Recipe: Marcia Adam's Old-Fashioned Filled Cookies (with raisin or date filling)

MARCIA ADAM'S OLD-FASHIONED FILLED COOKIES

FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH:
3 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE RAISIN FILLING:
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups raisins
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Speck of salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
FOR THE DATE FILLING:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Speck of salt
1 cup water
1 cup chopped dates
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped pecans

TO PREPARE THE COOKIE DOUGH:
Prepare the cookie dough first. Sift the flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt together; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar and 3/4 cup white sugar together thoroughly. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Lower the speed and add the flour mixture gradually. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, so dough will be stiff enough to roll.

TO MAKE THE RAISIN FILLING:
Grind the raisins, using the conventional grinder attachment to your electric mixer or a hand grinder. Do not attempt to prepare the raisins in a food processor, the texture won't be right. You should have 1 cup of ground raisins.

In a medium saucepan combine raisins, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water, lemon juice, and speck of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir, then simmer over low heat for 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the 2 tablespoons of water, and use to thicken the raisin mixture, cooking until the mixture bubbles up. Remove from heat. When cool stir in the 1/2 cup pecans.

TO MAKE THE DATE FILLING:
Combine 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and speck of salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the 1 cup water, then add the dates, orange rind, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir, and simmer over low heat, breaking up dates with a spoon, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. When cool, add the 1 cup pecans.

WHEN READY TO BAKE THE COOKIES:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Roll out half the dough until very thin, about 1/8-inch, on a lightly floured surface, keeping the other half in the refrigerator. Using a round 2 3/4-inch cookie cutter, cut thin rounds of dough. Transfer half the rounds the prepared cookie sheet. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling on each cookie round, then top with another round. Dip your fingertip in flour (this dough softens up quickly) and crimp the edges closed. (Rechill and reroll leftover strips.)

Bake cookies for EXACTLY 8 minutes - cookies will be pale yellow. Take from oven and allow cookies to stay on sheet until almost cool. Remove to a rack to finish cooking. Repeat with remaining dough.

Once baked, these freeze very well.

Note from source: Filled cookies, plump and soft, can be filled with either a raisin or date filling. These are even better the day after they are baked.

Makes 3 dozen cookies
Source: Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams