These old-fashioned date nut pinwheel cookies look like you spent hours fussing over them, which is exactly what we want people to think. Let them be impressed. We don't have to tell them everything. Sprinkle some colored sugar on top if you feel you absolutely must be more festive.
Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. If you grab something through them, I earn a small commission-at no extra cost to you-and I appreciate it more than good coffee.
🥰 Is this date nut pinwheel cookie recipe for you?
- You love old-fashioned Christmas cookies. The kind Grandma made every year, back when nobody needed a cookie to look like a tiny work of art.
- You're a fan of chewy, buttery, and crunchy. Sweet dates, toasted pecans, and tender brown sugar cookie dough bring all three to the party.
- You like getting a head start on holiday baking. Make the dough ahead, chill or freeze it, and slice and bake when you're ready.
🧾 Ingredients
A vintage Christmas cookie that's been showing off for generations. Grandma didn't need seventeen specialty ingredients and a culinary degree, and neither do we.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure so those pretty spirals don't turn into abstract art.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and keeps everything from tasting flat.
- Cinnamon: Adds a little warm, cozy flavor without making the cookies taste like a cinnamon roll.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies bake up tender.
- Butter: Gives the dough that rich, old-fashioned buttery flavor. Use real butter, please. Grandma is watching.
- Egg: Holds everything together and help keep the cookies tender.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps create those lightly golden edges.
- Brown sugar: Brings a little caramel flavor and extra moisture to the party.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out all those buttery, sweet flavors.
- Dates: The star of the filling! They cook down into a thick, sticky sweetness that tastes almost like caramel.
- Pecans: Add a little crunch to balance the soft, chewy date filling.
- Water: Softens the dates as they cook so you get a spreadable filling instead of a pot of sweet gravel.
📖 Recipe
Date Nut Pinwheel Cookies
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
Cookie dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
Date filling
- 8 ounces dates, chopped (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Add the softened butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and creamy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla until everything is well combined.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Use your hands to gently bring the dough together into a ball if needed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- While the dough chills, add the chopped dates, remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar, and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the dates are very soft and the mixture has cooked down to a thick, spreadable paste.
- Stir in the chopped pecans and remove from the heat. Let the filling cool completely before assembling the cookies. Don't rush this part. Warm filling and buttery cookie dough are not friends.
- Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured sheet of wax paper or parchment paper. Roll it into a rectangle about 12 x 8 inches.
- Spread the cooled date filling evenly over the dough, leaving about ½ inch uncovered around the edges.
- Starting with one long side, carefully roll the dough into a tight log, using the paper to help lift and guide it as you roll.
- Wrap the log tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. For the neatest pinwheels and easiest slicing, refrigerate overnight.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Unwrap the chilled dough and use a sharp knife to cut it into ¼-inch slices. If the log begins to soften while you're slicing, pop it back into the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are set. Don't overbake them if you want that tender, old-fashioned texture.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 2 - 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Don't overfill the dough. Spread the date mixture in a thin, even layer. Too much filling will squish out when you roll or slice the cookies.
- Roll the dough snugly. Start at one long edge and roll firmly but gently to avoid air pockets and keep those pretty spirals tight.
- Rotate the log as you slice. Give it a quarter turn every few cuts to help prevent one side from flattening.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Love this recipe?
Subscribe to the free membership group and never miss another recipe!
🔪 How to make date nut pinwheel cookies
These old-fashioned date nut pinwheels are icebox cookies that are easier than they look, I promise. You'll make the dough, cook up that sticky-sweet filling, and roll everything into a log before chilling and slicing.
Prepare the dough and filling according to instructions in the recipe card above.
- Roll out the chilled dough.
- Cover with the cooled filling. Make sure it's not still hot!
- Roll into a log and chill. You can stop at this point and refrigerate or freeze.
- Slice into ¼ inch thick slices and bake.
😱 What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
🍪 The dough cracks when you roll it. It's probably too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it's flexible enough to roll without breaking apart. Don't rush it, unless you're going for the shattered windshield look.
🍪 The date filling tears the dough. Your filling may be too thick, too hot, or the dough too soft. Make sure the filling is completely cool and spread it gently with an offset spatula. If it's too stiff to spread, stir in a tiny splash of warm water.
🍪 The cookies lose their pretty spirals. The dough was probably too warm when you sliced it. Chill the filled logs until firm and use a sharp knife to cut clean slices. We're making pinwheels, not cinnamon-flavored crime scenes.
🍪 The filling squishes out when you slice. You may have spread it too thick or rolled the dough too loosely. Use an even layer of filling, roll snugly, and chill thoroughly before cutting.
🍪 The cookies come out dry or hard. Too much flour or too much time in the oven can turn tender cookies into Christmas tree ornaments. Measure the flour carefully and take the cookies out when the edges are lightly golden.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Absolutely! In fact, these cookies are practically begging you to make them ahead. Prepare the dough, spread on the filling, and roll into logs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Yes! Wrap the filled cookie dough logs tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator until firm but sliceable, then cut and bake as directed. Future you will be ridiculously pleased with present you. Read more about how to freeze cookies and cookie dough (click link).
Leave a ¼ inch edge around the filling when you are spreading it on the dough. This gives it space to "squish" without it escaping from the cookies when you cut.
🍽 More old fashioned Christmas cookie recipes
🏡 Old-fashioned date nut pinwheel cookies are proof that Grandma knew a thing or two about Christmas baking. Buttery, tender cookies wrapped around a sweet, chewy date and pecan filling, with those pretty little spirals that make everyone think you worked much harder than you actually did.
Make a batch for your Christmas cookie trays, tuck a few into gift boxes, or keep a secret stash in the freezer for unexpected company. Just remember where you hid them. Nothing says holiday heartbreak quite like finding forgotten Christmas cookies in March.
Comments
No Comments