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Medjool Date Pinwheel Cookies

medjool date pinwheel cookies
PREP: 30 min + chilling time
YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

Impress your guests with these Medjool Date Pinwheel Cookies! These delicious treats are a great addition to any dessert platter, or to satisfy your own late night sweet tooth.

Ingredients

  • ​2 cups, Medjool Dates, pitted
  • 1/3 cup Orange Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest
  • 1 stick Butter, room temp.
  • 4 oz. Cream Cheese, room temp.
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 extra large Egg Yolk
  • 1 ¾ cup Flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Anise Seeds, ground
  • ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon Salt​
  • For Topping
  • ½ cup Turbinado or Demerara Sugar

Preparation

  1. In a food processor blend together dates, juice and zest until creamy. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat together butter, cream cheese and sugar until light & fluffy, 3 minutes. Add vanilla and yolk. Blend well scraping sides of the bowl.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl blend the remaining dry ingredients.
  4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture to fully incorporate.
  5. Divide dough into half. Using rolling pin roll dough into 7” X 9“ rectangles. If dough is sticky roll between wax paper.
  6. Divide date filling between the rectangles. Smooth with a spatula to make an even layer of filling leaving a ¼ inch border around the edges.
  7. Starting with the long side roll up the pinwheels jellyroll style using the wax paper as a guide.
  8. Roll logs in raw sugar to coat completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in freezer or refrigerator until very firm. About 2-4 hours or overnight.

*While Medjool dates are high in natural sugars, they are low on the glycemic index thanks to a balanced amount of soluble fiber. The complex carbohydrates found in Medjool dates are digested at a slower rate, making them a source of dietary fiber and releasing energy to the body over a longer period of time.