Nana's Christmas Cookies
The date bars and Italian fig cookies I grew up with - veganized!
Growing up, my Nana, my Dad's mother, one of my greatest cooking inspirations, would make a myriad of Christmas cookies, from classics like iced cutouts (that we called "kris kringles") and rum balls to Italian specialties like cuccidati (keep reading) and biscotti. But her simple, unassuming date bars were always my favorite. In general, I think dates, with their sweet stickiness and caramel undertones, are underutilized in baking. Here, they are cooked down into a luxurious, vanilla-scented paste, which is sandwiched between two layers of buttery brown sugar oatmeal crumble. There is a generous amount of salt in the dough to balance the intense sweetness of the dates, and the top portion is strewn with walnuts. However, you could substitute pecans or omit the nuts entirely if you prefer. That recipe is available for all subscribers below.
For paid subscribers, keep reading for another staple of my Nana's Christmas cookie selection: cuccidati, or Italian fig rolls. These classic Sicilian cookies are like elevated Fig Newtons. The filling has a lot going on, but don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list: it comes together quickly in the bowl of a food processor. Along with the figs, dates, raisins, and cherry jam all add fruity depth, while orange and lemon brighten the flavor, and cinnamon and black pepper lend complexity and extra holiday cheer. Finally, a generous splash of whiskey ties it all together. The cookie dough itself bakes up soft, fluffy, and fragrant, thanks to lemon zest and a lot of vanilla. The simple glaze puts these over the top and adds additional sweetness to a cookie that is otherwise not that sugary. The sprinkles are optional, but they are classic, and I love both their color and crunch. These truly are spectacular cookies, the epitome of the festive season, and they are well worth the effort.
Nana’s Date Walnut Bars
Makes 16 square bars
30 mins active time, 1 hour total time
Ingredients
Date Filling
227 g (1 cup) dried dates, pitted and roughly chopped
120 g (1/2 cup) water
10 g (2 tsp) vanilla extract
0.75 g (1/4 tsp) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or see note below)
Oat Crumble
180 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
135 g (1 1/2 cups) quick-cooking, rolled oats (see note below)
220 g (1 cup, lightly packed) light brown sugar
3.75 g (3/4 tsp) baking soda
4.5 g (1 1/2 tsp) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal or see note below)
170 g (3/4 cup) unsalted, margarine-style vegan butter (e.g. Violife), melted (see note below)
10 g (2 tsp) vanilla extract
65 g (1/2 cup) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)
Instructions
Make the Date Filling
Combine water and dates in a small saucepan over medium heat
Bring to a simmer and cook until the dates have broken down and the mixture is a thick paste, about 5 mins
Off the heat, add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine; set aside
Note: Date mixture can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use
Make the Oat Crumble and bake cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 F and position a rack in the middle of the oven
Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line with 2 overlapping pieces of parchment paper overhanging on all sides of the pan; lightly grease the paper; set aside
Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the large bowl
Combine the melted vegan butter and vanilla
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened; it will be crumbly but hold together
Pour about 2/3 of the crumble into the prepared pan and pat down firmly using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup
Spread the cooled date mixture on the crumble base
Mix the remaining crumble with the walnuts and toss to combine; the mixture should be crumbly with some large clusters
Evenly sprinkle the remaining crumble over the bars
Bake until the bars are golden brown, about 30 mins
Allow the bars to cool in the pan for 15 mins, then use the parchment paper overhangs to lift the bars out of the pan
Allow the bars to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve
Notes & Variations
Ingredient Notes
Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which has larger crystals than other kinds of kosher salt, normal table salt or fine sea salt. As a result, when measured by volume (teaspoons/tablespoons) it will add less "saltiness" than an equal quantity of the other salts. If you are not using Diamond Crystal, I recommend measuring your salt by weight, in which case you won't run into this issue. Otherwise, use half the volume quantity of salt
Vegan butter: There are two main types of vegan butter: (1) margarine-style products that are basically butter-flavored vegetable shortening (e.g. Violife), and (2) cultured-style products made from cashew, coconut, or other kinds of fats (e.g. Miyoko's). I generally prefer the first type in cakes, muffins, and frostings, where the more obvious "butter" flavor and greater stability, and yellow color are beneficial. I prefer the second type in recipes where the fat will caramelize, such as cookies, pie or tart dough, and bread, as margarine-style butters can develop unpleasant burnt oil flavors when heated to high temperatures. Also, cultured-style butter can be browned similarly to dairy butter, while margarine-style butter cannot
Quick-cooking oats: Compared to old-fashioned oats, quick-cooking oats are steamed longer and cut into smaller pieces. I prefer them in this recipe because I find the chewier, more toothsome texture of old-fashioned oats to be overbearing. However, old-fashioned oats can be substituted in a pinch
Things I Used
As an Amazon Affiliate and Food52 Curator, I earn a small commission on anything purchased through these links
Ingredients
Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract
Equipment
9 x 9 inch ceramic baking dish
OXO perforated style potato masher
The recipe for my Nana’s Italian fig rolls (cuccidati) is available below for paid subscribers!
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