting that this recipe should be in the book, because now we have the perfect fusion of family recipes and storytelling traditions. —Kristin

Makes 90 cookies

For the filling:
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) chopped dates
2 cups (500 ml) brown sugar
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) chopped nuts
For the dough:
1 cup (250 ml) solid vegetable shortening or unsalted butter
1 cup (250 ml) powdered sugar or granulated sugar
3 large eggs, well beaten
4 cups (1 l) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) baking powder

For the filling, combine dates, sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Set aside.

For the dough, beat shortening or butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough in half. Roll one half of the dough between two sheets of waxed paper into a 8 x 16-inch (20 x 40 cm) rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Spread half the filling over dough to within ¼ inch of edges. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting from one of the long sides, removing bottom sheet of waxed paper as you roll. Pinch to seal. Cut roll in half crosswise. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap, twisting the ends tightly to seal. Stand the wrapped rolls in tall drinking glasses (this helps them retain their round shape instead of flattening from lying on the refrigerator shelf) and place in the refrigerator. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Chill about 4 hours or until firm.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (200C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one roll of dough from the refrigerator. Unwrap and reshape slightly, if necessary. Cut into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) thick slices. Place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or till edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

These cookies ship well if wrapped individually to keep them from sticking together.

More From This Book:

Picnic Menus and Recipes - Restaurant Recipes - Cakes - Freezer Recipes - Nutrient Look-Up
Daily Recipe Swap - Daily Menus - Newspaper Food Columns - New Recipes - Recipes by Week/Month