Day 8 … Date Nut Swirls

Day 8 people. We’ve come around the bend and are heading home. Sure, there are five more to go but we’re making good time. Today, for Day 8 of the 12 Days of Cookies, we have another classic: Date Nut Swirls. It’s an old fashioned flavor with a new fangled twist.

It’s also another pinwheel type, where a dark fruity/nutty filling is spread on a sheet of the basic butter dough, rolled up and sliced before baking. I do love a slice-and-bake log. They are handy to have around, stashed in the freezer so you can bake one or forty cookies in a flash. During the holiday crunch it’s rather nice to have this option in your back pocket when you’re too damn tired to do anything complicated but you can make a bunch of pretty cookies in your sleep.

Dates are the cooking world darling lately. They’re versatile, easy to find and good to have around because they can fill that sweet craving quickly in a healthy way. Here they’re cooked down with a little sugar and some five spice powder, a blend found in Chinese cuisine and typically consisting of ground fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and peppercorns. It adds an interesting and rather festive flavor to the filling that I particularly like. If you don’t have five spice, you can use pumpkin pie spice or any combination of spices to equal the amount called for. Now that I think about it, garam masala could be interesting. Damn. I should have thought about that sooner.

Like the Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels earlier this month, the dough is rolled into a thin, even sheet, spread with the filling and rolled up. Again, here’s the video of a lovely woman name Lolly doing this very thing if you need a visual. Chill the log (or freezer for later), slice and bake. And there you have it. Cookie #8.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SWIRL LOVE. As I said before, a swirled cookie mesmerizes me. It’s a delightful surprise and combines the best of two worlds: rich buttery cookie + a spiced fruit filling. Also, its visually interesting and will look great tucked in your cookie assortment. Love them.

2016 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Jam Thumbprints, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Butter Rum Bars, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Russian Tea Cakes, Rosemary Apricot Shortbread, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Chocolate Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Coconut Lime Sticks, Pecan Triangles, Peppermint Crisps

2017 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Raspberry Linzer Bars, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Banana Walnut Bars, PBJ Sandwich Cookies, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons

2018 One Dough/12 Days of Cookies lineup to date:
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Jam Streusel Tarts
Day 2: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels
Day 3: Orange Sesame Crisps
Day 4: Almond Raspberry Strips
Day 5: Peppermint Brownie Bars
Day 6: Pecan Tassies
Day 7: Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti
 
DAY 8: DATE NUT SWIRLS
I don’t give a small, 1/8 batch option here because the filling quantity was difficult to manage in that small of an amount but if you’d like to try it, feel free.

Basic butter cookie dough, room temperature – recipe here

1. For the date filling: Combine the dates, sugar, water, five spice powder and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and boil gently for 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of soft jam.
3. Stir in the nuts and set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. To shape the cookies: Roll the dough into a 12” x 10”, ¼” thick rectangle on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Square up the edges and sides as evenly as possible. (If making the larger batch, divide the dough into 2 pieces for 2 sheets of dough.)
5. Spread the filling (or ½ for the larger batch) over the surface of the dough, leaving a clean ½” border along one long edge.
6. With the clean border farthest from you and using the parchment to help, gently roll the dough from the long edge into a nice, tight log. The dough may crack while rolling, just smooth it out if you can and keep going.
7. Press the edges to seal, cut the log in half then wrap each log tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
8. If making the larger batch, repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
9. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
10. To cut/bake : Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 10 minutes, so it won’t crack while cutting.
11. Unwrap and with a serrated knife, slice each log into ¼” slices. Rotate the log after each cut to prevent getting a flat side.
12. Place the slices 2″ apart on the prepared sheet pans.
13. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies are lightly browned.
14. Remove from the oven, let rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
15. Do ahead: the logs can be made and frozen, tightly wrapped, up to 3 months. Let defrost overnight in the refrigerator before continuing. The filling can be made ahead and refrigerated for 2 days. Let come to room temperature before using.

 

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