Granny Wells’s Trilbys

INGREDIENTS

For filling:
8 oz. dried dates, coarsely chopped
1 c. water
1 c. granulated white sugar

For cookie dough:
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. lard or vegetable shortening (Granny used lard)
½ c. sour milk*
2 c. oatmeal (rolled oats, also called “old fashioned” oats), uncooked
2 c. white flour, plus a little extra for rolling out dough
1 t. baking soda
1 t. ground nutmeg
* For sour milk, add 1 t. vinegar to ½ c. whole milk.

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For filling:
Combine dates, water, and sugar in a sauce pan; bring to a boil, then reduce and let simmer until thickened. Remove from heat, let cool.

For cookie dough:
Mix all dough ingredients (brown sugar through nutmeg), then place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out to ½-inch thickness.

Cut dough into small rounds suitable for sandwich cookies. (A small wine glass or small biscuit cutter works fine.)

Bake cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet in preheated oven for about 12 minutes.

Remove from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.

To assemble sandwich cookies:
Spread filling on one cookie, then top with another cookie, and continue until you have used all cookies and filling.