Date Cookies Menena Recipes

DATE DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In large bowl, combine first 4 ingredients; beat well.
• (Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.) Add flour and soda; mix well.
• Stir in dates and nuts.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

DATE SWIRL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine filling ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes stiff, 15-20 minutes. Chill. , For dough, cream butter and sugars in a bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add extract. Combine flour, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour. , On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a 12x9-in. rectangle, about 1/4 in. thick. Spread with half of the filling. Roll up, starting with the long end. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Wrap in plastic; chill overnight. , Cut rolls into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

DATE BAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a nonreactive medium saucepan over low heat, combine dates, granulated sugar, and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cool completely. In a large bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, place brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Mix on low speed until combined. While mixer is running, add butter, 1 piece or 2 at a time. Mix until crumb like, with some lumps of butter no larger than pea size.
• Using your hands, press and flatten half of crumb mixture into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Spread cooled filling over crust. Cover with remaining crumb mixture, patting lightly. Bake until lightly browned, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into bars while still in the pan. Gently remove cut bars from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Date bars, stored in an airtight container, refrigerate and freeze well.

DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Combine the water and dates; stir into the dough along with the chopped pecans. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until the flour is well incorporated. Stir in the pecans and dates.
• If time permits, cover the dough with plastic and chill for 2 hours or overnight. This allows the cookies to be thicker more chewy.
• Scoop the chilled dough using a spring-loaded cookie scoop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. It should make about 48 cookies
• Bake 8-11 minutes, or until golden brown and cookie is puffed.
• Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

GRANDMA'S DATE-FILLED COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla and eggs until well blended. On low speed, beat in flour and baking soda until well combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Dough will be soft. Divide dough into 4 pieces; flatten each piece, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until dough is firm and cold.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, mix Filling ingredients. Heat to boiling; boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is darkened in color and thickens slightly. Pour filling mixture into small bowl; refrigerate uncovered until ready to use (mixture will thicken as it cools).
• Heat oven to 375°F. Remove 1 piece of chilled dough from refrigerator, and unwrap. On work surface generously sprinkled with flour, roll out dough with floured rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick. Using floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds. In half of the rounds, cut out and remove 1-inch round or desired shape of hole from center. Place whole rounds on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Spoon 1 generous teaspoonful cooled filling onto center of each round; top with cut out dough round. With fingertips or floured fork, press edges of dough to seal. Return dough centers and leftover dough to refrigerator for rerolling.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
• Meanwhile, repeat steps on assembling and baking with each portion of refrigerated dough, refrigerated leftover dough and remaining filling.
• Cool cookies completely, about 1 hour. Store covered in airtight container.

CHEWY DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg; mix well. Combine the flours, lemon zest, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in dates., Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

EGYPTIAN EL MENENAS (ALMOND PASTE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Add sugar to the almond paste; mix well. Add 1 teaspoons orange flower water and cinnamon to taste (at least 1/2 tsp). Blend well into a smooth paste.
• In a bowl, combine melted butter with flour. Add the other teaspoons of orange flower water. Knead into a dough that holds together. Do not add any water unless absolutely necessary.
• Form balls about 1.5 - 2 inches round. Make a depression in the center of each ball with your thumb. Fill hole with almond paste.
• Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Sprinkle with grandulated sugar.
• VARIATION: A date filling can be substituted for the almond one. Chop 1/2 lb. pitted dates and combine into a paste with 4 T. soft butter.

DATE COOKIES (MENENA)

Steps:

• Soak dates in cold water for 2 hours. Drain, pat dry on paper towels, then chop fine in food processor.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.
• Cream butter or margarine in food processor or electric mixer or by hand until fluffly. Add sugar and mix until incorporated. Add flour gradually, then water and orange flower water. Mixture should be very soft but not sticky.
• Roll lumps of dough into little balls, hollowing out as you go to make room for the filling. Stuff each with a little of date mixture, less than teaspoon. Seal opening gently with fingers and shape into round, flattened dumpling 2 inches in diameter. Gently indent tops of each with tines of fork and arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool, then dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

SOFT & CHEWY OATMEAL DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300ºF.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and oats. Mix with a wire whisk and set aside.
• In an electric mixer bowl, combine sugars and mix to combine. Add in butter and blend until a creamy, grainy paste.
• Scrape down sides of bowl then add honey, vanilla and eggs. Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Add the flour mixture, dates and pecans and blend at low speed until just combined. Don't overmix!
• Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cooling rack. Eat and enjoy!

DATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk or stir to blend and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer , beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until smooth and blended.
• Add the dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed just until blended, then fold in the chopped dates and pecans. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Drop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookie mounds.
• Bake the cookies until set and the edges are lightly browned, 10 to 14 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.