This was my grandmother Dorothy Fearheiley’s recipe. She died before I was born, so I didn’t grow up with these cookies, but they were apparently popular in the postwar US. I’ve made it a few times now, though the photo above is from my very first attempt, so the spirals look a little wonky. Next holiday season, maybe I’ll remember to take a better photo. This recipe makes about five dozen cookies.

2 1/4 cup chopped, pitted dates*
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup nutmeats
1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda

Combine dates, water, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thick (about 10 minutes). Add nutmeats and cool.

Cream the shortening and brown sugar. Beat the eggs well and add to the shortening/sugar; mix well. Add remaining ingredients sifted together. Chill thoroughly. (Depending on the coolness of your refrigerator, the dough can end up rock-hard if you chill too long. Try for 1-2 hours; you want the dough to rest but still be workable when you go to roll it.)

Divide the mixture into 2 parts and roll out about 1/4-inch thick. Spread each with date filling and roll up as for a jelly roll into 2 long tubes. Chill thoroughly, overnight if possible.

When chilled, roll the tube back and forth to smooth the shape. This will help give you smoother spirals (unlike the photo of my first attempt above).

Cut the rolls with a sharp knife into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes. Watch them carefully at the end to aim for a light golden brown. (Dorothy’s recipe said 400F, though mine came out a bit too dark at this temperature.)

*You can find pre-made date paste in some specialty Middle-Eastern grocery stores. The flavor works well, though it might not be easy to spread as-is. If you want to use it, try heating the paste before spreading on the dough. It should be warm, but not so hot that it melts the butter in the dough.