What is a date?

Today while touring the Palm Springs area I saw signs for "Date Shakes" It sounded kinda weird and then I realized I didn't know much about dates.


What is a Date? Well, a date is grown on a Date Palm. They are grown in Iraq, Morocco, Southern California and Arizona. This week we stayed at a resort just off Date Palm Drive, so Dates are or were an important agricultural product of Palm Springs. Dates can be eaten as is or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as almonds, walnuts, candied orange and lemon peel, marzipan or cream cheese. They are commonly used as a key ingredient in fruit cake. My Grandmothers loved dates and would make great date cookies. I'm afraid that there use has diminished greatly today and they are rarely found in the modern kitchen.




In an effort to revive the date and bring it back to light I provide the following recipe, bring on the date!



Drop Date Cookies

* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg -- beaten
* 1/4 cup warm water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups flour
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING:

* 1 package dates (small pkg) -- chopped
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* OR maple extract
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs, water and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients in.
Boil the filling ingredients slowly until dates are cooked then thicken with cornstarch.
Drop cookie dough on cookie sheet. Put some date filling on top, then put a dab of cookie dough on top of the filling. Bake in 400° oven for 10-15 minutes.