Old-Fashioned Filled Cookies

  3 1/2 c  Unbleached flour
      2 ts Baking powder
      1 ts Salt
    2/3 c  Butter, softened
    3/4 c  Brown sugar
    3/4 c  Granulated sugar
      2    Eggs
    1/3 c  Milk

--RAISIN FILLING--
      1 c  Brown sugar
  1 1/2 c  Raisins (may need 1 3/4 c)
      1 c  Water
      1 ts Lemon juice
      1 ds Salt
      1 tb Cornstarch
  1 1/4 ts Cornstarch
      2 tb Water
    1/2 c  Chopped nuts

--DATE FILLING--
      1 c  Brown sugar
      2 tb Flour
      1 pn Salt
      1 c  Water
      1 c  Chopped dates
      2 ts Grated orange peel
    1/2 ts Nutmeg
      1 c  Chopped nuts

Prepare the cookie dough first. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars thoroughly. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla; beat at high speed for 2 min. Lower the speed and add the flour mixture gradually. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. To prepare the raisin filling, grind the rasins. You should have 1 cup of ground raisins. In a medium saucepan combine raisins,brown sugar, water, salt and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 min. Combine the 2T of water and cornstarch, use to thicken the raisin mixture. when cool stir in the nuts. To make the date filling combine the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes breaking the dates with a spoon. Remove from heat, cool then add the nuts. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until thin (1/8 in).Cut into 2 3/4 inch rounds with a cookie cutter. Place the rounds on a oiled cookie sheet. Place a heaping ts of filling mixture on the cookie round, top with another round, crimp the edges closed. Bake at 350 F. for exactly 8 minutes. The cookies will be pale yellow. Allow cookies to remain on cookie sheet until almost cool.


Yield: 36 Servings