Date Pinwheel Cookies

Slice-and-bake cookies are a wonderful genre of cookie with beautiful combinations of designs, textures and flavors. You start with a roll of dough and slice to reveal a brightly colored shape, a multicolored stripe pattern or a swirled layer of filling. In these date pinwheel cookies, you’re treated to a fluffy, lemony dough that’s filled with a pretty swirl of homemade nut-date paste.

These cookies are a little chewy, a little sweet and a whole lot of fun. Enjoy them during the holiday season when you can share the cookie love, or keep them all to yourself. Sometimes, the best cookie recipes have that effect on us.

Ingredients for Date Pinwheel Cookies

• Date filling: The date filling in these cookies is basically a compote, which is a cooked-down fruit mixture. In this recipe, dates, water, sugar, nuts and lemon juice come together to make a filling that’s earthy and fruity all at once.
• Butter: Butter gives the cookie dough structure, richness and flavor. We typically use unsalted butter in our baked goods and add salt later in the recipe.
• Brown sugar: Unlike flour, you actually do want to pack brown sugar when you measure it. When you pack the brown sugar into your measuring cup, you remove air pockets, ensuring that you’ll have the right amount of sweet sugar crystals for your treat.
• Granulated sugar: A mix of white sugar and brown sugar gives these date nut pinwheel cookies crisp exteriors and soft, chewy centers.
• Eggs: Unless otherwise specified, the default is to use large eggs for baking. Whether you use brown verus white eggs is up to your preference.
• Lemon extract: Lemon flavoring is used in the dough to reinforce background notes of bright citrus throughout the cookies.
• All-purpose flour: It’s hard to go wrong with all-purpose flour in your baking. It creates soft yet structured breads, cookies and bars. Just make sure to use your bag of flour before the “best by” date, because flour can go bad and all-purpose flour will only last one year in your pantry.
• Baking soda: Baking soda gives cookies rise and structure. Don’t substitute it with equal parts baking powder, because the two are not interchangeable.

Directions

Step 1: Create the date-nut filling

Stir together the dates, water, sugar, nuts and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture stiffens, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill.

Editor’s Tip: This date filling is a delicious spread to use on toast or biscuits, so make a double batch and keep the remaining half in the fridge for other treats.

Step 2: Create the dough

Cream the butter and sugars together in a bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating well. Chill for at least one hour.

Step 3: Roll and chill the dough

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough into a 12×9-inch rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Spread the dough rectangle with half of the date-nut filling, then roll up into a log, starting with the long end. Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling. Wrap each log securely in waxed paper and chill overnight.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re not ready to bake, you can refrigerate the rolled dough for as long as a couple of days.

Step 4: Slice and bake

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator and unwrap each one. Cut the logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and transfer them to wire racks. Let cool.

Editor’s Tip: Let your oven fully preheat before you remove the dough logs from the refrigerator. You don’t want the dough sitting out at room temp for too long, or else it will turn soft and not slice as easily.

Recipe Variations

• Add fruit jam to the filling: Add a tart fruit jam, such as raspberry or cherry, to the date filling for a fruity zip. Or replace the date filling altogether with fruit jam for a different take on pinwheel cookies.
• Replace the lemon with rose: For an aromatic, heavenly flavoring to use in place of the lemon extract and juice, try rose water or rose extract. Often used in Middle Eastern date cookies called ka’ak, rose balances the robust, earthy dates and nuts with a floral, fragrant tenderness.
• Add more mix-ins to the date filling: Date recipes tend to be quite complementary to bold flavors, so add even more to the date filling for color, flavor and texture. Try a few dashes of ground cinnamon, a few sprinkles of freshly grated orange zest or a handful of finely chopped candied ginger and dried cherries.

How to Store Date Pinwheel Cookies

Date pinwheel cookies are ideal for making ahead as long as you avoid common cookie storage mistakes. You can make the raw dough logs in advance and store them in the refrigerator or freezer until you’re ready to bake. Or, bake the cookies completely, then store them at room temperature or in the freezer.

How long do date pinwheel cookies last?

Unbaked dough logs can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to three days. That’s three days total of any chill time in this recipe, including the initial dough ball and the rolled-out dough logs.

Baked cookies will last for up to five days at room temperature. Let them fully cool before you transfer them to an airtight container.

Can you freeze date pinwheel cookies?

Yes, these cookies are ideal for freezing. Freeze the unbaked cookie dough logs for up to six months. Just be sure to wrap them tightly before freezing and let them thaw fully before slicing and baking off.

To freeze baked cookies, simply let them cool, then store them in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to six months.

Date Pinwheel Cookies Tips

What can I do if my pinwheel cookie dough is too sticky?

This cookie dough tends to be sticky when you work with it, but don’t give up! You haven’t done anything wrong. Cookie dough can just be temperamental. Here’s what you need to do to prevent it from becoming too sticky:

Be sure to chill your dough twice as called for in the recipe. Your first chill is to firm up the dough ball so that it will roll out into a rectangle without much sticking. The second chill comes after you add the filling and roll the dough into logs. You need this chill to firm up the logs so that you can cut them into slices before baking.

When you’re rolling out the cookie dough into a rectangle and later rolling it up into a log, it helps to do your work on a sheet of waxed paper, possibly lightly dusted with flour. And use slightly wetted hands as you work to prevent the dough from sticking too much to your fingers.

Finally, make sure the date filling is spreadable before you spread it over the dough. It should be slightly firmed after chilling in the fridge, but if it’s seized up too much and you’re tearing the dough while trying to apply the spread, stir a tablespoon or so of water or lemon juice into the filling so it loosens up.

What’s the best way to slice pinwheel cookie dough?

To slice your pinwheel cookie dough, make sure it’s firmed well before making any cuts. If you like, pop it into the freezer for a short time to firm even more. (Just make sure you’re not freezing it to frozen, because cutting into frozen dough is another battle.)

Use a sharp knife or a long piece of unflavored dental floss to cut straight down into the log for each slice.

What can I substitute for dates in the filling?

If you need (or want) to skip the dates in this cookie filling, substitute prunes or dried figs. These dried fruits lend a similar level of sweetness, moisture and texture, while also playing well with the other ingredients in the recipe. We haven’t tested this substitution in these cookies, but we’re confident they’ll be delicious.