Raisin Filled Cookies

Makes: About 3 dozen

Hola amigos, happy holidays to you. Are you ready? I’m not. Not at all. I don’t really have it together this year, yet! I mean, there’s still hope, and some time left, but I’m short a number of presents for sure. Maybe I need to step away from the kitchen and visit the mall.

Last weekend I tested my new Kitchen Aid mixer (thank you Santa) and fired up my oven and made my mother-in-law, Dottie?s famous raisin filled cookies. I know this post is late and most of you already have baked all of your cookies, but I thought you might still want to squeeze in one more cookie recipe. These cookies are very yummy so you might not want to give these away — save them for your family and Santa.

This recipe is not a Mexican recipe. It is actually an old recipe that Dottie has been making for years and originally came from the Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. She has made this recipe her own over the years by adding nuts and extra dates to the filling.

I love these cookies so much because they remind me of empanadas. They are so delicious and so darn cute. I?m eating one as I type this post! YUM!

Cookie Filling

2 cups raisins

12-16 dates, chopped

1 teaspoon flour

¾ cups water

½ cup sugar

½ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Mix all the above ingredients and cook until thick but be sure to stir to prevent burning. Cool before putting onto the cookies.

Dough

1 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 egg

½ cup milk

4 cups sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream the sugar and shortening. Add the beaten egg and milk.

Into this creamed mixture, sift the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Roll out dough on floured surface until thin and cut with round cookie cutter.

Drop a teaspoon of the filling in the center of the rounds and top with another cookie round. Crimp the edges with a fork by pressing the two rounds together.

Puncture each cookie with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Photography by Jeanine Thurston

Pottery by Cherie Mahon available at cmahon@myawai.com and in the Santa Fe Art District at CoArt

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